Dickens Olewe, former Star Newspaper lead digital editor. [Photo/ Dickens Olewe]
It is the dream of a journalist to get their hands on a big story and break it before everybody else does.
Scoops are coveted in the world of journalism because of their power to raise the profiles of a journalist and the media organisation that they work for.
It is, therefore, not an exaggeration to say that journalists live for scoops.
Like scores of soccer junkies around the world, Dickens Olewe's eyes were glued to a screen showing a UEFA Champions League fixture when his phone buzzed Wednesday night, signalling an incoming call.
Little did he know that he just a call away from a scoop that would reverberate across the world and shape the discourse about Kenya's preparedness for a repeat presidential election.
The caller ID showed that it was Dr Roseline Akombe.
Despite interviewing the incredibly articulate commissioner twice before on a BBC podcast, Dickens thought it odd that Akombe was calling her that Wednesday night.
He answered the call without hesitation, anxious to hear what Akombe had for him.
''Hello Dickens, I am out of the country. Can I speak to the BBC?'' Akombe said in a voice dripping with anxiety.
The BBC journalist assured the IEBC commissioner that he would make arrangements for her to speak to the BBC.
Olewe quickly placed a call to his editor in London, the headquarters of the BBC, requesting him to put her on the airwaves because she had a big announcement to make.
The editor of the world broadcaster obliged and connected Akombe to the BBC Newsday programme where she first publicly dropped the bombshell of her resignation, a move that set mainstream media and social media on a spin.
Dickens Olewe could not hide his excitement for helping the BBC get the earth-shattering scoop.
Perhaps his tweet after the scoop cogently captures his excitement more than anything else.
‘’What a day! Listen to this on how I got the scoop about Roselyn Akombe’s resignation.’’ Dickens Olewe posted on Twitter.