Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi

Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi was a loving husband, a devoted father, and an ambassador of education who dedicated his life to enlighten the lives of others. Benjamin had always been an avid seeker of knowledge who firmly believed in the power of wisdom and struggled & fought his way through life adversities to find happiness and peace. Every stage of his journey was filled with obstacles and hurdles yet he always found a way to sail across the stormy waters with an optimistic outlook to life. An admirer of history, he took time to pen events in his life years before his passing. 17 years after his passing, the document was edited into a comprehensive obituary that details the legacy he leaves behind and how he wanted to be remembered.      

Early Life and Education

Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi was born in the year 1943 in the village of Makutano in Kapenguria Division of West Pokot District. He was the third child of Mzee Rasto Wanyonyi Kusimba and a young brother to John Wekesa Wanyonyi and Peter Makokha Wanyonyi. In the same year, Benjamin’s family moved from Makutano village to Kisianet Area and this is the place where he spent the early years of his life. Settled on a ten-and-a-half acres land, he grew up witnessing his father harvest maize, sweet potatoes, cassava, groundnuts, finger millet, & sorghum to build a living for him and his family.   

At the tender age of eleven, Benjamin took his first step in the direction of edification as he embarked on his academic journey from the Nasokol Primary School. One of the two leading primary schools in the district, he enrolled in the primary division in 1954 and completed the standard four years of education by the year 1957. Excelling in the Common Entrance Examination (C.E.E), Benjamin was among the third batch of students to join the Nasokol Intermediate School. 

In those times, primary education was highly affordable and it only cost a total of eighteen shillings from the first grade to the fourth. This wasn’t the case with the intermediate education as the annual fee payment soared to seventy shillings. However, Benjamin’s school was still different than the rest and was a mission school run under the sponsorship of Churchmen’s Missionary Society (CMS). Led by a dynamic British Pastor, Reverend Totty, the pupils not only gained scientific education but were also socialized into the rightful path of Christianity.  

Baptized in the year 1957, Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi was confirmed as a believer of Christianity the next year at the Anglican Bishop Beecher of Rift Valley Province – The Church of the Province of Kenya. 

Early Academic Achievements and Secondary Education

Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi’s academic journey had always been the highlight of his life. He always outshined in curricular and extracurricular activities and lived the academic life to perfection. Benjamin’s educators were quick to identify his natural leadership traits, and he was always on the frontline of candidacy for class prefect. In the standard five and six, he relished serving the pupils as a Prefect and was designated the duties of a House Prefect in the standard seven. Gradually climbing the proverbial ladder of success, Benjamin studied the eighth standard as the School Captain or Head Boy. 

This was only the start of his long academic career as a trailblazer and implanted in him the attributes of a good leader. The extra duties & responsibilities always had a constructive impact on the academic performance of Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi who graced the top three positions in his school from standard five to standard eight. This was a fair depiction of his leadership qualities and personality traits that always shone the brightest under pressure. In the year 1961, Benjamin surpassed the famous KAPE – Kenya African Preliminary Examination and was one of the three students from the batch of eighty-six pupils of the Nasokol Primary School to get an invite from the Colonial Secondary Schools. 

Secondary Education & Financial Constraints

Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi was among the thirty students from Rift Valley who had the honor to enroll in the Chewoyet High School, Kapenguria in the year 1962 to pursue secondary education. This phase of his life illustrates the struggles & adversities he overcame in the quest for excellence and success. In this time, Benjamin’s passion for knowledge and the endless support of his family were the two integral forces that helped him prevail with honor & pride.

Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi was raised in a modest family by parents who didn’t get the opportunity to pursue education. Education didn’t have such an esteemed value in his community and he was insisted to secure a job, live a life of an average man, and leave behind the dream of furtherance in education. However, this wasn’t the end of his academic journey and was merely the beginning of a long prosperous career devoted to enlightening others.  

Benjamin was blessed with two elder brothers who had stable jobs as a Prison Warden and a Police Force Constable. It was the support of his brother John Wekesa Wanyonyi and Peter Makokha Wanyonyi that encouraged him to pursue education and provided the required financial aid. John Wekesa Wanyonyi was the first one to take an initiative and sent him 200 shillings to settle the academic fee for the first year at Chewoyet High School. 

