Dr Ephantus Njuguna Gakuo is not known to many Kenyans, is the father of the country’s current first lady Margaret Kenyatta.
He was the first African Managing Director of the East African Railways & Harbours, having been appointed in 1964 to replace GPG Mckay, a post he held for 12 years.
That was three years after he returned from Germany, where he taught for a year after graduating with a PhD in Economics from Freiberg University in 1960.
He also taught African studies for three years at Delhi University, after earning his BA and MA degrees in Commerce from the Delhi School of Business in 1955.
Gakuo did not return from Deutschland with only a doctorate, but a German wife who is Margaret's mother.
Before he was appointed Director-General of the East African Railways & Harbours during the Africanisation programme in September 1964, Gakuo served as the secretary of the East African Tobacco Company.
It was during his tenure at East African Railways that in 1965, he sourced for £13 million (about Ksh1.8 billion at current exchange rates), from the World Bank to bankroll the improvement of the high capacity rolling stock, new marshalling yards, modern training methods and better rail traffic control.
In October 1966, he also oversaw the commissioning of MV Uhuru and its sister vessel, MV Umoja in Kisumu.
And in a rare video posted on Facebook by history enthusiast, Levin Odhiambo Opiyo, Gakuo is seen addressing the crowd that had attended the historic event in Kisumu.
He died in August of 2005.
Below is a video of the 1966 MV Uhuru commissioning courtesy of Levin Odhiambo Opiyo:
