MY ODYSSEY; TRAVELING THROUGH DARKNESS AND LIGHT
My life journey started in the quiet hamlet of Mukhweya in Bungoma district in Western Kenya. I am the seventh child to Dominic and Anne Wetang’ula. Like all rural villages, Mukhweya was a close knit community where all people seemed to be related - by blood or by marital ties. As children, we referred to all male adults as ‘father’ or ‘grandfather’, and all adult women as ‘mother’ or ‘grandmother’. My family consisted of 12 siblings, a large number by any standards. Many relatives – uncles, nephews, nieces, aunties – stayed with our family from time to time. Perhaps due to the large family, I wouldn’t say I or my brothers and sisters received any special favours or attention from our parents. Everybody was treated equally, including in matters of education where my father, a teacher and later on an education officer, maintained a disciplinarian streak. Chores and duties such as tending crops on the farm and looking after cattle were assigned usually by mother equally.
After successfully sitting my primary education, I joined Kibabii High School, one of the better provincial schools in Western Kenya. From Kibabii, I was admitted to Nairobi School for my A-Level education. At both Kibabii High School and Nairobi School, I did my best to mix studies with sports. My competitive football career blossomed at Kibabii where I made it to the inter schools tournaments’ team. At Nairobi School, I was crowned the school captain in my final year. I would in due course captain my university team as well. It is also at Nairobi School that I first learned Rugby, a game I played in the first-eleven-team all the way to university. more>>
