Gachagua, Buke and our UoN class of 1988

Our paths after university have not been exactly as that of Chris Oriko, Sam and Ikem Osodi the main characters in Achebe’s 1987 novel Ant Hills of the Savannah.

That is why I was not surprised to read Wafula Buke’s article last month in this paper where he revealed stuff that was previously only known to the three of us and others who were at the University of Nairobi between 1985 and 1988. Yes, he, Buke, the now impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and I were classmates at UoN.

We all shared the literature course (that is why I have Achebe here as an analogy), and pursued separate academic specializations. The political science course was then called government, which I took. Gachagua was the literature guru as Wafula dubbed in philosophy in his Bachelor of Arts course. It was at a time one of Africa’s giants in literature Chinua Achebe released one of his respected books Anthills of the Savannah. I cite the book because one of its themes is closely related to the message I want to put across in this piece.

The late 80s and early 90s were politically hot times. Very hot. And student politics at UoN was the hottest in the country’s history. And so while Buke and Gachagua were at the centre of it, I was not. Despite having been a trickster in my teenage days, when I got to UoN I had developed a cautious streak and I guess that is why Buke wrote that I was timid.

Looking back, now an elder, as I juxtapose our lives -- the three of us, and Achebe’s three young men in his novel, who were also college mates; Sam Chris and Ikem and how they ended up in their adult lives, I can say that we have not turned out as Achebe’s characters but I see some similarities.

Sam was the leader of the students, a sporty young man, good with football and popular with the girls. Ikem was the cleverest in class and stuck to his books hitting them hard through to universities abroad, and Chris was the moderate one - a good writer.

I am not sure what Gachagua may now think but Buke’s thoughts are clear. I assess that Buke was the Sam guy, he was top in student politics being our student leader at UoN, and Gachagua was the Mr Fix it -doing things that none of the students would do. He was the link between state operatives and student politics- because of this, he always had money. My take is that had he focused on books, his fixing mind would have turned him into Achebe’s Ikem. He also had a quick tongue and would win debates. But as was Ikem, he would sometimes fall victim to the vagaries of politics and life- Gachagua has not held a public office he rode to the end of a term, from DO to DP (save for MP) something has always happened to him along the way.

I do not like assessing myself but I have always thought that I am a moderate as was Chris in Achebe’s book.

Sam the sporty one with that political thing joined the army and rose to becoming a general. He plotted a coup to become president. He appointed classmate Chris the minister for information and the brainy Ikem editor of the government gazette.

Buke’s political militancy streak that drove him to lead us at UoN was betrayed by the hard realities of the 80s, a hot political time as I have indicated. Indeed, as he said in his article where he reflected on the tribulations facing our mutual classmate and colleague Gachagua, the backstabbing, and the leaking of student leaders’ plans hit him and others hard- he was not able to finish his studies at UoN. It has not been possible for him to walk the path that Achebe’s Sam walked to the president.

Gachagua on the other hand, armed with his dangerous cleverness as was Ikem, has remained what he was at UoN -leading the Nyeri student’s association, seeking ways to be close to power for the benefit of his mountain stalk. His style was aggressive even at UoN. We graduated the same day in 1989 and joined the then Kenya Institute of Administration together and later the Embakasi paramilitary. Both of us emerged tops in the shooting competition. I was top in handling a G3 and he was at a pistol. He said “You see Ken you have led in the arms of constables and servicemen, and I have led in the officers’ arms and so I am the boss”

That was and is Gachagua- an aggressive one who verbalizes all that comes into his heart.

Our lecturer in one of the units, public administration at UoN, to be exact, Afrifa Gitonga, had taught us that “some truth is so ugly that you don’t have to talk about it.”

Lusaka is former Senate Speaker and current Governor of Bungoma