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Prof Bethwell Ogot, renowned Kenyan scholar, dies at 95
Prof Bethwell Allan Ogot speaks to the Nation at his home in Gem, Siaya County on December 24, 2024.
What you need to know:
- In his retirement, Prof Ogot moved to his rural home in Yala, Siaya County.
- Until his death, he held the title of professor emeritus at Maseno University.
Renowned Kenyan scholar Prof Bethwell Ogot has died at the age of 95, his family has confirmed.
The historian, who has taught in various universities and is widely published, died on Thursday morning at a Kisumu hospital where he was taken after complaining of feeling unwell.
"Dad has been okay but he complained of feeling unwell early in the morning. We took him to Aga Khan but unfortunately, he passed on at about 6.30 am. He was not hospitalised. He was 95 and would turned 96 in August this year," his daughter-in-law Atieno Madara told the Nation.
In his retirement, Prof Ogot moved to his rural home in Yala, Siaya County.
However, he never slowed down on writing and giving his opinions on matters of national importance. Until his death, he held the title of professor emeritus at Maseno University.
Treasured academic excellence
He was educated at Ambira Secondary, Maseno School, Makerere University College, and the University of St Andrews (UK) before doing post-graduate work at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
He is a former chancellor of Moi University when it was established as Kenya’s second university.
Prof Ogot’s first published book was in 1964— East Africa: Past and Present. This was an edited collection of essays. He went on to publish many others as well as articles in local and international journals.
“I worked with him at Maseno University and he’s a man who not only contributed to academia but also to society at large. The country has lost a good character who’s written a lot and shared his knowledge with us generously,” Prof Charles Ocholla, the vice chancellor of Tom Mboya University mourned him.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga described Prof Ogot as being “in the category of the now increasingly rare and outnumbered internationally known, deep, independent and professional scholars who treasured academic excellence and value of knowledge to a community and a nation”.