The former host of CNN’s Inside Africa Soni Methu died on Thursday, April 11. She was 34.
The journalist’s sister, Faith Methu, said in a statement that she collapsed suddenly in Kenya and died on her way to the hospital, according to CNN. Her cause of death is currently unknown, though her sister claimed she may have suffered a seizure. “We don’t know much, but a post mortem will be done to tell exactly what happened,” Faith explained.
Soni hosted Inside Africa from 2014 to 2015. The show is CNN International’s longest-running feature program. She served as the first Kenyan host of the series before the network changed the format to be sans presenter.
“We are shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of our friend and former colleague Soni Methu,” CNN said in a statement. “Our heartfelt condolences to her family and friends, from all at CNN.”
Her former coworkers described Soni as someone who “had a great energy, an ability to light up the room and was incredibly kind to those she worked with as well as people she met in her travels.”
The reporter previously worked for two years as an east Africa correspondent at South African news channel eNCA.
Soni frequently documented her travels and the pieces she worked on via Instagram. However, she shared her last post in August 2018. “Let thy soul shine,” she captioned a photo of herself looking up at a crane while wearing safety gear.
“One of the many reasons why I love my job is that I get to meet incredible people with powerful resilience,” she tweeted in January 2018.
Soni deemed herself a people person “who has Africa at heart” on her Facebook account. “I am blessed to have toured across Africa,” she wrote in December 2017. “I embrace the beauty of our continent.”
