Paul Mboya

The story of Paul Mboya is the story of Kenya. When he was born in 1895, colonial rule was yet to start, and by the time he died in 1981, colonialism had run its course, and Kenya was already two decades into independence and on its second president. The intervening period represented decades of epochal historical change characterized by profound social, political, cultural, and even religious transitions, not just among the Luo people but all-around Kenya. Nothing remained the same again. By the time of his death, Paul Mboya had gone full circle - from herds-boy, domestic worker, soldier, teacher, clergyman, public administrator, senior civil servant, legislator, and even diplomat. Besides being an outstanding author with diverse genres of books, he was a notable lexicographer, Bible translator, cultural leader, human rights defender, and a respected political advisor. He rose from a semi-naked herdsboy to wearing starched white shirts and dinner jackets, hobnobbing with the elite of European society in Kenya and England, and was twice invited to a garden party at Buckingham as the guest of two different British monarchs. The British honoured him with various titles, and he was officially the Hon. Paul Mboya KM, BEM, MBE, OBE, but his roots were firmly on the ground. He went on to become Ker, or supreme leader and the custodian of the cultural precepts of his people, leading them into the promise of the 21st Century. This is the story.