The cerebral engineer learning from the sheep

For a civil engineer, Engineer Joseph Kamau, the CEO of Athi Water Works Development Agency (AWWDA), refuses to spend time in his mind, building up castles, or demolishing them. He prefers, as I find out over the interview, to talk big numbers, big projects, big brain stuff. His staff would say beneath his veneer is a fuzzy, warm man, sharply funny, generous, and confident in his awkwardness. He may seem distant, he says, but “I am very approachable,” that you just have to work a little harder to lure him out, parse the opaque water, and see through to the surface, and this was true for the most part.

His words are like a boat drifting, waiting to dock. He piles on about the importance of his kids being members of the community—members of a community—especially as they grow, especially in this day and age. “Respect is non-negotiable,” he says. This man who believes you can’t believe your way out of something you behaved your way into. There was certitude in this, and peace in certitude.