Young Women Join Kenyans Bashing Ex-UoN Professor's Article On Micere Mugo

Young Women Growing-Kenya, a non-governmental and non-profit organization, on Sunday, July 30 joined hundreds of Kenyans in criticising former University of Nairobi (UoN) professor Henry Indangasi regarding his article about the late Professor Micere Mugo.

In a statement seen by Viral Tea, the NGO expressed its sadness regarding the professor's article carried by the Nation at the height of celebrations in her name ahead of her interment which took place over the weekend.

Young Women Growing further noted that the article by Professor Emeritus had painted Prof Mugo as a feminist intellectual who faced battles from the supporters of the late former President Daniel Arap Moi disguised as comrades.

"The Professor of Literature is irked by what else he thinks she should have become. As young women, we are particularly irked by his advancement on Prof.Micere's background as a child born in privilege and stature in the social class as well as the attack on her marital status," the statement read in part.

The NGO further accused Indangasi's article of failing to elevate the feminist theory, accusing him of detesting the place of a woman in living her, vigour, colour and femininity by asserting her productivity in the socio-political scene and the change sphere.

"He says at 1 am, Prof would be seated with the youth discussing progressive literature. Clearly...Subjective reasoning devices ways to attack personalities from a point of low regard.

"This is a misogynistic attack on women and the ability to bring people together and inspire generations. After all, Africans have discussed topical issues and made merry in the eves of the full moon since time immemorial," added the statement.

Young Women Growing however expressed its gratitude for Prof Micere's presence on earth and the inspiration she was a Poet-Prophet to the generation she leaves behind.

"Indeed, she was a gentle soul. We beseech fellow youth, girls and young women to boldly read her poetry and books. We celebrate her role in the collective struggle for all and are inspired as Young Women in Kenya," the NGO added.

Who Was Micere Mugo?

Mugo was an author and scholar who was celebrated for her political activism and resolve for social justice in the 1980s. She was forced out of the country in 1982 after the attempted coup on former President Daniel Moi's regime, an account Indangasi denied.

Mugo reportedly sought refuge in Zimbabwe where she continued to write against social injustices in Kenya. The playwright's work is still cited globally and she was heading the Pan African Community of Central New York, in the United States (US) before her death on June 30, 2023.

Henry Indangasi Article

In the critical piece titled: No, Micere Mugo was not a deep thinker, Indangasi, a professor emeritus at the Department of Literature at the University of Nairobi, wrote that Mugo came from a privileged background and had the kind of connections that not many could encounter in their lifetime.

Among those connections highlighted was her brother-in-law Jeremiah Kireini who served as the public service boss and secretary to former president Daniel Moi's cabinet to her sister, Kireini who was the country's chief nurse at the time.

He went on to dismiss facts regarding Moi kicking her out and renouncing her Kenyan citizenship but claimed that it was her close ties with former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe which helped her bag a top job in the Zimbabwean government.

"The next thing we heard was that the president had offered her a top job in the Ministry of Education as the one in charge of curriculum development. But this offer was conditional; she had to renounce her Kenyan citizenship and become a Zimbabwean," read part of his article.

"You see where I am going with this. Those who claimed that the Moi administration robbed Micere of her citizenship clearly do not know what they are talking about and are too lazy to research."

The article drew sharp criticism from Kenyans including scholars, former students and the UoN staff who called out the professor emeritus over the critical piece, with some reading malice in the timing of the article and his demeanour, arguing that Indangasi should have publicly criticised her while she was still alive.

"He doesn’t question the late Professor’s professorship credentials despite him saying she was not a deep thinker. He doesn’t even seem to know how she earned the professorship. Or doesn’t want to acknowledge that she merited her professorship and excelled perhaps better than him which points to jealousy on his part," Anna Konuche noted.

The criticism even stretched to Nation Media Group (NMG) which was accused of allowing its editorial team to publish the critical piece at the cost of its reputation.