BY OUMAH OTIENOH

The glaring exaltation: “Celebrating the life of Prof Bethwell Allan Ogot” still lingers in my mortal mind as I pen this elegy of a consummate foremost academic and historian par excellence who passed on in late January.   

Even after interring his remains besides his longtime lovebird Grace Akinyi Ogot at his Gem-Yala home in Siaya County, my eyes still well up in tears.

Prof Ogot had a quiet demeanor, a deep baritone voice and a towering frame and chubby face – a signature he carried throughout his entire adulthood. Beneath the veneer of being introverted, lay a man of many hats.  

Apart from the clean-shave, the doyen of Kenyan history who published 43 books and over 100 articles in referred journals always looked like a professor wearing a balding head and showing a deep mastery of his subject.

Born on August 3, 1929 in Gem, Siaya County to Rhoda and Paulo Opiche, Prof Ogot attained his basic education at Luanda School. He joined Ambira School in 1943. It was at Ambira where he met Omollo Okero who later served as Gem MP from 1969 to 1979.   

 His Maseno School class of 1949 was a remarkable one as it produced five future cabinet ministers: Omolo Okero, Odongo Omamo, Burudi Nabwera, Onyango Ayodo and Odero Jowi.

The lofty class also made distinguished academics: Prof. Thomas R. Odhiambo and Prof. Erastus Muga – both taught at the University of Nairobi.

From Maseno School, he was admitted at Makerere College, present-day Uganda’s premier Makerere University in 1950 graduating three years later with a Diploma in Education specialising in Mathematics and History.

Upon completing his studies, he was posted to teach at Alliance High School.

In Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s autobiography In the House of the Interpreter, he (Ngugi) poignantly evokes his life and times at Alliance High School and fondly talks of Prof Ogot, then his Mathematics teacher, as the main inspiration behind his writings.

Ngugi was challenged when he saw Prof Ogot read a novel. This was uncommon especially, for Mathematics instructors back then. Interestingly, Ogot included his wife, as an “interpreter” in many of his field assignments. Maybe that was how Land Without Thunder and The Promised Land were birthed.

The fallen academic served in various organisations such as a member of the East African Examinations Council (1967-1974) and the national commission for UNESCO (1968-1980). He was also a member of the East African Legislative Assembly from 1974 to 1977.      

He also helped to transition Makerere, Nairobi and Dar-es-Salam to fully-fledged universities in the 1970s and later served as chancellor of Moi University and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology.

After serving at the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University for decades, he then relocated to Maseno University in 1991 until his retirement when the varsity made him professor emeritus in 2003.

Prof Ogot was special to me because his Yala-home is only a few minutes’ drive from my place. I severally met him during international conferences at Moi University where he then served as the Chancellor. After the demise of his wife Grace Ogot, another pioneer African writer, I was part of the team that launched some of her works posthumously during one of the commemorations.

Prof Ogot was committed to rigorous research in histography, had excellent work ethics and was laser-sharp focused. He believed in making his students thinkers, a trait that made him nurture great academics like Prof William Ochieng’ and E. S Atieno-Odhiambo who in their later years, co-published with him.

Attending his sendoff were his academic sons and daughters the ilk of Prof Richard Mibey (former VC – Moi), Prof Francis Aduol (former VC – TUK), Prof. Julius Nyabundi (VC Maseno), Prof Solomon Igosangwa (VC – MMUST), Prof. Charles Ochola (VC – Tom Mboya) amongst other distinguished scholars.

The event was also attended by Prof Anyang’ Nyongo (Governor – Kisumu County) and James Orengo (Governor – Siaya County) and several legislatures from Western Kenya.

Omollo Okero (Ogot’s classmate) left the mourners in stitches when he mentioned that Makerere University expelled him because he was a difficult student.  

Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o rekindled the days of yore as lecturers when they used to meet at University of Nairobi’s Senior Common Room after classes. Some of the pioneer academics the young scholars back then looked up to for mentorship included Prof Simeon Ominde, Prof David Wasawo and Prof Bethwell Ogot.