Former Labour Minister Titus Mbathi celebrated his 94 birthday a peaceful, contented and satisfied shujaa (hero) as he launched his autobiography, My Life’s Journey, which he wrote himself for past five years.
The former pioneer Permanent Secretary in the first Cabinet of President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, after independence in 1963, was in his element as he responded candidly to questions by his publisher about his illustrious career in both public and private service.
During the live interview at his son, Kitili Mbathi’s residence in Nairobi, attended by the who-is-who in the country and Ukambani, the octogenarian responded with gusto and with a crystal clear mind about his fond memory of his humble beginnings in Kisekini village in present day Kitui County in Eastern region, where his father, Benjamin Mbathi, was one of the first to embrace Christianity and western education and later rose to be a pioneer chief District Commissioner’s clerk in early 1900s.
Among the prominent guests who graced the colourful book launch were: Former Cabinet Ministers Charity Ngilu and Nyiva Mwendwa, Kitui Governor, Julius Malombe, former Chief Architect Ministry of Public Works, David Mutiso, who wrote the forward and former Gachoka MP, Rev. Mutava Musyimi, former long-serving Clerk to the National Assembly, Japheth Masya among others.
Unchartered waters
Mbathi decided to plunge into politics in 1974 and was elected MP for Kitui Central before President Moi appointed him Labour Minister. “What I had not bargained for was the dirty side of politics. They spread rumours that my American wife regarded women as dirty; they also spread rumors that I was so detribalized that I could hardly address a meeting in Kikamaba, our local language!” the former Minister recalls.
But it was not smooth sailing for Mbathi in the murky waters of politics as he fell out of favour with President Moi for accepting calls by Kamba leaders to stand for elections as chairman of Kamba MPs Caucus against Moi’s favourite sycophant, Mulu Mutisya, who was a Nominated MP.
But the straw that broke the camel’s back was when Moi announced at the wedding of a son of Army General Jackson Mulinge, who was Chief of General Staff, and a prominent Kamba leader, that he had banned Civil Servants Union and the University Staff Union for working against his government. When the minister later asked his boss after a Cabinet meeting at Nairobi State House to reconsider the decision because of the protocols signed with International Labour Organisation (ILO) among others.
Says the former member of University of Nairobi Council: “The President’s reply shocked me. He told me that as a sovereign state we could do whatever we wanted, then looked at me straight in the eye and asked me whether I was the same person who he had appointed as Minister. It was then clear to me that my goose was cooked and that my days as minister were numbered. Since then his attitude towards me changed and he was openly hostile.”
Humble beginnings
Says the former Member of Parliament for Kitui Central (1978-1983), who was the seventh born out of 13 siblings: “As his father’s siblings had died as babies, his parents named him Mbathi, which means one set apart in the hope that he would survive.”
Like his parents had predicted, the former Chairman of Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KENGEN) survived in the village as a herds boy, hunter with his father, primary school student at Mulango Elementary and Kitui primary in Kitui, and secondary school at Mangu High, in Kiambu District, before he won a scholarship to proceed for further studies in India and then later to the United States of America for his Master’s degree.
Some of his Kitui primary schoolmates included Kitili Mwendwa, who went to Alliance High School, then law school to be appointed as Kenya’s first indigenous Chief Justice. At Mangu High School, previously called Holy Ghost College, his former classmates from Kitui were Samuel Mwinzi and Kyalo Mutinda while others from other parts of the country were Tom Mboya, who later rose to be Kanu Secretary-General and Cabinet Minister; Moody Awori (former Vice President and Funyula MP), Lawrence Sagini (former Cabinet Minister and Kanu Kisii chairman), Samuel Waruhiu (became a prominent lawyer) and John Njenga (who was later ordained as Catholic Bishop) among others.
“Strangely enough, we were never permitted to wear shoes at school, not even during the cold months of July and August. We resented this rule which we felt was a reflection of the colonial policy of keeping ‘Africans in their place!” Mbathi recalls.