However, the annual academic fee had now risen to 450 shillings and Benjamin still needed another 250 shillings to make up the cost. The good thing is that he wasn’t just gifted with two amazing brothers but was also blessed with the gift of perfect timing. The year 1962 was the year of population census and this provided him with an opportunity to participate as a volunteer, and he was able to earn 135 shillings in the meantime. In addition to this, the West Pokot County Council also agreed to grant him a bursary of 150 shillings that year and this made up the academic fee for the first year of Benjamin’s secondary education. 

Part-Time Employment and Education

In those times, pursuing education wasn’t easy and Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi had to earn his way to knowledge and spent the majority of his time working part-time jobs in secondary school. Benjamin accepted the offer to work as a Dairy Clerk at the school for a salary of 20 shillings/month and did multiple shifts a day while pursuing studies from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. This job allowed Benjamin to save up to 240 shillings a year, and he had to accept another job as the School Generator Operator to make up the remaining fee.  

This is how Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi spent four years of secondary education at Chewoyet Secondary School. He was never like other students who had the luxury to relish the festive occasions of life as he spent days and nights working his way to success. Amidst such hardships & struggles, Benjamin still never lost his academic edge and excelled in both studies and extracurricular activities. He was made the House Prefect in the second year at Chewoyet Secondary School and served the duties of a Head Prefect of Kenya House and School Captain in the year 1963 and 1964 respectively. Even during his tenure as the chairman of a board of twelve house prefects, Benjamin continued to serve as a Dairy Clerk and School Generator Operator to raise the money for academic fees.  

Tour of Uganda and Administrative Skills

The year 1964 was a momentous year for Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi as he left the Kenyan soil for the first time to visit Uganda on a school tour. In this tour, he had the luxury to experience life from a unique perspective and explored several booming industries such as Textile and Electric Power. Benjamin also had the opportunity to visit and explore Uganda’s leading academic institutions such as Mwiri College and Budo College. These were the colleges whose alumni included the leading dictators and rulers of Uganda. 

In the last phase of the trip, he went on to visit the Makerere University and had the pleasure of reconnoitering many historical places in the country. This tour to Uganda and the entire year was highly momentous for Benjamin as he had the opportunity to showcase his administrative skills as a student administrator. During the period of 1964 and 1965, he served the responsibilities of a School Captain in the reign of multiple headmasters and this refined his skills as an administrator and leader. 

Professional Training and Career Accomplishments

In the year 1966, Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi joined the Lanet Military Training School in East Africa, Nakuru to unfold a new chapter in his life. He had already achieved a merit in the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate Examination and embarked on a new journey as an Officer Cadet. Although he parted his ways from the military service within 3 months to get back into the realm of education. Benjamin briefly served as an educator at Nasokol Girls Secondary School before enrolling in a two-year agriculture course at Animal Health & Training Institute (AHITI) in Kabete to attain specialization in the fields of range management, crop production, and agricultural economics. Upon his graduation from 1968, Benjamin was recruited by the Ministry of Agriculture for which he worked for the next 8 years. 

These eight years served as a great learning experience for Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi who was able to complete multiple diplomas and training courses in both Kenya and overseas. He was also able to polish his cartographic skills while working with a senior cartographer in the UNDP/FAO range management project and was provided a fully-funded scholarship to Britain. Upon his return, Benjamin attained an Adult Education Diploma from the University of Nairobi and went on to serve the institution for the next 12 years in the capacities of Administrative Assistant, Organizer, and Resident Lecturer. During this time, Benjamin continued his academic progression and went on to accumulate numerous diplomas and certifications. He again traveled to Britain in 1982 and came home with a Master’s Degree in Adult Continuing and Post-Secondary Education in the year 1984. Among his many professional employments, Benjamin also served as the Chairman for the Family Planning Association for a span of two years. 

Parliamentary Election & Politics

In the year 1988, Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi resigned from the position of a Resident Lecturer of the University of Nairobi to contest for a seat in Kwanza Constituency. This was the beginning of a challenging time for him as he failed to find success in this endeavor and had to settle for paraxial farming. In his words, the next few years were the most difficult of his life as he had to work day and night to make the ends meet and provide for his family. Being a part of the opposition party, Benjamin wasn’t able to get back his old job at the University of Nairobi and had to settle for lower-level jobs to raise the money for his children's education. Nevertheless, he never lost hope and continued to serve a bigger purpose in life by enlightening and educating the pupils of secondary schools to earn a respectable living for his family. 

