Bethwell Allan Ogot (born 1929) is a historian from Kenya. He specialises in African history, research methods and theory. One of his works starts by saying that "to tell the story of a past so as to portray an inevitable destiny is, for humankind, a need as universal as tool-making. To that extent, we may say that a human being is, by nature, historicus.
He was the Chancellor of
Moi University
Moi University is a public university located in Kesses, Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu county, in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. It was established in 1984 by the Moi University Act of the Parliament of Kenya, after recommendations from t ...
up to early 2013.
Biography
Ogot, a Kenyan
Luo Luo may refer to:
Luo peoples and languages
*Luo peoples, an ethno-linguistic group of eastern and central Africa
**Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania or Joluo, an ethnic group in western Kenya, eastern Uganda, and northern Tanzania.
*** Luoland, th ...
, was born in Gem Location of
Siaya County
Siaya County is one of the Counties of Kenya, counties in the former Nyanza Province in the Western part of Kenya. It is bordered by Busia County to the north, Kakamega County and Vihiga County's to the northeast and Kisumu County to the southe ...
of Kenya. In 1959 he married
Grace Emily Akinyi, a politician, writer and health specialist. She eventually served the government of Kenya as an Assistant Minister for Culture and Social Services.
He was educated at
Ambira, Maseno School,
Makerere University College
Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of n ...
, and the
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
and the
School of Oriental and African Studies
SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ar ...
,
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
. While studying in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, he served as a leader of the Kenya Students Association, where he assisted the Kenya nationalists, notably the late
Jaramogi Oginga Odinga
Jaramogi Ajuma Oginga Odinga (October 1911 – 20 January 1994) was a Luo (Kenya), Luo chieftain who became a prominent figure in Kenya's struggle for independence. He later served as Kenya's first Vice-President of Kenya, Vice-President, and t ...
during the 1960 negotiations at the Lancaster negotiations for Kenya's independence.
Ogot commenced his university academic and research life as lecturer at the Makerere University, and eventually became Chairman of the History Department of University College, Nairobi, currently the
University of Nairobi
, mottoeng = In unity and work
, image = Uon emblem.gif
, image_size = 210px
, caption = Coat of Arms of the University
, type = Public
, endowment ...
(UoN). At the UoN he founded and directed the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and the Institute of African Studies (IAS). He also served as the Dean, School of Arts and Social Sciences and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academics therein. He was the President of the International Scientific Committee for the preparation of
UNESCO's General History of Africa The General History of Africa (GHA) is a two-phase project launched by UNESCO in 1964. The 1964 General Conference of UNESCO, during its 13th Session, instructed the Organization to undertake this initiative after the newly independent African Membe ...
. He edited Volume V of UNESCO's ''History of Africa'', and presided over the committee that oversaw the production of the entire ''History''. He was a member of the International Commission for UNESCO's
History of Humanity {{COI, date=July 2011
The ''History of Humanity'' is part of UNESCO's General and Regional Histories Collection. The publication seeks to contribute to mutual understanding and dialogue between cultures and civilizations. This series seeks to il ...
.
From the University of Nairobi, Ogot was appointed by President
Jomo Kenyatta
Jomo Kenyatta (22 August 1978) was a Kenyan anti-colonial activist and politician who governed Kenya as its Prime Minister from 1963 to 1964 and then as its first President from 1964 to his death in 1978. He was the country's first indigenous ...
to serve as member of the
East African Community
The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation composed of seven countries in the Great Lakes region of East Africa: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republics of Kenya, Burundi, ...
(EAC) Legislative Assembly, between 1975 and 1977. He was President of the
PanAfrican Archaeological Association
The PanAfrican Archaeological Association (PAA) is a pan-African professional organisation for archaeologists, geologists and palaeoanthropologists.
History
The association was founded by Louis Leakey and its first congress was held in Nairo ...
from 1977 to 1983. Between 1978 and 1980 Ogot served at the International Louis Leakey Memorial Institute for African Pre-History (TILLMIAP), which was an integral part of the National Museums of Kenya (NMK), as its first director. He served
Kenyatta University
Kenyatta University (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Nairobi County, Kenya. It acquired the status of university in 1985, being the third university after University of Nairobi (1970) and Moi University (1984). As of O ...
as Professor, and the Kenya Post and Telecommunications as chairman. He was the Chancellor of
Moi University
Moi University is a public university located in Kesses, Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu county, in the former Rift Valley Province of Kenya. It was established in 1984 by the Moi University Act of the Parliament of Kenya, after recommendations from t ...
,
Eldoret
Eldoret is a principal town in the Rift Valley region of Kenya and serves as the capital of Uasin Gishu County. The town was referred to by white settlers as Farm 64, 64 and colloquially by locals as 'Sisibo'. As per the 2019 Kenya Population ...
, up to 2013. He remains Professor Emeritus of
Maseno University
Maseno University is a public university based in the Maseno district of the city of Kisumu, Kenya, situated along the Equator. It was fully fledged as a university in 2001, after being a constituent college of Moi University for a decade. It is o ...
, where prior to being Chancellor of Moi University he had been the Director of Post-Graduate Studies.
As the Chancellor of Moi University, he worked tirelessly with President
Kibaki
Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki (15 November 1931 – 21 April 2022) was a Kenyan politician who served as the third President of Kenya from December 2002 until April 2013 and is regarded as one of Kenya's founding fathers.
