Kenyan Journalist Larry Madowo Says He Fled New York over Coronavirus Fears
Kenyan media personality Larry Madowo says he has been forced to leave New York due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Madowo, a Knight-Bagehot fellow at Columbia University, had returned to New York from Kenya a few days ago over fears that the US could impose travel restrictions on Kenya, hence affect his studies.
Madowo, through LinkedIn on Tuesday, said the situation in New York, where the rate of Covid-19 infections is five times faster than the national average, forced him to move a “few states” away, where he is self-isolating in line with the guidelines issued by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“As soon as I got back to New York City, I knew I had to leave. As authorities ramped up testing for the new coronavirus, it quickly became the epicenter of the disease in North America,” wrote Madowo.
“I think New York is the greatest city on earth and I say this as someone who has worked in 3 continents and traveled almost everywhere. It survived 9/11 and it will get through this as well.”
“But I didn’t think it wise to stay in a city with an infection rate five times higher than the rest of the country,” Madowo wrote.
“I had to go through a secondary CDC screening at JFK and declare my travel history be allowed back into these United States. Deportation was never on the table but maybe I would have been safer in Kenya than here?” he posed.
Of the over 54,000 Covid-19 cases indexed in the US, more than 20,000 have been recorded in New York.
Comments (52)
Good luck to him.
Larry maybe out of step on this one but maybe he is trying to survive, perhaps has a pre-existing condition. That said he remains an inspiration to many who are orphans out there and to those who have gone through very tough childhood and survived. To those everyday is a gift.
Being an orphan does not equate to ujingaism
Larry Madowo has always been ignorant and arrogant.
Ignorant —- there is a global pandemic .
Arrogant —- he is smarter than all Kenyans living in NEWYORK , America and basically everywhere else in the world.
Surely, really, surely - stupidity mixed with arrogance just becomes a toxic brew of ignorance!!
There are over one million international students in USA. Why does he keep telling us all this stuff as if he is the only international student?
yes..whyyy? he sounds narcissistic and self-preoccupied.
I think its because he is a MEDIA Personality. He loves the Media; or the Media loves him.
Hehe....
I gotta say I like that one.
He looks suspicious walking down 42nd Street, anyways
...ndrama queen of Queens
I was thinking of the same. Don’t why he keeps Mdomo mdomo hapa. His studies are actually lowest in ranking for any academic achievements and from a school that no one knows. He must be excited to be in US. If anything no one cares... Africa has better journalism schools I don’t see see why all this hype mara hospital mara has to rush back jameni shut up and focus on you madawo ...
No one knows Columbia university?you better off crawling under the rock you cane from
You must be an idiot living in the woods. COLOMBIA University is an IVY league University. Do your research before you sound foolish to the world. Top 8 universities in the world. Google ivy league schools my Friend.
And which safe state is that he is refusing to name.Who is he trying to impress with this fake news ati safer state corona does not discriminate and a few months in New York does not make him an expert on all things New York has he any idea how large that state is oh because he has been to New York City he has seen the “world”.Clueless but then again sometimes ignorance is bliss
Kenya has a history of rewarding talkshops and Larry knows this too well. He has to remain relevant by talking, just like those loud-mouthed politicians. I thought he's studying at Columbia University on F1 Visa and purely on a personal capacity.
Oprah Winfrey confessed to Earning lots of Money just by TALKING. And she war. Kenyan politicians do the same too (to get your Votes and Earn for NOTHING).
Kenya has a history of rewarding talkshops and Larry knows this too well. He has to remain relevant by talking, just like those loud-mouthed politicians. I thought he's studying at Columbia University on F1 Visa and purely on a personal capacity.
Then he should become a fake politician like Moha who is now the mouthpiece for Ruto!
Who cares what Larry Madowo does?
@kenya u don't understand luozz nakunjifanya na maringoo mingi!
😂
Every tribe has it's Niche; good or bad. Luos are PRIDAL (andvSocial butterflies), Kikuyus are TRIBAL (and Greedy hateful), Luhyas are IDLE (and Lustful Marriage destroyers), etc.
@hslisi - Let’s call Madowo a confused Kenyan in a foreign land! A Luo would exaggerate the situation in NY better than him!
He has the biggest mouth, going all the way to his ears, especially when he open it up. There is something about this moron's origin or upbringing. I will attempt to google his native village, to find out why he acts like kiddish kid. And love may be blind because I wonder how he managed to win the soul of one of the best and matured media personality in Kenya, the daughter of a poet I so much cherished. Ati running away from New York because of coronavirus. How many of us are staying put, or taking other safety measures and are not blagging about it. Wacha ile kasumba ya Kikenya ya kufikiria kuwa Amerika ni mbinguni. You should have know that by now from Ms Rubadiri. Wakenya hapa hawafikirii vile watahama watorokee maambukizi ya corona. Wanafikiria jinsi watashughurukia maisha wakati kibunga cha korona kitakapofika upeoni. Ningekuwa Atwoli nigekuita SHENZI WEWE!