No shoes for African students
But that did not deter Mbathi whose bright future was evident at his infancy and teenage years at Mangu in 1946 as he demonstrated his leadership qualities leading to his being appointed dormitory prefect.
Looking back, the former PS says: “On balance, we had a happy childhood which constituted a solid foundation in life.” However, not everything was perfect, he recalls saying that Mangu was an outstanding academic institution, but in terms of leadership development, it left a lot to be desired as students had no avenue for ventilating their grievances. School assemblies that would have served that purpose was used by the principal to insult the students and tell them how backward Africans were!
The tirades became more pronounced after the release and return of Jomo Kenyatta and his colleagues from detention, whom the principal regarded as a communist, ungodly, and unfit to lead the country.
“We had a burning desire to transform our community. With colleagues from Alliance High School, we formed Kitui Reformers Association with Kyalo Mwendwa as chairman and I as secretary,” Says Mbathi.
Youthful burning desire
In 1947, he sat for the Cambridge School certificate, Form Four national examination, and was one of the top candidates with a First Division with a dream to proceed to the prestigious Makerere University, in Kampala, Uganda.
But that was not to be on grounds that he did not have the right subject combination: “It dawned on me that failing to achieve an objective should not deter one from pursing one’s ambition”. It was a devastating blow to his dreams for further education.
Mbathi felt unfairly treated and bitter, but later he came to appreciate that the significance of the advice. As a stop gap, he went to Kagumo Teacher Training College for a two year course and enjoyed playing tennis before graduating and being posted to Machakos High School to teach English and Mathematics as he bided his time for further education.
In June 1950, his dream came true when he got a scholarship to study at Loyola, a constituent of Madras University, in India, after his attempts to go to the United Kingdom failed.
On the eve of the maiden trip out of the country, Mbathi was given words of wisdom by his father, Thomas Kitenge, a prominent Kitui leader, and District Commissioner, Paul Kelly.
Said the DC: “Education without character is useless” and encouraged everyone (at the going away party) to pursue good character above all else, even while pursuing an education. Those words stuck as Mbathi travelled by sea from Mombasa to Bombay for a week, as he could not afford the airfare, and to date he treasures them.
Education without character is useless
While in India, he studied English Language and Literature, French, Ancient and Modern History and Logic. He later studied Economics and Political Science for his Bachelor of Administration (BA) Honours degree. Mbathi served as Vice-President of African Students Association with Isaiah Katungulu as his boss.
Among his colleagues in in India were Josephat Karanja (who later became Mathare MP and Vice President), Isaac Omolo Okero, who was later appointed Solicitor General and later Minister of Transport and Communication; the others were Henry Wariithi (former Assistant Minister).
On his return to Kenya, Mbathi landed a government job as Community Development Officer in Kitui where he served before being transferred to Embu District until 1960 when he won a Fulbright scholarship to study for a Master’s degree in Economics in the US at New York University. By then he had married Cathryn Fussell, an African- American, who had relocated to Mulango Girls in Kitui District as a teacher; they were blessed with three sons, Kitili, Michael and Christopher.
While in the US for one year and a half, Mbathi participated fully in politics and was elected President of Kenya Students Association, which gave him a rare opportunity to interact with Kenyan students studying across the USA, he had also worked closely with Tom Mboya and Dr Julius Kiano, the first Kenyan to get a PHD and member of first Cabinet after independence. The two promoted many airlifts and scholarships for Kenyan students, one of them Barack Obama Sr, is the father of former US President Barack Obama, who was later elected the first Black President in 2008.
Coming to America
Since then, Mbathi served many public and private organizations. They include Under Secretary, Director of Personnel in the Prime Minister’s Office, Permanent Secretary in The Ministry of Economic Planning and Development under Tom Mboya as the Minister and Mwai Kibaki as Assistant Minister. Later on, he served as Minister for Labour.
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