John Tameno was one of the pioneering Black veterinary surgeons in Kenya, famously serving as the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s personal vet officer.
An alumnus of Alliance High School, Dr Tameno also had a lengthy political career, having been nominated in 1952 to represent the Rift Valley Province in the Legislative Council (Legco).
A man known for his fondness for drink, Dr Tameno distinguished himself as a public servant in rather unusual ways.
He was known to send handwritten debt reminders to President Kenyatta after treating his cows, which often suffered from anaplasmosis, at the President’s Gatundu farm in Ichaweri.
One such invoice, dated January 27, 1964, listed his professional fee as 30 cents, medication at 28 cents, and 62 cents for “mileage to Kentmere, Gatundu and back.”
Despite his elevated role of representing Rift Valley Province at the Legco, Tameno was often “high as a kite”, and his unrelenting drinking sprees began to unsettle constituents in the Rift Valley.
Concerned about his fitness for office, citizens eventually demanded a more sober representative to champion their interests.
Enter Daniel arap Moi, a teetotaller, God-fearing man and hardworking headmaster who fit the bill perfectly.
At first, Moi was reluctant to join politics. He was deeply committed to his teaching career and unsure about venturing into the murky waters of governance.
He shared his reservations with an education officer at his workplace, none other than Moses Mudavadi, father of the current Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi.
Mudavadi reassured Moi that his teaching position would remain open if things did not work out at the Legco. And so, Tameno was replaced.
Following his exit from the Legco, Dr Tameno returned to his hometown in Kajiado, where he resumed work as a private veterinary surgeon, a role he kept until his death.