The General and I: Tale of a moran, heardboy and senior State official

Helen Pilale Nkaissery, wife to the late Major-General (Rtd) Joseph Nkaissery' poses with the book titled 'The General and I' which she wrote. [Denis Kibuchi, Standard]

The General and I: A Memoir by Helen Pilale Nkaisserry is a welcome, deserving and long overdue addition to the nascent genre in Kenya's literary landscape. It offers a profound look at Joseph Kasaine Nkaisserry, the herds boy, student, Maasai moran, family man, military general, opposition politician and minister.

Writing or talking about a loved one's passing is a cathartic process that also helps in healing, albeit in a way that allows one to share inner private thoughts with total strangers. The author skillfully and concisely chronicles her husband's rise to the top echelon, his successes and challenges he faced.

Helen Pilale Nkaisserry also tells the story of her life as a young girl in rural Kenya, her achievements and challenges as a pupil, life in boarding school, teaching career, military wife, farmer, entrepreneur and astute community grassroots mobiliser, who oversaw the successful implementation of income generating projects for women in Kajiado County.

The vivid and punchy prose style that the writer employs makes the memoir a compelling read. It has a mix of narration and flashbacks that engage the reader by taking you on a journey into Nkaisserry's early life and the hurdles he had to overcome.

The font, leading and paragraph style are easy on the eyes while the use of illustrations like pictures and maps complement the main text very well. The memoir's front cover design elegantly infuses colours that symbolise Nkaisserry's Maasai heritage, of which he was very major proponent.

The reader is ushered into the couple's early lives as children growing up in a pastoralist environment and the big role education played in bridging the gulf between those brought up in rural areas and their urban counterparts. By taking us down memory lane, Helen evocatively outlines their humble beginnings. The going was not easy as the newly independent Kenya was still steeped in old traditions that competed with Christianity and Western education.

But it is the author's role as the devoted wife of General Nkaisserry as they traversed the fast-paced world of the military, politics and government that captivates the reader. The writer should be commended for opening up her family to public scrutiny. The memoir will go a long way in motivating others to also tell their own personal stories. Kenyans are generally quite conservative, secretive or shy. Many people prefer to keep their personal matters or experiences private. This trend needs to change since by opening up we will be able to help others in similar situations.

To the average Kenyan, many political leaders come across as aloof, arrogant and unreachable. However, there are a few that are able to cut across the societal and economic divide in Kenya and General Nkaisserry was one such person.

As he rose through the military ranks before joining politics and also serving as a Cabinet minister, his demeanour was that of a very strict person who did not tolerate any nonsense. He comes across as a fearless and confident man who rarely backed down.

We encounter him at the height of the deadly 2007 post-election violence that rocked Kenya where he boldly confronts heavily armed men who are planning to attack members of another community because of political rivalry. He cherished peace and abhorred violence.

The memoir also reveals another side of Nkaisserry, that of a down- to- earth individual with a warm persona. While some Kenyans saw him as a disciplinarian who rarely smiled, others feared him because of his senior military background and towering physical stature. But to his loving family, relatives, close associates and constituents he was a very kind, humble and affable man.

The memoir unveils a totally different mien from the one Nkaisserry projected in public. Behind the closed doors was a prayerful man, a loving husband, a doting father, a playful grandfather, a prankster, close advisor and the usual go-to person for many relatives, friends and constituents.

What ultimately grips the reader's attention in the memoir are the anecdotes that the author shares about her husband's life. Even some very serious incidents ultimately leave the reader with a smile as she recalls Nkaisserry's time in the Kenya Army. These include his face-to-face encounter with a furious Commander-in-Chief at State House Nairobi as a cadet and also the mysterious disappearance of the son of a very senior politician while on a military training exercise in northern Kenya.

To the author's great credit, the memoir is devoid of any ambiguities since she shuns the urge that often overwhelms many writers to embellish their work. Instead, Helen tells it like it is, thus enabling the reader to delve into her self-introspection journey with ease. Her honest account helps the reader transcend the various facets that encumber many Kenyans when they are faced with emerging or persistent challenges.

