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{
    "id": 493331,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/493331/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 32,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Nyenze",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1987,
        "legal_name": "Francis Mwanzia Nyenze (Deceased)",
        "slug": "francis-mwanzia-nyenze"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Speaker, since the sudden and shocking demise of Prof. Ali Mazrui on 13th October, 2014, in New York, thousands of tributes have continued to pour in from people from all sheds of life who have remembered this fallen giant from all over the world. Presidents, prime ministers, ministers, university chancellors, scholars and students from all walks of life have poured their tribute. People have eulogized him in the most glowing terms. Therefore, I join the rest of the world in mourning Prof. Mazrui as the Member for Kitui West Constituency, the Leader of Minority Party and in my personal capacity as a fellow Kenyan. There are many tributes pouring in from all over the world for the late Prof. Mazrui, whose mortal remains were laid to rest at the 900-year old Mazrui family cemetery. The late Prof. Mazrui was born in Mombasa on 24th February, 1933. He was buried next to his family in the same island of his birth and a life well spent. Prof. Mazrui was an author and co-author of more than 35 books, numerous book chapters, hundreds of scholarly articles, magazines, newspaper commentaries and a host of television series and triple heritage. The late Prof. Mazrui towered as an international scholar in every continent. He can be acclaimed as a great Pan-Africanist. He was a great African and a great humanist. Prof. Mazrui was a critical thinker whose views elicited both excitement and controversy alike. Amongst his fellow scholars and students, he was, of course, the hallmark of deep and visionary thinkers that provoke controversy. I am sure that Prof. Mazrui was quite used to all this writing and controversy-provoking lectures. The truth is that most authentic deep-thinking Africans and non-Africans genuinely interested in understanding the reality as opposed to the perceived notions of African affairs have always valued his contributions even when they did not share his views. Many will remember the famous public intellectual debates between the late Prof. Mazrui and his contemporaries. The most famous of the debates, of course, was that between Prof. Mazrui and Prof. Walter Rodney at the Makerere University Main Hall, in May, 1970. There were other debates between him and the late Prof. William Robert Ochieng and Prof. Taban of South Sudan. In all those intellectual matters, regardless of whether you agreed with him or not, you could not fail to note the mutual respect and courteous language that Prof. Mazui used. It would be a good lesson of engaging in respectful debate. We must revive the culture of civilised public debate at our universities in honour of Prof. Ali Mazrui. Prof. Mazrui was a humanist and selfless man who was not interested in acquiring material possessions. His widow, Pauline Uti Mazrui, gave testimony on how Prof. Mazrui would spend all his money helping others before the month ended and when asked, he would say that God would provide. Prof. Okello Oculi, who was a tutorial assistant in the Political Science Department at the Makerere University, escaped death at the hands of the late Idi Amin’s soldiers only because Prof. Mazrui called Prof. Amin’s The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}