Professor who made Jomo Kenyatta face Mt Kenya East The Star Image: BENJAMIN NYAGAH
• President referred him to Bethwell Ogot, who advised lying low but he still published
He was a 27-year-old junior lecturer at the University of Nairobi when he was frogmarched to the presence of President Jomo Kenyatta blindfolded. This was 1971.
His crime? He had begun documenting the histories of Mt Kenya East communities. This angered the cabal around the president, who were enforcing a single cultural identity for the region.
Prof Mwaniki Kabeca says President Kenyatta was not amused and rebuked the politicians. He has since written at least 10 books, documenting the histories of Kirinyaga, Embu, Mbeere and Chuka communities. He is arguably the region’s most eminent historian alive.