Ken Walibora was a wise, patient man
The late Ken Walibora. File | Nation Media Group
What you need to know:
- After all the tributes on Ken since his tragic death was revealed, one might well ask what more remains to be said about Kenya’s literature prodigy, linguist, journalist and scholar.
- He sent me a draft of an English translation of his Kiswahili classic, Siku Njema to review and edit urgently! By November, I had not finished the job.
Under normal circumstances, I should be sitting under some tent in western Kenya, today, listening to eulogies ahead of Ken Walibora’s interment. Covid-19 has scuttled all that, and so for me and thousands whose lives he touched, we will have to do with a virtual ‘Buriani!’
After all the tributes on Ken since his tragic death was revealed, one might well ask what more remains to be said about Kenya’s literature prodigy, linguist, journalist and scholar. I will justify my tribute by saying that although we were never in day-to-day contact, Ndugu Ken touched my life in a special way, which his burial day gives me a chance to share.
It was in August 2016 when Ken threw a surprise challenge at me. He sent me a draft of an English translation of his Kiswahili classic, Siku Njema to review and edit urgently! By November, I had not finished the job.
HONEST OPINION
Then I found a copy of the original Siku Njema, and comparing the draft translation Ken had sent me with the original, I was convinced there was work to do. After reviewing the first chapter, I attached it alongside the first chapter of the copy he had sent me and asked him for his “honest opinion” of the two versions under the subject, “Siku Njema Kionjo”.
The response was almost instant. He called and exclaimed, “Kionjo? Hii ndio yenyewe! (This is the real thing!)” So elating and energising was the approbation, I applied myself to the translation with rare zeal for a task whose terms of engagement we had not even discussed. It didn’t matter. Ken’s charm, calm and reassuring demeanour was such that it mattered little if my translation was a gift or if there was anything to expect from it. What mattered was that my input added value to the translation.
By December 27, I’d overhauled the draft and forwarded the new translation to Ken with comments and queries, to which he responded in impeccable Kiswahili, addressing me as “Mpendwa dadangu”. I wept with the joy of a pupil, who has just received her first end-term prize for coming tops in class as I read his response within a fortnight:
“Nimepitiapitia mswada nikauona mzuri sana. Sana. Hongera kwa kuufanya usomeke kwa mtiririko na urahisi.” (I’ve reviewed the manuscript and found it very good. Very. Congratulations for making it readable and flowing). Then he responded to my queries. The icing on the cake — and this was an even bigger surprise than his picking me for translator — was that once I had integrated his responses, the manuscript would be ready for Longhorn Publishers “ambako unasubiriwa sana sana” (where it’s really being waited for).
FAULTFINDING
And the ultimate accolade: “Shukran sana kwa kukubali kufanya kazi hii ambayo sidhani kuna mwengine angeweza kuitekeleza vizuri kama wewe” (Thank you for accepting to do this work which I doubt anyone else would have accomplished as well as you’ve done).
Why do I reproduce this January 9, 2017 email? I’ll explain. Freelancing is brutish. You’re rarely appreciated. Fault-finding is the name of the game, just to deny you your dues. Ken’s accolades made me see the hidden translator in me. Thanks to his trust, A Good Day — my first published translation — hit the bookshops exactly two years after submitting the refined manuscript, and that was the ultimate prize that came when Longhorn manager, James Mwilaria, had me sign the royalty contract.
Ken has had three of his novels translated — Siku Njema, Jua Linapotua na Hadithi Nyingine (translated to When the Sun Goes Down and Other Stories, to be published posthumously) and Friends for Life, a translation of Kufa Kuzikana. I count myself blessed to number among his translators.
I share Mwilaria’s description of Ken as a man of great wisdom (he never disclosed what was in store for me, lest that corrupts my work), patient (he never harassed me as I took ages to embark on the assignment) and a man of great stature (many mourners have zeroed in on that). Having translated his masterpiece, I share Mwilaria’s description of Ken as a rare mix of unparalleled accomplishment, and yet humble to a fault.
Buriani Ndugu Ken! May we merit to meet in the hereafter!
Mrs Kweyu is Revise Editor, Daily Nation and consulting editor
