BY OUMAH OTIENOH

I was last Saturday surrounded by a contingent of schoolteachers during a dowry payment event for a longtime buddy at Sagam village in my native Gem Constituency.

As a literary practitioner, I’m expected to write about every occasion I attend, which is sometimes an uphill task.

Writing is never an easy process, and I must ask my esteemed East African readers to pardon my slipups as I “tighten” my musings of a wanderer at the much hyped event.

I was privileged to have taught with the groom – Vincent Musime at the old Ng’iya Girls High School during his fresh days from Egerton University.

During our evening banters, I always reminded him that my alma mater, Kenyatta University produced refined educators due to its strong academic reputation and a faculty of renowned scholars: Prof D. N. Sifuna, Prof J. E. Otiende, Prof G. A. Benaars and Prof H. O. Ayot.

Mr Musime would endlessly challenge me that Egerton University, an institution which began as Egerton School Farm in 1939 under the stewardship of Lord Maurice Egerton of Taton was the cradle of knowledge in Kenya.    

This is an academic warfare that none of us has ever won. The case file is still open to old-folks of the two Kenyan pioneer tertiary institutions to make a sound judgement.  

After a short stint at Ng’iya Girls as an apprentice tutor, he was posted by the giant Teachers Service Commission (TSC) at a neighbouring Sub-county school (day school) to teach biology and chemistry.

My acquaintance, an alumnus of St. Mary’s School, Yala blatantly rejected the employment offer. He was later rerouted to Kakamega’s Butere Girls High School where he was later appointed to the high office of director of studies.

In the past two weeks, Butere Girls has been making news headlines courtesy of their controversial play, ‘Echoes of War’ scripted by Cleopas Malala.

What was the play about? A quick look at it shows why it has been subjected to so much resistance and storm.   The drama set in a fictional Royal Velvet Emirates, is a hyperbolic attempt to illustrate the widening gap between two generations: the young and the old.

Last year, he invited me to talk to Butere Girls parents on nurturing their daughters through quality education. The school handsomely paid for the service. This, for me, is the most memorable trait for the eons I have known him.

The cultural event was a constellation of stars with his firebrand old students gracing it. His overzealous commitment to his students has contributed to his spectacular rise in the teaching profession. Whereas some of us had to undergo the rigors of TSC interviews for promotion, he was elevated after presenting a basketball team in 2023 at the Federation of East African Secondary Schools Sports Association in Huye-Rwanda.    

Other noticeable figures present were Wickliffe Orengo, Calvince Onyango, Sylvester Ogolla and Francis Onyango.

My old-time associate, Fredrick Adundo pulled a few strings at the event. The St. Mary’s School, Yala tutor par excellence and an alumnus of Moi University is a rare breed of top brains.

Mr Victor Makanda was also in-attendance. The St. Mary’s School, Yala Senior Principal and Kenya Secondary School Heads Association (Siaya County) Chairman is one of the finest human beings to ever walk on this planet. In our small ring of friends, we refer to him as “global” because of his frequent overseas voyages. In a team of remarkable men, he stands out.            

Dear reader, you don’t get a convoy of SUV’s – Sports Utility Vehicles enroute to your social event overnight. The secret lies in who you grab coffee with! Mr Musime has attracted a super-rich network of friends.

Being in an environment where you regularly encounter quality people – whether at work, school or restaurant – appears to be a key factor to better livelihood.

So, the next time you’re debating whether to join a golf club or not, consider the hidden benefits of such a bold move.               

As we congratulate Mr Musime for his fiancée, let’s also wish him an idyllic matrimony full of fanfare.

Postscript: The torrents and gushes of rainfall at the bride’s place is an entire chapter in an upcoming memoir.  

The writer is a Kenyan contributor on literature, art and culture. He is also a travel enthusiast.  oumahotienoh2009@yahoo.com