The
man of a million laughs Whispers
Whispers
hiding behind the tree, Pajero on the left with her acquaintance
The late Wahome Mutahi ‘Whispers’
was born on 24th October 1954 in Nyeri. “Whispers” the
brainchild of Mutahi, was a weekly column on the Sunday Nation
newspaper. It revolved around a man and his family- his subservient
wife “Thatcher”, her mother “Appepklonia”, the rebellious son
“Whis Junior” and his daughter “Pajero”. A Sunday was never
complete without a dose of Whispers humour.
The descriptive nature of his witty
stories relied on his incisive observance of popular trends in the
Kenyan society. Mutahi had a daring side that allowed him to write
what Kenyans never discussed beyond whispers. This was seen in his
satirical view on the ills of the governance of the regime in his
articles. Unfortunately in 1986 he had to face the atrocious pain of
the infamous Nyayo House torture chambers and imprisonment.
He claimed that his inspiration came
from no other but the late Brian Tetley popularly known as Mambo.
Mambo a former editor for the East African Standard was a legend in
sarcastic pieces. Mutahi’s contribution to the media was not only
limited to Nation Media, he also had a big impact at the Standard
where he was the features editor. Away from Kenya he also wrote
articles for the Ugandan publications The Monitor and Lugambo.
Books that coloured his illustrious
writing career were:
How to be a Kenyan published in January
1st 2001. The book contained a series of effusive essays
on what it really meant to be Kenyan.
Three Days on the cross was another
notable book he wrote after he was released from Kamiti Maximum
Security Prison. The book went along to win the coveted Jomo Kenyatta
Prize for Literature in 1992.
Jailbug was also an insightful account
of his incarceration.
Doomsday, it featured the fiction
version of the tragic 1998 US embassy bombing.
Just Wait and See, The Miracle
Merchants and The Ghost of Garba Tula were other books in his
collection.
Read some of his articles from Nairobi journal
Whispers is also remembered for his
mastery in theatre with production of numerous stage performances.
Most of which stirred a lot of controversy and interest from Kenyans.
Ngoma Ca Aka (The Whirlwind) and Son of the Soil were the most
famous.
Kenya Publishers Association in 2004
established the Wahome Mutahi Literary Award in honour of his eminent
contribution to literature in the country.
Twenty years you offered nothing but
the best and left a legacy of some of the finest written humor in
Kenya. Kenyans will never forget your resilience and the exemplary
contribution to literature. We will all miss Whispers Sunday that
cracked our ribs each Sunday. Rest In Peace.
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