Without doubt, John Gakuo was of good character

Former Nairobi Town Clerk and County Environment Executive Officer John Gakuo during a past interview. He died on October 30, 2018. [File, Standard]

“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow”; Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States.

Although the words character and reputation are used interchangeably in everyday parlance, there are those who make a distinction between the two. Character, they say, is who one really is, what defines them and is permanent. On the other hand, reputation is what others see one as, and is transient like a shadow, changing with the vicissitudes of one’s lot in life.