Chicago: Any story with the theme of “from rags to riches” attracts the attention of all, but here is even a more interesting and incredible story about a former street child, who rises to be a highly educated presidential candidate of a nascent and developing democratic country in the continent of Africa. He is also a member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) movement. The real life story of Dr. George Luchiri Wajakoyah, who was once a street child in Nairobi, now works as a law professor in a US university, and divides his time in teaching law between the US and the UK is a fascinating one. He is a presidential candidate for Kenya, the elections for which are scheduled for August 2012. He is contesting the presidential election as the candidate of the Shake The Tree Movement (STTM), which is his brainchild. STTM’s goal is to educate people as to what constitutes good democratic governance, and rid current governments of corruption manifested in graft, theft, bribery, extortion and tribalism. “I will not be where I am now but for the help, support and encouragement of Hare Krishna movement, Ram Lal Sharma, an Indian, who owns a high school in Nairobi, and the Asian community. They sheltered me, nurtured me and educated me. My Indian name is Krishna Balaram Das, given by ISKCON. I frequently visit Mayapur, West Bengal, India, the headquarters of ISKCON, he tells India Tribune in an interview. He was born in 1959 at Jinja village in Uganda to father Tito Olilo and mother Makokha, both were farm laborers. George Luchiri Wajakoyah was abandoned on the streets by his parents after their split. He lived with his grandparents in a village, Indangalasia, but they could not support him. As a child, he left the village and moved to Nairobi city. He lived on the streets as a homeless person till the age of 17 years doing odd jobs. “I was treated like a Dalit when I was picked up by ISKCON and given shelter. Ram Lal Sharma, a kind Indian, who owned the City High School, provided me educational opportunities and in return I did odd jobs in the school. That’s when I saw light of life. Asian Indian families gave me food, clothes and other facilities. I completed my elementary schooling in 1979 and joined Mumias Boys High School in western Kenya in 1980,” he adds. After high school, George Luchiri Wajakoyah took to teaching and taught English, Geography and History in the City High School of Ram Lal Sharma, and in the Raval’s High School for sometime before he joined the Kenyan Police Force. “I call Ram Lal Sharma as my godfather because he was responsible for giving me education and other facilities and setting a direction for my life,” says George Luchiri Wajakoyah. Even after about 10 years of service and being elevated as a police inspector, troubles have not ended for George Luchiri Wajakoyah. It was in 1990, Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Robert Ouko was killed and George Luchiri Wajakoyah was put in charge of investigation. “The government wanted me to manipulate the evidence in its favor, but when I refused, I was put in a jail and subjected to torture. In the process of the investigation, 14 witnesses were killed by the government. To create a situation for my elimination too, the authorities slyly moved me to the Armed Forces Memorial Hospital of Nairobi with an alibi that I was sick However, the doctors there had helped me to escape,” he confides. With the help of the American Embassy headed by Ambassador Smith Hempstone, George Luchiri Wajakoyah says, he fled the country and landed in London. There the British press and politicians, including Labor Party Member of Parliament Glenda Jackson and Minister for Home Affairs Charles Walde spearheaded George Luchiri Wajakoyah’s case resulting in the British giving him an asylum. While in Britain, George Luchiri Wajakoyah says, he worked as a gravedigger and as a security guard, but at the same time he went to a law school and acquired law degrees. “Now I am one of the most learned African lawyers in the world,” he claims. Giving political history of Kenya, George Luchiri Wajakoyah says that the country, which was a British colony, became independent in 1963 and after the death of its first President Jomo Kenyatta, its Vice President Daniel Arap Moi assumed charge as the President and became a dictator. Many Kenyans lost their lives during the cold war. But George W. Bush Senior, who was the President of the US, was responsible for restoring democracy in Kenya in late 1990. Paying tributes to South Asians and Indians for their success wherever they lived and brought economic progress to those countries, George Luchiri Wajakoyah says that some leaders like Idi Amin as the President of Uganda purged them out of the country resulting in economic disaster to the nation. “But I appreciate President Barack Obama for realizing the potential of Indians and the South Asians, and appointing them in many key positions in his administration. Obama knows that South Asians and Indians are intelligent and hard working people. Indians’ contribution to progress of countries like the US, the UK, Australia, Mauritius and West Indies was phenomenal. The African countries also must make use of the knowledge and contribution of South Asians, instead of driving them away. The South Asians are fighting for their independence within independent Kenya and I fully support their cause. For the first time many Asians worldwide have expressed their support for my candidacy,” he adds. Speaking about his survival instinct, he says that he survived as an abandoned child, he survived when he was almost devoured by a python in an African village, he survived with some burns when he was hit by a thunderbolt, and he survived an attempt by authorities to kill him in a prison. “All these experiences have strengthened my faith in my Krishna consciousness. I always wear my sacred chain of rudraksha and have the sacred thread tied to my wrist,” George Luchiri Wajakoyah says. Among his many educational credentials are an honorary doctorate degree for his contributions to human rights and community awareness given by the American Heritage University of California, Master of Laws given by University of Baltimore, L.P.C., University of Westminster, Master of Laws of University of London (SOAS), L.L.B (Hons) of University of Wolverhampton, and Masters of Laws in Law by University of Warwick. He also received several awards. He was elevated to Level 3 Specialist Immigration (Highest Level of Immigra-tion Practice in England and Wales) Advisers by the Office of the Immigration Services Commission of United Kingdom, Educational Award by the Times newspaper of London, Education Award by African Education Trust of London and a Scholarship Award by the French Embassy in Nairobi. Among the many positions George Luchiri Wajakoyah holds are he has been working as Director of Legal Aid and Adjunct Professor of Law at American Heritage University, California, and lectures at London Tower College in London.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Jun 2013 06:12:41 +0000
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