The memoir will resonate well with readers from across the social spectrum as it tackles serious themes like betrayal, which is a deep embodiment of the dark side of human nature. Many Kenyans have experienced instances where supposed close confidants quickly melt away when someone is faced with a major dilemma. The author poignantly and frankly recalls how some individuals who used to flock their home when Nkaisserry was in power quickly disappeared and abandoned the family upon his sudden demise in July 2017. It becomes crystal clear that power is indeed a very powerful magnet that attracts all sorts of weird characters with many disguised as acquaintances, but whose sole aim is to reap from their proximity to the trappings of power.

The writer's use of the powerful emotive style reveals the huge void that Nkaisserry left behind and will at times bring tears to your eyes. Her frankness endears her to the reader as she is able to capture their attention with her concise and flowing style.

Her thoughtful and precise presentation of events reveals that no one in society, including the powerful, is infallible. Both the powerful and the common man or woman have similar ambitions in their quest to fulfil their life goals.

Behind the beautiful military uniforms, marching bands and weaponry are real faces with the same day-to-day worries like the rest of us in the civilian world. In her simple descriptive style, the author compellingly illuminates the fun times and problems that families of military personnel face in the barracks.

Life is not only precious, but also very fragile. The author recalls the deep pain Nkaisserry felt on April 2, 2015, as Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Co-ordination of National Government after Al-Shabaab terrorists attacked Garissa University, killing 147.

The memoir is a very powerful rendition of a young Maasai man's journey from a traditional setting to the masterly adoption of urban norms while not losing touch with his heritage.

Helen ably takes the reader on a tour that is replete with cultural and traditional gems that immerse you into the rich Maa culture by unravelling the tortuous hurdles many rural Kenyans have to surmount in order to succeed.

She deftly tackles the traditional barriers that have derailed and bogged down the futures of many pastoralist girls. The author candidly gives the reader a clear view of the challenges that await those from backgrounds that are entrenched in old traditions and how to navigate modern paths without abandoning the good cultural attributes.

In her witty and concise style, Helen invites the reader into her inner thoughts and successfully ushers you inside the world of a young Maasai girl about to embark on a journey outside the confines of her manyatta. The powerful fusion of Maa traditions and Western education does lend credence to the notion that for a society to succeed it is imperative that it adopts positive elements from both sides of the divide instead of negating either to their detriment.

Symbiotic relationship

Nkaisserry comes across as a staunch believer of good Maasai traditions that can go hand in hand with the so-called modern way of living by forming a symbiotic relationship between the old and new. He was disillusioned by some negative traditions that hindered the education of girls and always preached the benefits of going to school.

For example, he was very passionate about the education of the girl child and ensured that boarding schools were built in Kajiado County to cater for young girls from pastoralist families, thus leaving behind a rich and enduring legacy.

Nkaisserry never relented in his quest to eradicate beliefs that impede Kenyan women. He was very committed to eradicating harmful practices like female genital mutilation and early marriages, which are sadly still being practised in some parts of the country.

It's quite heartening for the reader when the author distinctly shares the marital journey that the couple experienced in Kenya and North America together with their children. There are vital lessons to be gleaned from her account, which can go a long way in furthering marital bliss in the country.

The consistent usage of simple and concise words goes a long way in ensuring that the reader is engrossed right from the beginning. The author adeptly uses the narration style to merge the past with the present in a flowing manner.

The writer's compelling use of anecdotes helps drive the narration and engages the reader's mind. While it is a well-known fact that it is not an easy to wholly capture a reader's full attention while telling your story, I must opine that the writer has achieved this successfully.

Writing a memoir is a tough task since it cajoles you to tell the reader about past events that may have been consigned to the annals of memory. The author has achieved this by navigating the momentous path with unbridled flair.

The memoir is a bold and gripping endeavour that eschews the regular tendency by many authors who crave privacy to hold back on critical facts since Helen honestly and intelligently invites the reader into her personal realm.

This, I must concur, is what makes it a fascinating read that I highly recommend. It is also my utmost hope that other Kenyans in the higher rungs of the political, societal and economic ladders will borrow lessons from the memoir to also tell their own stories.