Odero Jowi; Kenya’s forgotten hero, is no more

The late Joseph Odero Jowi

NAIROBI: The photograph of Joseph Odero Jowi in the newspaper  obituary pages does not  ring a bell to many including his living  parliamentary colleagues  and present day successors  alike. The first Ndhiwa member of parliament is no more  but his legacy as a super diplomat is one thing that enemies  of history cannot erase from the UN archives.

Jowi died a few  days after the  celebrations  of the  Heroes Day presided over by President Uhuru Kenyatta but like  any other national  day, there was  no mention of the  towering black diplomat who shocked diplomatic colleagues   in Stockholm Sweden  with a  robust campaign for  the hosting  of the  UN specialized agency  in Africa  and  in the third world.

In 1972, UN  Permanent Representatives assembled  at the Swedish capital  to  choose  the  home of the  newly founded  United  Nations  Environment Programme (UNEP).  To the  surprise of his peers, Jowi was there  to lead  a campaign  for Kenya to host the  secretariat outside  traditional  homes America and Europe.

The  result  of the  vote shocked even  Kenya whose  Foreign Minister then, Dr Njoroge Mungai  returned  home prematurely to avoid  an embarrassment  that  the country would  endure in the  eyes of the  world.

After this  feat, Jowi  returned home  to reclaim the Ndiwa seat he lost  in the  first post independence  general elections in 1969. He suffered unbearable   humiliations and harassments in the hands of political rivals and had to quit politics. The shining star was extinguished forever.  

Where is Odero Jowi? Diplomat who brought Unep to Nairobi

Ironically, a   man of Jowi’s  stature and experience  failed to get the  support  of his country  for the  post of  UNCTAD  Secretary  General. Instead,  the   Kenyan leadership  unsuccessfully  floated  the name  of Julius Gikonyo Kiano, former  Minister of Trade  as the country’s candidate for the post.

Jowi  held  many  important positions  before the appointment as the  country’s  Ambassador to the  United  Nations  in New York. He was  minister  in the  defunct East African Community and succeeded the late Tom Mboya  as  minister for  Planning and Economic Development.

He was the Principal of the International  Confederation of Free Trade  Unions  (ICFTU)  sponsored  Labour  College based in  Kampala, Uganda. This  college trained upcoming trade union leaders  in Africa.

Crocodile  tears will roll  from the  cheeks  of political leaders at his  burial who  at  the  moment  know nothing  about  this  prominent Kenyan and African   son. Glowing tributes  and speeches  of how great will be  made  by  no lesser persons  than aspirants  to the highest  office  in the  land.

If there  is  any leader that  suffered  and endured neglect, it was Odero Jow who did not have  to  win a Nobel Peace Prize  to go into  the annals of history. In his  sunset  years and  at his death bed, none  of the prominent leaders from his community and in the  country  paid  him a visit or contributed towards  his  treatment. This statement is  not an exaggeration  but  stark reminder of  insensitivity. The  sloth  with which the   family receives  condolences  is  living  testimony to forgetfulness of the  country’s heroes and heroines.

Paul Amina  is a freelance Journalist. Email: [email protected]