Mkapa's simplicity in private and public life set him apart

Unassuming, amiable and a well-grounded was former Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa (pictured) who died on Friday. He preferred to listen more than he talked. I first met President Mkapa when he was named one of the three mediators tasked with brokering peace following the 2007 post-election violence in Kenya. Although I knew him as a former president of our neighbour Tanzania, this was the first time I was meeting him in person.