Transitions: Great men and women that departed in 2014

Prof Ali Mazrui

An astute scholar and prolific author, Ali Mazrui’s works stood out from the crowd as fearless and confrontational.

His main breakthrough in the literary world came in 1986 when he wrote and hosted a controversial public television series “The Africans: A Triple Heritage”– triggering a barrage of criticism because it was perceived to endorse Africa nations’ acquisition of nuclear weapons.

As a young boy Mazrui was not a good student and studied basic typing at a technical school where he stayed on as a clerk as he kept on unsuccessfully applying for university.

In a 2009 interview with a Uganda newspaper, The Observer, he said then governor of Kenya Sir Philip Mitchell heard him give a speech on the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday and had been impressed. That led to a series of interviews and a scholarship to finish secondary school in England.

He ended up earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Manchester, a Master’s degree from Columbia in New York and, in 1966, a doctorate from Oxford.

Ali Al’Amin Mazrui was born on February 24, 1933 in Mombasa. His father was an eminent Muslim scholar and the chief Islamic judge of Kenya.

Professor Mazrui’s marriage to the former Molly Vickerman ended in divorce. He is survived by his wife Pauline Uti; sons – Jamal, Al Amin, Kim, Farid and Harith; daughter, Grace Egbo-Mazrui; and three grandchildren.

Justice Joyce Khaminwa

Joyce Nuku Khaminwa never shied away from confrontation and would readily take on anyone she felt was offending and irrational. To many of her colleagues in the legal profession, that defined her character and they learned to live with it. Her striking character perhaps best played out on May 23 when she took her employer – the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) – to court for seeking to retire her from service.

While she eventually lost the battle alongside 10 other judges, the fight will no doubt be used as a reference in future cases as it helped clear the confusion brought about by the transition into the new Constitution.

Justice Khaminwa handled several landmark cases that made her one of the most respected judges in Kenya. She spent the last 11 years serving as a High Court judge.

Prior to that appointment, Justice Khaminwa served as a Commissioner of Assize from 1999 to 2003. During her service, she is most remembered for ordering the government to release the Akiwumi Report on the ethnic clashes that had hit parts of the country since 1991.

Otieno Kajwang

With a towering physique, trademark hearty laughter and a deep sense of humour Otieno Kajwang was irresistible even among political foes. His laughter and humour, including his famous signature “Bado Mapambano”, endeared him to many despite his combative nature.

Mr Kajwang’ joined Homa Bay High School but would be expelled after leading a strike, falling back to his top O-Level grades to secure admission for A-Level education at the Maseno School.

At the University of Nairobi where he was admitted to study Law in 1977, the University senate expelled him along with other student leaders for agitating against bad leadership in the single party era. They later completed their course at Makerere University.

Mr Kajwang’ later became Immigration minister in 2008, where he had the arduous task of quickly transforming himself from an outgrown student leader, ODM party stalwart and Raila Odinga loyalist, to a nationalist who could be trusted with State secrets.

As a lawyer, he was struck off the Roll of Advocates on accusation of misusing a client’s money. He in 2013 was elected Homa Bay Senator.

Joseph Kamotho

He is perhaps best remembered for his unwavering loyalty to former President Daniel Moi and then ruling party Kanu. He never disappointed whenever an opportunity arose to defend his political master and party ideologies.

In the Kanu-era jargon of the time, Mr Kamotho became Nyayo damu and went all over Central Province preaching the party gospel and praising Moi’s leadership. This loyalty was rewarded with ascendance to the all-powerful position of Kanu secretary-general in 1989.

He held many Cabinet portfolios, including Education, Trade and Environment and Natural Resources. Kamotho was also a former member of parliament for Mathioya and Kangema constituencies.

Kuria Kanyingi

Despite his diminutive figure, Kuria Kanyingi’s mastery of politics was admirable. His philanthropic ways were even catchier and those who survived on his handouts will attest to that. For a man who rose from a struggling mechanic to a power broker in Central Kenya, Mr Kanyingi’s life was a success.

He earned a place in the inner circles of power after he caught the eye of Daniel Moi as he repaired the then Vice President’s vehicle which had broken down. This is how he became the director of the Motor Vehicle Inspection Unit during the Moi era. He rose the political ladder and became an MP for Limuru Constituency, where he earned the moniker Mr Moneybags for his cash handouts.

Prof Wilfred Muthaka Mwangi

He is fondly remembered as part of the Dream Team that former President Daniel Moi reached out to for help when his government was on the edge, hounded by an international donor community demanding for accountability. With the economy facing imminent collapse in the 1990s, the group of technocrats had the mandate of suing for peace with the donor community and restore respect among citizens.

Prof Wilfred Muthaka Mwangi was tapped as Permanent Secretary ministry of Energy, from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT).

Prof Mwangi and his colleagues in the Dream Team made an instant impact in the public service, winning back confidence of the donor community and the citizens through measures such as downsizing a bloated civil service and restoring integrity in key public institutions.

Their privileged terms of service and unravelling ways, however, did not go well with powerful cartels in Moi’s regime. The team was soon disbanded on the influence of blue-eyed boys within Mr Moi’s regime who had been ruffled by the reforms initiated by the Dream Team.

Like his colleagues, Prof Mwangi found his way back to the private sector to pursue his dream as research scientist. He rejoined CIMMYT where he amassed 27 years of service, rising to the position of Africa regional director.

Noah arap Ngeny

His stint at the helm of the defunct Kenya Post and Telecommunication Corporation earned him a revered stature in his Rift Valley backyard.

He made a name as a manager, philanthropist and shrewd businessman. But perhaps more significant to many in the Rift Valley was the large number of people from the region that he helped secure jobs with the giant organisation that was to be later privatised and split into three entities, Telkom Kenya, Kenya Postal Corporation and the Communications Authority of Kenya.

Besides, Mr Ngeny helped establish Soin Sugar Company that serves more than 1,000 farmers in Kericho and Kisumu counties.
Born in 1937 in Soliat, Soin division, Kericho County, Mr Ng’eny also served as Water Development Minister in the final term of retired President Daniel Moi’s government.

Edward Ntalami

His tenure at the helm of the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) was characterised by mixed results of highs and lows. On the one hand, several stockbrokers collapsed due to problems that started in his era at the helm of the regulator while, on the other hand, he presided over a bullish market whose peak numbers have not been surpassed.

The collapse of Nyagah Stockbrokers under his watch perhaps proved one of the lowest points in Mr Ntalami’s reign as thousands of investors saw their fortunes disappear.

The corporate governance challenge was all the more troubling because it had followed another: the collapse of Francis Thuo & Partners in March 2007. Mr Ntalami, however, oversaw a market that was in solid upward movement. Solid economic growth reached a two-decade high of seven per cent in 2007, the same year that he left the CMA, as corporate profitability also rose. With this was a market that saw stock prices soaring.