Mervyn Maciel: What inspired me to ...

 What inspired me to write:

 

What inspired me to be a doctor, an engineer, a nurse, a health specialist, a politician, a priest, a nun, a journalist, …. Whatever! Mervyn Maciel kicks off what I hope will become a regular feature of my blog with your contributions!!!!!!!!

 

 

My dream was always to leave behind – not just for my immediate family, but

posterity, a factual record of what life was for Goans who ventured into the unknown wilds of Kenya’s Northern Frontier during the colonial era.

   I also wanted to repay the many tribesmen whose attitude to life was so different from our own and who taught me a lot –simple folk with hearts of gold who still inspire me.

  Encouraged by family and friends, my first book was born some thirty years ago. Plaudits from former colonials and others encouraged me to persevere

and with ‘nudging’ from Mel D’Souza of Canada, my second book appeared.

 My hope is that others will come forward to share their own experiences.

We had an exceptionally interesting life in East Africa, despite the ugly face

of discrimination. 

What our colonial masters forgot is that we were equal human beings like them, eager to make a success of our lives despite the many obstacles put in our way. We also wanted our children and grandchildren to prosper and do

better than we did.

  

We were capable of many things, but in the colonial mindset, we were

not allowed to rise higher than to a senior clerical position even though we were capable of assuming responsibility. We were not given the opportunity to

show our capabilities. In a way, I feel we were made to feel inferior even though we could compete with many White men who found themselves in a more senior position purely because of the colour of their skin. Our latent talents were not exploited, and in a way, I feel we were ‘muzzled’ and deprived of displaying our true worth.

We were thrown into the Service without any training as our European colleagues enjoyed. We were thrown in at the deep end and had to swim or sink! Our efforts were taken for granted and in a way, I feel we were made good use of without any monetary compensation.

 

A lot of this changed with the advent of Uhuru(Freedom) in Kenya and

at long last, things began to change for the better, but too slowly in my opinion.

 

In many cases, we were called upon to undertake tasks well outside our humble calling and without adequate financial reward. It was assumed that we could do anything  - very much taken for granted.  

In the twilight of my life, I feel some of these facts need to be recorded if only

to show how, despite the many hurdles, we overcame these and contributed in no small way to Kenya’s development. The contribution we made is sometimes forgotten giving the impression that only the White Man contributed to Kenya’s development. This is far from the truth.

 

Given the opportunity early in life, we could have also shone. In recording my experiences, I am in no way criticising the many European officials who were on our side but who, because of the operating status quo, could not make their voices heard. They knew what we were worth and some even took up our cases forcefully; but of the prevailing red tape, we were certainly not given our true worth.

 

I speak with no bitterness but feel it is right to record what we went through in Colonial Kenya.

 

I started my career in the Kenya Civil Service in 1947 and served for nearly 20 years in various districts, the most appealing being those in the Northern Frontier. I moved to the UK in 1966 following the Africanisation of my post, working in the Private Sector for many years. I wrote my East African memoirs (Bwana Karani) in 1985 and a further book (From Mtoto to Mzee) in 2014. Elsie and I had been active members of various organisations in our community, including our local church, and craft groups as well as being involved in both the overseas East African and Goan communities.

 

For many years we have happily ‘toiled’ away in our local allotment and made our own wine, Goan food and pickles. I have continued my passion for writing, contributing freelance pieces for a variety of Christian, Goan and East African publications.

 

Over the years I have also been committed to volunteering my time to needy causes including feeding the homeless, visiting the sick, and singing in care homes and at 91 (Covid19 allowing) I still work 2 days a week for an International Catholic Charity. All proceeds from both my books are donated to missionary efforts in Kenya, whose people have always held a special place in in my heart and my late Elsie’s heart too.

The Colonials and lots of matata!

 

To begin with, let me make it clear that not all the wazungu  I met during my service career were difficult to get on with – some later became my good friends!

I was in Nairobi for a very short time and the only Europeans I met were Captain Mervyn Wood

(my dad’s former boss and the D.C. who was soon to retire, j.. Douglas McKeen.

