In the hall of fame of Kenyan journalists, Francis Khamisi has certainly earned his spot. Beyond steering Baraza – the most popular weekly broadsheet in East Africa – as its first editor, Khamisi launched other journalistic ventures that would cement his icon status in the world of Kenyan news.  

Moving with the Times 

In the lead-up to Kenya’s independence, it was not uncommon for political factions to have newspapers that reflected their stances. In the 1940s, exciting changes in politics precipitated the need for more nationalist papers. With the monumental nomination of Eliud Mathu to LegCo on 10th October 1944, Khamisi led the way forward, working with several nationalists to form Kenya African Union (KAU). Khamisi performed his role as the Secretary and saw a unique opportunity to express – in writing – Mathu’s beliefs of advocating for progressive reforms and making demands on behalf of Africans. 

It was in these fast-paced developments that Khamisi started the Mwalimu paper in 1945. Translating to ‘The Teacher’ in Swahili, the paper was a great proponent of KAU policies before the group onboarded Sauti ya Mwafrika as the official party newspaper. With the benefit of his contacts from Baraza, Khamisi set off to make his mark – and earn an income. The paper was printed on a weekly basis and took strong anti-imperial stances against British rule.  

Differing Opinions 

In one article released on April 1, 1947, the paper reflected on how even the abolition of slavery served colonial officials just as well. The paper argued that the British plundered even more from keeping Africans in their home territories than by selling them off to distant lands. By employing forced labour in agriculture, Europeans would profit more from cocoa, wheat, sisal and tea naturally found on African land. It was journalistic takes like these that made the newspaper a treasure to Africans but a grave threat to colonialists. 

Interestingly enough, in the same year, Khamisi also supported a controversial government policy regarding representation in the Central Assembly of the East African territories. White settlers had exerted their influence on the make-up of the Assembly to the detriment of Africans. So, beyond drawing the ire of the British, Mwalimu also fell out of favour with the KAU Khamisi had helped to set up. As a result, KAU mobilised its press to brutally attack Khamisi and his paper.  

It was clear this onslaught was not survivable, even for an experienced journalist like Khamisi. More than that, financial woes made the paper’s operation untenable. Mwalimu was therefore brought to its knees by 1947 and British officials banned it completely when the state of Emergency was declared in 1952.  

 

Pushing Onwards 

But the end of Mwalimu was not the end of Khamisi’s journalism career. He bounced back later in 1947 with a fortnightly paper simply called Kenya. This time, Khamisi tried to keep Kenya’s ownership a secret. But the paper stalled after only a few months in print. Afterwards, he found his way back to his home of Mombasa to try his luck with yet another paper. After being shunned by KAU, Khamisi pivoted away from national politics to focus on local coastal issues and politics. The new paper was named Hodi meaning ‘Is anyone there?’ in Swahili. 

Khamisi recruited his dream team made up of two principals at Secondary schools, a chief and a local council cashier. At first glance, the group seemed inexperienced but under Khamisi’s direction, Hodi was revered for being incredibly well-written. Faultless English and well-informed perspectives were the hallmarks of this paper. 

By 1948, however, Khamisi faced the same challenges that were endemic to the African news sector – funding. Hodi owed money and could not find a printer. The paper resorted to soliciting Indian printers, but most times received help on a one-off basis. Once more, Khamisi was out of a newspaper. 

In the turbulence of the fight for independence, Mwalimu served as a reminder that even among nationalists, there were divides. This is also a story of Khamisi’s strength of character. Just within 1947, Khamisi led three papers, and often, the odds were not in his favour. For his perseverance and role in advancing Kenyan journalism through his newspapers, Khamisi is commendable. 

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