Fare thee well the four great brains we lost this week

We take time off high voltage politics playing out in our courts to dedicate this column to four professors who passed away this week after years of dedicated public service.

Firstly, Karega Mutahi.

I am proud to say Professor Mutahi hails from Loc 14 in Murang'a where I was born. He came from very humble beginnings, even by village standards, but this never deterred him from pursuing his dreams. From when I was a child, we knew of the academic exploits of Prof and his twin brother, Njeru Kirira, a public finance guru in his own right. Both twins served the government in senior positions, but it was Mutahi who stayed the longest, serving in different capacities and finally as Permanent Secretary in the Education and Local Government ministries and ending up as chair of the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee. In the years he served, Mutahi was fastidious about discipline, efficiency and innovation. He was described by many as humble, pragmatic and patriotic. Mutahi’s role as the PS Local Government in the transition to devolution years showed him at his progressive best. Unlike many civil servants who saw devolution as a threat, PS Mutahi saw its transformative potential and worked tirelessly to facilitate the transition. His season as chair of the IGRTC was difficult, working for a government that did not believe in devolution and yet still leaving an indelible mark.

The second professor I celebrate is from Malawi.

I had the privilege of meeting Ruth Ngeyi Kanyongolo in Malawi a while ago. I remember being impressed by Prof Kanyongolo's intellect, energy, and vivacity. One day when she invited us to their beautiful home, she danced the whole evening, not what you expect from the Dean of the Faculty of Law, later on to become the first female Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University of Malawi. Kanyongolo was a scholar per excellence and has written numerous publications, mentored many women law lecturers and invested heavily in the next generation of scholars in Africa. She used her sharp intellect to advance the cause of women and girls in Malawi and the continent. In the words of one of her professor friends, Kanyongolo was a global citizen, firmly rooted in her culture but comfortable in global spaces as she was in the village carrying out work with locals.

Thirdly, I wish to salute Migot Adholla, another academically gifted doyen of public sector service.

Those old enough to remember the 1999 dream team appointed by former President Daniel Moi to rescue Kenya from political and economic doldrums will recall Prof Adholla's appointment as Permanent Secretary for Agriculture where he served with utmost dedication. Adholla was a towering scholar who had written widely on land and has advised many governments in Africa and elsewhere on land reforms. He served in many public positions where he will be remembered as affable, witty, an intense intellectual and a great human being, a trait I noted recently when were spokesmen on “opposing sides” negotiating dowry for one of his friends’ sons who was marrying my friends’ daughter. I caused him and his professor friend some grief, but they left with the girl. We are blessed with beautiful cultures.

Finally, Professor Daniel Sifuna, a dedicated teacher inexorably linked to Kenyatta University’s Education faculty and a towering academic in his own light who also passed away this week.

Kenya and Africa have lost some of its best brains. Every time impactful people die, I am left wondering what people will truthfully say about my impact when I depart. Will I fade off quietly in the darkness or will there be those, beyond my immediate clan, whose lives I impacted?  That is the question I pose to all of us this week. To the extent that it matters, let us go invest in our eulogies this week, making the world a more livable place.

As I sign off, let me celebrate three professors who have made my last two months memorable. Professor Anne Hellum, Professor Bill Derman, and Professor Andreassen Baird who knows more about Kenya than most Kenyans. These three have made immense contributions to scholarship in Africa for decades. As they say amongst my people, may your tribe increase!