Ken Walibora: A man respected for his literary values
By People Reporter, April 16, 2020Stan Luchebeleli
I first came into close contact with the late Ken Walibora at the Nation Centre, Nairobi, in the early 2000s.
That day, I can’t really recollect the exact date, but I was at Nation Centre not looking for Ken but for one Edward Mwasi, then Nation Chief Graphic Designer, whom I had been referred to as a professional of high standards and acumen in his work.
By then, I was doing some stints for Kenyatta University as its external publicist.
Radiant fellow
As I was waiting for Mwasi to be summoned that he had a visitor, the face of Ken, that radiant figure on NTV and the captivating voice boomeranging in its channels, sprung out.
“Papa, do you want to see me?” No, Edward Mwasi, I responded. He went and called Victor, bypassing a Ms Kadenge, the then receptionist.
Ken was a great philosopher and linguist. He mastered the English and Kiswahili languages like they were on the palm of his hand.
He made me proud of him, not because of his refined spoken languages, but because of his Kiswahili architecture and pyramids he mounted to built in both languages.
In an interview over his book The Dreams, Ken says: “There is nothing wrong in dreaming and that if we cannot dream; we would rather die when dreams become unrealistic.”
My own uncle, Alex Khalakuli, died on Jogoo Road after being knocked down by a matatu. Ken has gone the similar way.
Yet, I buried my uncle in pain as he wasn’t sick either and so wasn’t Ken. Ironically, Ken was an astute family friend, and so was he to my musician aunt Gertrude Mwendo. He was a charming character to emulate.
He was a pioneer of the inauguration of Nation Media’s Kiswahili service and inspired many such as Swaleh Mdoe.
As one of the best Kiswahili speakers, he gave much impetus for many to forge on.
Siku Njema, (good day), my good friend. I will never meet you again in life. May your literary soul Rest In Peace.