In these years, Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi was able to raise the money for his family and children’s education with hard work & determination. His efforts & tenacity went on to inspire his children and helped them build the courage needed to find success and happiness in life. 

Personal Life and Marriage

In the year 1967, Benjamin tied the knot in marriage with Miss Dinah Naliaka Bunyasi. Their first daughter born in the year 1969 didn’t grace the earth with her beautiful existence for long as she died within 3 months. Mourning the loss of their first child, Benjamin and Dinah were able to get through these hard times with love and support. They welcomed a son, David Biketi on April 1st 1970. A year a month later (May 22nd 1971) another son John Mechumo was born. The next year on Christmas Eve (24th December 1972) a third son Andrew Manafwa was registered as the latest member of the fast-growing family. A girl, Lois Nafula followed two years later on 28th October 1974. The last born Peter Kusimba two years after this – July 3rd 1976.

Dinah Naliaka Bunyasi was the daughter of Mzee Rasto Bunyasi from his second marriage. Her father was a farm manager of a European Settler at Chepchoina and lived near the Uganda border. Dinah was also a primary school teacher and an educator – A trait she had in common with her husband Benjamin. She was a devoted housewife and a pious Christian whose life was marked by her active involvement in the launch of several new schools and expansion of the Anglican Church in her rural home of Kwanza Location in Trans Nzoia where the two bought a family farm in 1976.

In the year 1985, Benjamin went on to marry Margaret Kamonya Musholi, a resident of Vihiga. After spending eighteen years of her life together with Benjamin, Dinah separated from him in the year 1988.  

Contributions to Civil Society

In the year 1996, Benjamin went on to work with a healthcare NGO Nekeki serving them in the capacity of Community Mobilization Officer. Over the course of the next few years, he was actively involved in the field of healthcare and attended numerous seminars sponsored by Kenya Aids NGOs Consortium (KANCO) and KANCO STEMS. Benjamin also attended a certification course by Italian Albert Schweizer Foundation in the year 1997 focusing on Obstetrical and Gynecological Matters, STD, and HIV/AIDS. 

Leveraging this knowledge, Benjamin presented three papers in the 1997 seminar at STEMS Hotel Nakuru shedding a light on the topics of the state of orphans and HIV/AIDS in the Trans Nzoia District. These contributions were recognized highly by Nekeki NGO who took him on board for the implementation of Nekeki’s strategic plan of 1997. This plan focused on Information Education & Communication on STD/HIV/AIDS and Nutrition & Family Planning Programs. On December 29th, 1999, Benjamin served the role of a Presiding Officer for the Electoral Commission of Kenya in elections held at Lunyu Polling Station, Kwanza Constituency. 

Health Challenges and Death

Benjamin’s health challenges began in the year 1978 with the diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes – A chronic condition affecting the body’s ability to process blood sugar. He spent a week in the Kakamega Provincial Hospital and was prescribed a range of treatment options, medications, and lifestyle changes to regulate and control the blood glucose level. Over the course of the next 25 years, Benjamin had to deal with health issues relating to Hypertension and Heart Problems, Vision Problems, Neuropathy, and Chronic Kidney Disease. These symptoms gradually manifested themselves and went on to become more and more severe with the passage of time. 

From the year 1999, Benjamin’s health condition began to go on a downward spiral and continuously deteriorated. During this time, he was held under treatment at various medical institutions in Kitale, Eldoret, and Nairobi. 

As if on premonition, On 23rd August 2003, Benjamin invited his entire family for a reunion including his first wife Dinah and their five children David, John, Andrew, Lois, and Peter at Kitale District Hospital where he was undergoing treatment. 24 days later, on September 18th 2003, Benjamin succumbed to multiple organ failure. He was laid to rest in Kiungani, Trans Nzoia on 23rd September 2003 in a ceremony attended by a huge number of friends, relatives and community leaders.

Benjamin Nyongesa Wanyonyi’s contributions in the field of education and his lively personality make his memories shine vivaciously even today.