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Leaders pay tribute to Prof. Mkangi
Story by NATION Correspondent and
PPS
Publication Date: 03/08/2004
Leaders yesterday paid glowing
tribute to Prof Katama Mkangi who died in a road accident on
Saturday.In his message of condolence, President Kibaki described
Prof Mkangi as one of the pioneers of pluralism in the country.
"Prof Mkangi and other forces
articulated well the wishes of the silent majority and their
efforts eventually resulted into multi-party politics in the
country," the President said.
He said Prof Mkangi's resolve so
strong that even a two-year detention could not break his spirit
and determination to contribute to the creation of more democratic
space in Kenya.
As a scholar, President Kibaki said
Prof Mkangi will be remembered for his exemplary literary work and
a distinguished career in the academia that spanned several
decades.
The President assured the bereaved
family that he shared their grief at this difficult time of
mourning.
The casket carrying the body of
Prof Mkangi arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
yesterday and was later escorted to the Lee Funeral Home by Health
minister Charity Ngilu, the Director of Medical Services, Dr James
Nyikal and relatives of the deceased.
Mrs Ngilu described Prof Mkangi as
a hard-working, dedicated and patriotic person.
She said the country has lost a
great person who sacrificed to fight for democracy.The minister
said the death of Prof Mkangi came at a time when the country
needed him the most.
Prof Mkangi was travelling alone to
Mombasa when his car was involved in a collision with a truck on
the Nairobi-Mombasa highway just five kilometres from the Coastal
city.
The don died near where another
university lecturer, Prof Justus Musyoki Mumo of the University of
Nairobi was killed in yet another road accident on Monday.
Prof Mkangi died at the age of 60.
Until the time of his demise, he was the chairman of the Kenya
Medical Training College (KMTC) board of directors. He was also a
sociology professor at the United States International University
(USIU) in Nairobi.
In the 1997 General Election, Prof
Mkangi had vied for the presidency on a Kenya National Congress
party ticket.
He is survived by his widow and two
children - a 12-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl.
There was a sombre mood at the
airport when the casket bearing the body arrived. Relatives wailed
as it was laid into a waiting ambulance. And at exactly 3 pm, the
convoy of mourners arrived at the funeral home and the body was
taken into the mortuary. Only then were his widow and relatives
allowed to view it.
Earlier in Mombasa, former Cabinet
minister Sharrif Nassir yesterday described the death of Prof
Mkangi as a great loss to the people of Coast Province.
He said Prof Mkangi was one of the
true sons of the region as he fought for the rights of the Coastal
people.
"Though Prof Mkangi and I were
in different political parties, we always agreed to fight for the
federal system of governance, for we felt it was the only one that
could end the marginalisation of the people from this region,"
he said.
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Sunday, March 7,
2004
Prof Mkangi killed in ugly road
crash
By Patrick Beja
Leading Coast scholar and reformist
Prof Katama Mkangi died in a ghastly road accident near Voi on
Friday afternoon.
Prof Mkangi, 60, was alone in the
car.
Voi deputy police chief, Mrs Flora
Tsonzaka, said the tragic crash occurred at 1.30 pm at Ikanga,
nine kilometres from Voi town, as the don drove from Nairobi to
Mombasa.
Last week, a University of Nairobi
lecturer Prof Jasper Munyoki Mumo died at Ndii near Voi in another
road accident.
Prof Mumo and his wife were driving
from Mombasa towards Nairobi when they crashed. His wife was
critically injured.
Prof Mkangi was driving a Toyota
car, registration KAM 047 B, when he hit an oncoming Isuzu car,
which had foreign registration numbers, police said. His body was
removed from the mangled wreckage and taken to Voi Hospital
mortuary.
Tsonzaka said police recovered Prof
Mkangi’s national identification card and other papers although
they could not tell who he was from the physical appearance
because I they could not recognize him".
The other lone driver was left
unconscious and police could not immediately establish his
identity. He was also taken to Voi hospital.
Prof Mkangi was a long time critic
of the former regime of retired President Moi and was among those
who consistently fought for democracy in the country. After his
detention in the 1980s, Mkangi was unemployed for long. He could
not be re-admitted back to the university until last year. He
later taught at United States International University-Nairobi.
"He had a vision but people
didn’t listen to him seriously," said Prof. Kivutha Kibwana.
The sociology lecturer contested
for the Presidency and the Kaloleni parliamentary seat in the 1997
General Election but lost on the Kenya National Congress ticket.
He was also a prolific writer and
media commentator on political and social issues.
He was recently appointed chairman
of the Kenya Medical Training College.
He is married to Dr Kaendi Munguti,
a lecturer at the University of Nairobi currently on United
Nations duties in Zimbabwe.
He hails from Ribe location in
Kaloleni in Kilifi district.
Link : http://www.eastandard.net/headlines/news07030401.htm
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