I see a bunch of haters fill up this space. Let Madowo be. He has accomplished what millions only dream of! Please jipeni shughuli
Accomplishment or not, why does he act he's the centre of the universe? Why is he engaging the public on things he ought to address quietly and at a personal level? In my own understanding, Corona is global pandemic and no one is safe. That's what we've been told.
@mzee - surely you must be old enough to know several millions have already accomplished more than Midowo, eg Jeff Koinange??? Why would any one be jealous of a poor student?
Accomplished what again - going to a low level university in America? Until he is the likes of Amanpour, I will call his accomplishment just big mouth wannabe!
I wish we had Wazze wengi like you.
Thank you Mzee. My native country wo/men shock me with their hatred and negativity. Some are even willing to rubbish an Ivy League just bcz Madowo attends it. Tuna shida.
@seneca! Surely now you lie you got a native country? Which one is that? WO/men may just hate you for who you just are! A dummy for that purposeful matter!!
Larry Madomo is living up to his name, running away from corona is like running away from your own shadow
What a journalist - they are those who go to warfare to report, those reporting in Wuhan , Italy etc and this chicken calls himself a journalist? BBC should rethink his fellowship with them
@Madison - stop blowing the horn for yourself! You are not the only student in the US, let alone the whole world!
What would you have done if your news agency had sent you to NY to cover the coronavirus? Would you have gone to Idaho instead???? Ati, you knew you had to leave?
@Vivian, well said. He could have stayed in New York city and do his work as a journalist. Show the world what is going on in the big apple not to run away.
why is he lying is school closed!
A lot of negative comments here about Larry Madowo. Whether you like him or NOT, he has built a name for himself and he will continue to stay relevant. At the end of the day, he is just trying to make it...like all of you who went to the US many years ago and made it (or have not yet made it?). He was successful in Kenya, didn't need to come to USA to make it but chose to pursue his education...after being offered a scholarship. Columbia University is an Ivy League school, for those who are calling it ati some unknown school. None of us here are experts whether you have lived in the USA for 100 years or only 2 days, huku siyo ocha kwetu. If you hate the guy so much, why are you even here reading about him?! Fellow Kenyans, let us learn how to build and appreciate our own brand. Ni hayo tu kwa sawa, rusheni mawe kwangu sasa lakini jaribu kuerevuka na yaliyomo. Au siyo?
Ok King Solomon! Wacha malengo! Madowo would have stayed right in Kenya if he had made it! He is milking every hour of his time here with shady drama to keep himself relevant. Are blind? Tell your boy to elevate his thinking in America - Where is he now - Mississippi!?
Y’all forgive Larry Madowo. He is still re-living life in Kenya where everything he said on TV was taken as theology by the local little chics and socialites!
He is still trying to find the center-ground of his life in the US where everything you say is fact-checked and corrections made pronto! He now feels like a wet chicken in the winter blizzard.
Just forgive Madowo for putting his big foot in his big mouth every time he attempts to sell himself!
Y'all full of shit.
How about you? Are you full of smelly Dudu?
AM STILL STUCK AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY BEING’A LOW LEVEL UNI AND A UNIVERSITY NO ONE KNOWS. I MUST BE BLESSED AND PRIVILEGED TO BE AMONG THESE MWAKILISHI GENIUSES
Yeah but if you take away famous alumni like Obama, Buffett, Justice Ginsburg and many more, the school's great reputation the great programs etc then it's just a random unknown school
Ongeza volume...
Sasa wewe umekuwa bibi ya Madowo, au vipi? Na sisi Wanamake tutapata Vijana wateule na wapi Kama Mwanaume anaonewa na Ndugu yake? Kenya kuna matatizo!
You mean a random unknown ivy school?💩😂😂😂🤷🏿♂️🤷🏿♂️🤷🏿♂️
My son is also a Colombia alumni. The omosh man is primitive. Calling an IVY League school, low class. He better make use of Google before he opens his brain that's filthy with zero awareness
My son is also a Colombia alumni. The omosh man is primitive. Calling an IVY League school, low class. He better make use of Google before he opens his brain that's filthy with zero awareness
Welcome to N.America's life brother Larry Madowo. Life here in N.A is an equalizer! It's for the unrelenting, toiling and those who have street life survival tactics. If you belong to the spoon-fed rich spoiled brats sorority club, then you should pack and go back to Kenya. no whining here; if you have sponsorship to attend school, shut up and go to school! Kuna wenye hawana hiyo priviledge!
This is the first time you have said something worth selling in a few open air markets! You are graduating up there (I mean your faculties are now 1/2 way developed)!