How Louis Leakey used Kikuyu as his trump card

Leakey Family: From left Richard Leakey, Mary Leakey, Philip Leakey, Louis Leakey, and Jonathan Leakey. [File, Standard]

On July 20, 2022, with the country deeply gripped by election fever, Kamoya Kimeu, Kenya's well-known fossil hunter died. He was estimated to be 84 years old. Kimeu's life mirrored that of the country's famous paleontologists, the Leakey family.

In a previous interview, Kimeu stated that one of the things that attracted him to the Leakeys was their proficient knowledge of the Kikuyu language. In fact, Loius Leakey decided to interview Kimeu for his first job in Kikuyu.