Well received by Capt. Wood who spoke highly of my dad and hoped I had inherited some of his qualities. Not much contact with Mr McKeen as I was a comparative junior at the time.

 Later, it was my posting to Mombasa that brought me in close contact. with the District Commissioner,

Gordon Skipper, a New Zealander with a fierce-looking countenance was my first D.C in Mombasa.

Although a comparative newcomer to the service, I found that Mr Skipper relied on me a lot since the District Clerk at the time, Mr Cordeiro, suffered from ill health. This meant that I, a newly appointed Civil servant had to step into the breach and take on responsibility for which I was not really trained.  My efforts didn’t go unnoticed and after a brief spell of relieving duty in Kilifi, my bosses felt that I was now ready to be left on my own.   This resulted in my posting to another district, Voi, where I was asked to relieve a Goan colleague whose services had just been terminated. Here, I was to meet my new boss, D.C. Kenneth Cowley, a very likeable individual, who took to me instantly, after he found out that I was very good at drafting letters!  I enjoyed my time with Mr. Cowley, and later briefly with his successor, Mr. Alan Stevens (who months later, was assassinated at his post in East Suk district.  Mr Cowley and I remain good friends even after he was promoted to Provincial Commissioner and even later when I moved to Britain.

From Voi, I was transferred to that inferno in the North – Turkana! Being young, I was all out for adventure and soon got to like the simple Turkana tribesmen. My boss was a man who could be described as the “Sole Ruler of Turkana”. Leslie Whitehouse was a former schoolmaster in Narok district;  someone who loved working among the nomadic Turkana despite the most oppressive heat of the region. He wanted to be left in this district ‘forever’ and always returned there after his overseas leave in Britain. Mr Whitehouse was held in awe by his District Officers and many of the tribesmen too. Despite his fiery temper (which I put down to the excessive heat), Whitehouse was a thorough English gentleman with whom I got on well. He appreciated hard work and always rewarded this by allowing us, the Goan staff to get away from the Boma to nearby Lake Rudolf (now Turkana) or to the down country farming town of Kitale.

Whitehouse had a young District Officer under him -Oliver Knowles, with whom I got on well. The administrative strength was increased in later years with the posting of yet another District Officer – this time, a Scotsman, Patrick Crichton with whom I got on well too.  Much later, another D.O. was posted Kenneth Keith; Keith and I became close friends and it was he who often carried my letters down to my fiancée (Elsie) in Kitale, whenever he went down to see his wife and family who were housed at the neighbouring substation of Kapenguria, just outside Kitale. Oliver Knowles and I remained good friends even when I met him again when we moved to Britain. His wife, June, was an author in her own right and a good friend too.

After nearly 18 months in the heat of Turkana, I was posted to, what I can only describe as an “oasis” Marsabit district in the Northern Frontier- climate-wise, just the opposite of  Turkana, but I loved the cool of Marsabit Mountain. Here I met my new D.C., Gerard Bebb, who somehow gave me the impression that he’d rather be in a more “civilised” district than in the frontier. Bebb took very little interest in his Goan staff and tended to rely on a European Works Superintendent (locally known as Major Reg. Porter) – someone I couldn’t stand or get on with since he was intruding into my sphere of work with which he had no connection. It is because of the weakness of the D.C. (Bebb) that he tried to assume the upper hand – something I could not stand. I had to give him a piece of my mind on many an occasion and he soon got the message.

Another European (a Mr Randall, who worked for the P.W.D. also tried to ‘bully’ me by trying to take over when the D>C> was on safari. (Some white officers of other departments, felt it was their duty to ‘act’ when the D.C. was away on safari. I wouldn’t stand for this and felt that in the D.C’s absence –since there was no District Officer at the time), it was my duty to step into the breach since I handled everything else in the D.C.’s absence. I don’t think some White officers liked me and I was not going to allow them to ride over me as they might have bullied my predecessors.

Bebb was replaced by “Windy” Wild, a man |I had first met when I was stationed at Voi and he, in the soon-to-be-opened Mackinnon Road substation.

