Fare thee well the four great brains we lost this week

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!