During the colonial period, one Kenyan mastered the art of photography which made him stand out among the rest in his pack.
His star thus shone brighter, enabling him to take photos of the high and mighty like first President Jomo Kenyatta.
90-year-old Moses Migwi, who comes from Madaraka, Nairobi, recalled how photography was his precious gem and how he passionately treasured his first camera, a Kodak Box model, one of the best cameras in the 1950s.
“It was a job I did without worry. I worked up to 1989, before retiring. During that time, Kenya was under colonial rule, only white photographers had the knowledge to use such a camera. However, in Nairobi, we were only two Kenyans. One Akwera and I,” Migwi recalled.
Speaking to K24, the veteran photographer recalled some of his best memories to be attending the funeral service of former US President John F Kennedy and another event, in Nairobi, when Jomo Kenyatta hosted former Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie.
“Selassie is this one here. You see he was a very small man,” Migwi passionately states.
The aged photographer worked with East African Standard newspaper as a senior photographer and was later poached by Daily Nation.
During his heydays, Migwi's photos graced top pages of newspapers and even won awards for being best photos of the week.
“We used to count up to three before shooting. All you have to do is look down at the camera and press the shutter release button,” Migwi divulged.
Migwi holds and keeps his photographs closely like souvenirs adding that he was willing to learn how to operate modern cameras, to test his skills once again.
Watch the video courtesy of K24.