Wild and I got on like a house on fire and, since he was not keen on routine office work – he preferred going on safari- he left most of the routine administrative matters to me. I loved this change since writing letters/reports were right up my street!

  What I forgot to mention earlier is that the “Big Boss” of the N.F.D. at the time was Richard Turnbull, Provincial Commissioner) , a very efficient administrator, who wouldn’t tolerate inefficiency. I got on well with Mr Turnbull (years later, after serving as Minister for Defence, later Acting Governor of Kenya -he ended up as the last colonial Governor of Tanganyika. - Sir Richard Turnbull). We became good friends, and on my move to the U.K., I met him and later got him to write the Foreword to my first book –‘Bwana Karani’)

His place at Isiolo was taken firstly by Desmond O’Hagan and much later by the ornithologist, Myles North – with both of whom I got on well.

Before going on overseas leave with my brand new wife (Elsie) and first born(Clyde) – I was posted to Kitale, Elsie’s home town. Here, my D.C. was a lovely man who had attended our wedding and with whom I got on well. John Carson always addressed me by my Christian name and with whom I got on well.

Still at Kitale, Carson was replaced by Christopher Denton, a true Englishman, young and energetic. Denton and I got on famously as I was a great help to him especially during the Mau Mau Emergency when he was often out at Security meetings and left the office work all to me. He was very appreciative of my help and even tried to get me an accelerated promotion which, sadly, under the then-existing Civil Service Rules was not allowable. Denton and I left Kitale together – he as Private Secretary to the Governor and I back to my favourite spot – Marsabit!

 My next posting was to the vast South Nyanza district in Nyanza Province where my D.C  was a man with a fiery temper. Jack Wolff. somehow, took to me after he saw that I’d transformed the district office into a more efficient establishment. Wolff was replaced by the man I first met in Mombasa – the New Zealander, Gordon Skipper. Being a fairly large district (which was much later divided), there were several D.Os and District Assistants. Those I remember are – Pat de Warren Waller, Roy Spendlove, John Lowdell, George Grimmett, Peter Wheeler Mike Philips, Chris Minter and District Assistants – Paul Massey(who I later replaced -but with no monetary reward and Ray Hawes, the District Revenue Officer.  I got on well with most of these officials.

My next move was on promotion to the Ministry of Agriculture. I was posted to Machakos where the Provincial Agricultural Officer then was Reg. Spooner, soon to move to a post with the United Nations. He was replaced by Dick Henderson, a great man with whom I got on well and who was the second White officer in the service to address me by my Christian name and expected me to address him similarly. (the first was John Carson, D.C. Kitale) What a change after all these years of servitude I thought !!Dick and I got on very well indeed. But I had soon to leave on overseas leave, and on return was posted to the Plant Breeding Research Station at Njoro – in the heart of the White Highlands. Here my boss was Hugh Thorpe who was soon to leave to take up a post with the United Nations in Teheran. Hugh took to me immediately and even got me to accompany him to a meeting at Ministry Headquarters in Nairobi which was being addressed by the Minister for Agriculture, Bruce McKenzie. I believe I was the first non-White official to attend such a meeting.  Hugh Thorpe was later replaced by Giles Dixon as Senior Plant Breeder.

The Asst. Plant Breeder was Ken Lynch while the Plant Pathologist was Dr. John Guthrie. There was also a Swedish Seeds officer – Nils Lumsden, later replaced by Dave Ensor. In addition there was a Farmer Manager (George Roberts – who had a fiery temper and with whom I clashed and later got him to apologise. Phil Edwards. The Office Superintended, who I later replaced was Jim Crawford,  a victim of M.S.    Later we had two Canadians- Drs Petersen and Henry Enns joined the team as part of the Rockefeller Programme. Following Giles Dixon’s early retirement, we had Mike Harrison and Brian Dowker as Senior Plant Breeders.

This was a time when Kenya was heading for independence, and when I found out my post had been Africanised (despite an assurance given by the newly-appointed African Chief Research Officer (Dr Njoroge), - I decided it was time to leave and, with great regret, my family and I bade goodbye to the land of my birth and a land my family and I loved so dearly – Kenya! It was finally KWAHERI KENYA!