Born in 1940 in Mombasa, Leonard Mambo Mbotela yearned to be a broadcaster from childhood. He liked talking and interacting with people of all kinds. He was known as mtoto wa mambo mengi (a talkative child). He completed his Secondary education in 1962 and got his dream job at the Voice of Kenya (now Kenya Broadcasting Corporation) in 1964. Leonard worked passionately to become one of the excellent broadcasters in Africa.

Leonard Mbotela retired as Kenya's longest-serving broadcaster. As of 2022, when he left the studio, he had been on air for 58 years. His signature programme, “Je Huu ni Uungwana?”, which continues to air on KBC radio to date, is the oldest in
Kenya, having premiered in 1966. It has been running for the last 55 years. Mbotela’s artistic mastery of Kiswahili language, his humorous disposition and his special gift of the gab helped him deliver his message to its target audience, in its intended form and with unrivalled clarity. Indeed, this placed him in a class of his own.


In addition, Leonard’s superior storytelling skills and his ability to integrate personal experience and historical facts make this book an exceptional read. “Je, Huu ni Uungwana?” is an autobiographical narrative of Kenya’s renowned broadcaster.