The late Taaitta Kipyegon arap Toweett, who served as President Jomo Kenyatta's Education Minister, was known for his pride and overconfidence in his abilities.
In the 1948 Kenya African Preliminary Examination, he emerged the top pupil in the country. He joined Alliance High School, from where he later went to Makerere College.
He then enrolled for a correspondence course with a South African university and obtained a BA degree in philosophy. He later studied for a master’s degree in philosophy at the University of Nairobi and a doctorate in linguistics at the same institution.
His wives and 26 children could not just walk into his house and insisted that they book an appointment. However, he took pride in them, saying they were bright.
He was married five times and divorced twice. In an earlier interview, he said he had divorced his first wife because she sued him over the custody of his children.
The second wife, he claimed, could not cope with his lifestyle and opted out of the marriage.
During his stint at the Ministry of Education, he was angered by widespread failure in national examinations and as a result, he placed an advertisement in the press, urging students not to give up but seek his help.
“I do not believe that a person’s chance in education should be curtailed by results. Everyone should get a chance," read the advert.
Within two weeks, Toweett had received more than 1,000 letters from students. It is, however, not clear how he responded.
Toweett died in a car crash near Safari Bite Hotel at Free Area, six kilometres from Nakuru town, on October 8, 2007.
