Ken Wafula, who died on Wednesday in his 40s, was brave and independent-minded.
He spoke truth to power in defence of human rights.
The founder of Eldoret-based Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (CHRD) faced numerous external physical threats to his life, traceable to his activism.
Born in Uasin Gishu, Wafula, who later settled in Trans Nzoia, joined the human rights crusade after his family and thousands of others were evicted from their homes in the politically instigated land clashes that erupted in the early 1990s as the struggle to end Kanu’s monopoly on power reached its peak.
When his family was displaced, he dropped out of Arnenses Secondary School and briefly lived on the streets of Eldoret Town before going back to school, thanks to the intervention of then Catholic Bishop Cornelius Korir who died last year. But it was the 2007/8 post-election chaos in which 1,133 Kenyans were killed and nearly 600,000 uprooted from their homes that brought out his fearlessness and posed the gravest danger to his life.
The violence, caused by a disputed presidential election contest between incumbent Mwai Kibaki and challenger Raila Odinga, resulted in four prominent Kenyans facing crimes against humanity charges before the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
These included Deputy President William Ruto and radio presenter Joshua Sang, both from Wafula’s North Rift region. The others were President Uhuru Kenyatta and the former public service head, Francis Muthaura.
According to family members and colleagues, Mr Wafula was admitted to the hospital with high blood pressure and diabetes.
“He was taken to the hospital on Tuesday after his condition deteriorated. He was in high spirits when I left him last evening only to be told this morning that he had passed on,” said Nick Omito who founded CHRD with Mr Wafula.
Wycliff Kipsang’, Barnabas Bii and Titus Ominde.
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