LBS Opens Book of Condolence for Fallen Employee Kessellie -Journalists Eulogy Him; Described Him as A Man of Peace

By Mark N. Mengonfia- mmenginfia@gmail.com 

The Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS) Thursday, September 8, 2022 opened a book of condolence for Mulbah Kessellie otherwise known as the “Simple English man”.

Many journalists who were at the signing ceremony choked with grieve and sadness could not hold back their tears, when they started making statements of how they remembered him.

Maxwell Johnson is one person who could not stand the pain of losing a friend like Mulbah Kessellie.

He openly busted up in tears when he took the podium to eulogy his late colleague.

With tears in his eyes, Johnson said, “he was one of my closest friends, we ate together, I called him my Peking as old as he was, I used to call him my father-in-law and called his wife my mother-in-law because I called all of his girls’ children my wives.”

Speaking on behalf of the management, Tepenty A. Young, Deputy Director General for Technical Services at LBS said, “A writer once described life as a stage and when you complete your part, you have to leave the stage for others to come and play their part.”

He said, people do not love to see such changes in life, but was quick to say when death visits, “Let’s bury the person and move on with life”

Young said, “It is a lost, not only to his family, but to this institution.”

According to him, in less than two years, the Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS) has lost four employees something he said, was sad for the institution.

Cecelia G. Clarke, President of the Reporters Association of Liberia (RAL) said Death is inevitable.

The RAL president said, “It is appointed unto a person once to be born and once to die. Our friend Mulbah has answered to call of nature and we cannot ask God, the All-Known and All-Seeing why.”

She said, it was a pain that people gathered to sign a book of condolence for a fallen colleague, Mulbah Kessellie or the Simple English man.

“On behalf of the members and leadership of the Reporters Association Liberia, we say sorry to the family of Mulbah and also to the LBS family, the last area he worked prior to death”, Cecelia said, as she wished his soul and all other departed souls to rest in peace.

Victor Kezelee, one of the Simple English men at LBS was among those who remembered Kessellie for his role played.

Victor recounted their days to break the regular news cast into simple English for the understanding of the ordinary person.

Michael Karr-President LBS workers Union said, “Mulbah Kessellie was a peaceful man. He was a kind person despite his age.”

He said, “If only love and care could have kept Mulbah alive, he would have been here with us.”

According to Karr, Mulbah lived a good life and he will be remembered for his role played.

At the opening of the book of condolence, the Press Union of Liberia was represented by a three member- delegation headed by Mr. Charles B. Coffey, Jr., President; Daniel Nyakona, Vice President and Rhodoxon Fayiah, member of the PUL.

In his remarks, Mr. Coffey said, “Media work is a sacrificial work”

According to him, what is so saddened about the media work is that journalists provide knowledge to the public and when they die, a vacuum is left behind.

“Every one of us will one day depart, but we should leave a legacy behind”, Coffey said.

Members of the Kessellle family eyes were tearing as those words came from members of the Liberian media.

The family in a remark, praised the family of the Liberia Broadcasting System, the Reporters Association of Liberia and all others who stood by the family during the days of their relative at the John F. Kennedy Hospital for the level of help provided them.

“This is a lost, while Mulbah was on his sick bed, the one (brother) he was next to, died”, the brother of the late Mulbah said.

Mulbah Kessellie wake keeping is, today, Friday, September 9, while tomorrow, September 10, 2022 after a Funeral Service Mount Zion in the GSA Road Community in Paynesville, he will finally be interred at the Johnsonville Cemetery.