By John Kagagi
28 September 2023
Sean Cardovillis, who crafted a niche as the voice of sport in Kenya over two decades, passed away in Nairobi in early September.
He joined Capital FM soon after it opened its doors – towards the end of the nineties when Kenya’s radio frequencies were opened to enterprise. Capital gained its FM frequency 98.4 shortly after Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, the country’s national broadcaster, scooped 101.1 FM for itself.
Cardovillis was a familiar sight in player-only areas, sunglasses propped on his head, voice recorder in hand, interviewing for his trademark sports clips which were infused with interviews, goal scoring action, screeching F1 cars and chanting fans.
Anchored by presenter Phil Mathews, Capital built a large following, shoring up Kenyan presenters who in turn built their own huge following; the radio station became a conveyor belt for Kenya’s radio talent.
Capital’s stars had one thing in common – they didn’t work on Saturday afternoon, and Cardovillis took the slot and made it his own, keeping listeners abreast with sport from around the world.
Capital started in September 1996, a few months after the first edition of Kenya’s Safari Sevens rugby tournament, and a partnership between FM radio and rugby took off.
Capital’s connection to Kenya Rugby was Miki Cardovillis, Sean’s uncle and a manager at Capital FM whose two sons, Charles and John, played rugby. Sean was Capital’s presence at rugby – in their first year of ‘live’ broadcast, before obtaining an outside broadcast frequency and van, a piki-piki rider shuttled up and down Ngong Road every half hour, whizzing Cardovillis’ interviews on mini disc into the station’s studio in town.
I met with Miki and Sean at Java Cafe in September 2013, seated around a booth similar to the ones at its Adam’s Arcade café, which in a previous life had been Tumbo’s Bar, an all-day, all-night bar that had a long, long relationship with Kenya Rugby. Miki’s bass is booming over the noisy restaurant as unrelated personalities stop by to say hello to him: a senator, a marketing manager, and an old friend. Miki went way back in the entertainment business. In the Seventies Miki was a music producer, cutting records for a few bands, among them the Mighty Cavaliers, whom Daudi Kabaka sometimes played for.
Ron Bukusi, Kenya Rugby Football Union’s CEO, would often call Miki Cardovillis asking the station to play Queen’s “We will rock you” and “Another one bites the dust” as theme songs three months ahead of the tournament, which in Miki Cardovillis’ words were, “to get Safari Sevens into people’s brains”.
“The two songs were already popular at the Hong Kong Sevens”, Bukusi wrote in an email interview shortly afterwards, “there was no need to reinvent the wheel”.
Miki’s leading the conversation, but Sean’s voice cuts through when I ask him about his radio career and Kenya rugby. “I came in about four months after Capital started, in January 1997. You only had a minute or two maximum (of airtime), and your objective was to make it as concise as possible, with as much information, and a solid intro and outro. We started the sports show (on Saturday afternoons) in 1999. There was supposed to be a balance between sport and music – what we were trying to do was keep the people who liked music tuned in, but also attract the ones who liked sports.
“FM radio was still a new experience. The response from people was unbelievable. Everyone wanted to meet our stars like Zain Verjee, Caroline Mutoko, Maina Kageni, Toni Patti, Bob Kioko and Jo Thoenes. We had quality music from top talent like DJ Pinye and Homeboyz DJ’s.”
Sports players, often a by-product when sports is discussed in boardrooms, were given voice by Cardovillis’ broadcasts. Paul Odera, a long-serving player and national coach of Kenyan rugby was first interviewed by Cardovillis in 1998, just back in as a player from the Middlesex Sevens in London, where Kenya had reached the semi-finals.” Sean was very professional. He made sure we were in the studio early, calmed us down to his deliberate tempo, and asked us about our tour.”
Throughout his career, Odera has not shied from questioning rugby’s management. In 2006 when coaching the Kenya under-18 team to the Africa Cup in North Africa, Odera and members of his team were stranded at Dubai Airport, camped in the departure lounge before ticket confirmations were sent through.
“Sean gave us (players) a voice”, says Odera, who at one point was pushing the KRFU to set up a player’s association. “He wasn’t scared to air our interviews, which were sometimes controversial. He’d give you an interview, and you’d hear it that afternoon on the radio. Quite a few things would have been swept under the carpet were it not for Cardovillis.”
Two decades later in 2017, Cardovillis was still at it, then at Nation Radio, interviewing Constant Cap on the phone, after refereeing the Kenya Cup final between Kenya Commercial Bank RFC and Kabras RFC, which KCB won.
Sean was born on 23rd February 1973 in Nakuru and baptised at Christ the King Cathedral on 5th May 1973. An avid sportsman, Cardovillis rode with Chris Froome when he was living in Kenya. He joined KTN as a Sports Presenter after attending United States International University, and Capital FM as one of the initial presenters along with his ex-kindergarten classmate, Zain Verjee.
After being unwell for a while, Sean collapsed and passed away next to his road bike, on the stairs to his flat.
Miki Cardovillis passed away in 2021.
Eternal rest grant unto Sean and Miki, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.