He had previously se ...
, the Ministry of Higher Education of Kenya, Professors David Some and
Richard Mibey
Richard Kiprono Mibey (born 12 December 1951) is a Kenyan academic, research scientist and university administrator. Mibey served as the vice-chancellor of Moi University, the second university to be established in Kenya between 2006 and 2016 ...
as Vice-Chancellors and Samuel Gudu, Margarete Kamar and Bob Wishitemi to oversee the constitution of the
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology or MMUST, formerly Western University College of Science and Technology, is a non-profit public university in Kenya. The university is named after Masinde Muliro, a Kenyan politician who helped f ...
, Narok University,
Karatina University
Karatina University is a public university in the town of Karatina, in central Kenya.
History
Karatina University was founded in 2007 as a Moi University campus for central Kenya, called the Moi University Central Kenya Campus. Located about 1 ...
, Kabianga University,
University of Eldoret
University of Eldoret is one of the 22 public universities in Kenya and situated approximately 9 km along the Eldoret-Ziwa road in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County. It was founded in 1946 by the white settlers as a Large Scale Farmers Tr ...
, Rongo University College and the Odera Akango’ College, which remains a constituent college of Moi University.
Criticism
Kiboyye Okoth-Yogo who writes on subjugationism as theory of legal history also proffers a critical analysis of his authorship that touches on the pacification of the African as colonial and the post colonial reality.
Honours and accolades
*
Distinguished Africanist Award (2001) of the
African Studies Association
The African Studies Association (ASA) is a US-based association of scholars, students, practitioners, and institutions with an interest in the continent of Africa. Founded in 1957, the ASA is the leading organization of African Studies in North ...
, presented annually in recognition of a lifetime of notable service to African studies.
* UNESCO's Gold Medal
* Averos Medal
*
Elder of the Burning Spears (EBS)
* Hon.D.Litt of Kenyatta University
* In 2012, the African Studies Association (ASA) established the Bethwell A. Ogot Book Prize, an annual award given at the ASA meeting to the author of the best book on East African Studies
* Grieve Prize in Moral Philosophy from the University of St Andrews.
Selected works
*Editor, ''East Africa, Past and Present'', 1964.
* With F. B. Welbourn, ''A Place to Feel at Home'', 1966. (A study of two independent churches in western Kenya)
* ''History of the Southern Luo: Volume I, Migration and Settlement, 1500–1900'' (Series: Peoples of East Africa),
East African Publishing House,
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
, 1967. (Apparently Vol II never published)
* Editor, with J. A. Kieran, ''Zamani: A Survey of East African History'' (
Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
: East African Publishing House Ltd, 1968. Reprint with corrections, 1969.
* Editor, ''Politics and Nationalism in Colonial Kenya: Proceedings of the 1971 Conference of the Historical Association of Kenya – HADITH 4'', Nairobi: East African Publishing House), 1971
* Editor, with William R. Ochieng', ''Decolonization and Independence in Kenya, 1940–93'', London:
James Currey
James Currey is a former academic publisher specialising in African Studies which since 2008 has been an imprint of Boydell & Brewer. It is named after its founder who established the company in 1984. It publishes on a full spectrum of topics†...
, 1995, .
* ''Building on the Indigenous: Selected Essays 1981–1998''. Kisumu: Anyange Press, 1999
* Editors, with Toyin Falola and E. S. Atieno Odhiambo, ''The Challenges of History and Leadership in Africa: The Essays of Bethwell Allan Ogot'' (
Trenton and
Asmara
Asmara ( ), or Asmera, is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the sixth highest capital in the world by altitude and the second highest capital in Africa. The ...
: Africa World Press, 2002. .
* ''History as Destiny and History as Knowledge: Being Reflections on the Problems of Historicity and Historiography''. Kisumu: Anyange Press, 2005
* ''My Footprints on the Sands of Time: An Autobiography'',
Trafford Publishing
Trafford Publishing is a company for self-publishing using print-on-demand technology, formerly based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and now based in Bloomington, Indiana, USA.
History
The company was founded in 1995, by Bruce and Mars ...
, 2006.
* ''A History of the Luo-Speaking Peoples of East Africa''. Kisumu: Anyange Press, 2009
* ''Liberty or Death: Southern Sudan's March to Independence''. Nairobi: The Regal Press Kenya Ltd, 2010.
* ''Who, if Anyone Owns the Past? Reflections on the Meaning of "Public History"''. Kisumu: Anyange Press, 2010.
* ''My Footprints on the Sands of Time: An Autobiography''. Kisumu: Anyange Press, 2011.
See also
*
Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania
The Luo of Kenya and Tanzania are a Nilotic ethnic group native to western Kenya and the Mara Region of northern Tanzania in East Africa. The Luo are the fourth-largest ethnic group (10.65%) in Kenya, after the Kikuyu (17.13%), the Luhya (14 ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ogot, Bethwell Allan
1929 births
Living people
Kenyan historians
Kenyan Luo people
University of Nairobi academics
Makerere University academics
Makerere University alumni
Alumni of the University of St Andrews
Alumni of SOAS University of London
People associated with Moi University
20th-century historians
21st-century historians
20th-century Kenyan writers
21st-century Kenyan writers
Kenyan essayists
Academics of Kenyatta University
Maseno University faculty