Page 67 - SACCO STAR ISSUE 43

OPINION
“As we danced at the airport waiting for the
president, he lay dead.”
Istarted working for KUSCCO as a
secretary manager on 1st July 1974,
three months after leaving the
University of Nairobi with a Bachelor in was on how to get their money across to
Commerce. I was on a salary of Kshs 3,
250 per month inclusive of house allowance;
irresistible compared to the Government
where I previously worked. When I reported,
I was handed the keys to the Union’s first
official vehicle a Volkswagen beetle KPM
374.
I did not know how to drive, so the vehicle
was parked at Treasury building now Ministry
of Foreign Affairs for 3months before I got a
driving license. In the same month I flew out
of the country to Zambia to attend a seminar
organized by ACCOSCA. Flying for the first
time in my life was exhilarating. The seminar
was very educative.
The Zambian economy was buoyant with
copper fetching good prices internationally.
Most miners in the then apartheid South
Africa were expatriates from Zambia. The
country and the citizens were therefore very
liquid financially courtesy of the inflowing
foreign exchanges. There was ‘kwache
‘in nearly everyone’s pocket. The level of
patriotism in Zambia was very high. The
common rallying word was ‘comrade’. Most
of Zambia’s economy was on foreign hands.
Part of these foreigners were Kenyans from
central province who were deeply involved
The Diary Of A Man Who
Once Ran The Union…
Waiting for a president who had died..
By John Ngalu Otido
Lead consultant at Triangular Link Services. He has previously served as the Manag-
ing Director at KUSCCO LTD (1974-1981) and the CEO at ICPAK (1993-1994).
in maize commercial farming on farms be deputized by his Vice-President
rented from the government of Zambia. Daniel Arap Moi.
The Kamba from Kenya had their share The replacement did not turn up
also and thrived on their usual trade in either. Finally the Minister for Co-
old tires and curios. The biggest problem operatives Development Hon. Joseph
Paul Ngei showed up and read the
Kenya which led to a lot of illegal foreign President’s speech. When we came
exchanges in currencies using kenatco out for lunch, Nairobi the city in the
transport personnel. sun was ghost.
The most memorable moment took The streets had been abandoned.
place in August 1978. ACCOSCA had It dawned on us that the President,
organized its Biennial Meeting and the the chief guest we had been waiting
10th celebrations of its birth in Nairobi for the whole morning to come and
Kenya. The celebrations had the blessings officiate the opening ceremony of
of WOCCU and its development partners our conference had died at mid-night.
who included the Economic Commission of This was shocking. Kenyans had
Africa based in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. known no other President. The future
was unknown. We had to do a lot of
KUSCCO was the host affiliate and thus adjustments and virtually cancelled
at the centre of all the preparations at the conference. All foreigners had left
the conference. I had never in my entire the country.
life been so busy. I was swamped. The
conference was to start on the 22nd of There was however one foreigner who
August 1978. The president of Kenya refused to go; Robert Gardiner the
His Excellency Mzee Jomo Kenyatta had former ECA secretary who insisted
accepted to grace the opening ceremony on seeing the body of H.E Mzee
at the Kenyatta International Conference Kenyatta because he had known
Centre (KICC). On the morning of the him personally. We took him to State
precise day, everything worked according House Nairobi where Mzee’s body
to schedule. The entire world wide SACCO was lying. We were received by
movement leadership was in Nairobi for Bishop John Njenga whom we found
the conference. We assembled and waited sitting at the bed side of Mzee’s
for the chief Guest. After a protracted body….
waiting, we were advised that the President to be continued in the next issue...
was unable to come and that he was to
SACCO Star Magazine |65