Historian Prof. Bethwell Ogot dies at 95

Celebrated African history scholar Prof. Bethwell Allan Ogot is dead.

Prof. Ogot, 95, reportedly passed away while receiving treatment at a hospital in Kisumu on Thursday.

He is widely remembered for his pioneering contributions to the study of African history, particularly the history of East Africa.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has since mourned Ogot, remembering him as a national treasure and trailblazer who will be deeply missed.

“Prof. Bethwel Ogot was in the category of the now increasingly rare and outnumbered internationally known, deep, independent and professional scholars who treasured academic excellence and the value of knowledge to a community and a nation,” he said in a statement.

“Because of his scholarly work, we have a deeper understanding of who we are as Kenyans, the road we have travelled and the distance we still have to cover as a people. In his death, Kenya, and indeed the world, has lost a treasure who will be deeply missed.”

Mr. Odinga subsequently sent his condolences to Prof. Ogot’s family, adding that the late historian will be immortalized for his scholarly contributions.

“I send my thoughts and prayers to his family and friends, as our nation mourns his loss. His legacy will however endure in the many works of history that he leaves behind,” he added.

His sentiments were shared by Siaya Governor James Orengo, who likewise mourned Prof. Ogot as a true thinker and intellectual.

“Prof. Bethwel Ogot is one of the greatest scholars of our time. He has left a legacy of seminal works and historical treatises. A true thinker and intellectual par excellence. He now ‘belongs to the ages.’ Rest in eternal peace,” Orengo said in a Facebook post. 

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has likewise expressed his condolences, emphasizing the significant impact Prof. Ogot had on Kenya’s academic and intellectual landscape.

“My heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and the academic fraternity following the passing of Prof. Bethwel Allan Ogot, who was one of the few remaining pioneer African scholars. In his long and illustrious career, Prof. Ogot contributed immensely to national development as a teacher, historian, publisher and university administrator,” said Murkomen in an X statement.

“The eminent and versatile scholar, who started off as a mathematician, hoisted Kenya’s name high by almost single-handedly heaving the weight of African history and thrusting it on the global stage. We mourn this monument of scholarly enterprise.”