3 Nov. 2009

Eulogy for the Late James Herbert Obaso
A Story of a Lifetime

We are solemnly gathered here today to say farewell to a man of principle, excellence, and dedication.

James Herbert Obaso, a distinguished teacher, educator, civil servant management trainer and researcher was called home on Monday morning October 26th, 2009 in Karen Hospital, Nairobi. A dedicated family man, James leaves behind a grieving wife, children, step children, sisters and brothers, sisters-in-law, uncles and aunts.

Mr. Obaso was the first son of the late Mzee Shem Angugo and Mama Rhoda Ger of Kisumo Karateng, Nyanza. He was born on January 29th, the year of our Lord 1938. He was the first child in a in a family of nine children. In 1961 he married Phoebe Margaret Akumu, daughter of Mzee Hosea Pala of Seme Kombewa. They were blessed with four children, Victor Onyango, Douglas Odhiambo, Gillian Atieno and Julie Alobo Ger (named for his mother Rhoda Ger).

Following the early passing of his wife, Phoebe James was blessed with a second marriage on October 6th 1990 to Millicent Achieng Obaso the daughter of the late Mzee Walter Edwin Ogara and Mama Teresa Olewe Ogara of Sakwa with whom he lived till his death two weeks ago. As the first son in a closely-knit family, James provided leadership and material support to virtually all his siblings and relatives in Karateng. Over the years, he also provided generous support toward the education and wellbeing of many relatives in the extended family from the side of his mother, father and wives.

James received his early education from 1945 to 1954, in Maseno, Awasi and Lwanda Primary Schools in Nyanza Province, Kenya from where he obtained a Kenya African Preliminary Examination Certificate. From 1955 to 1958 he was enrolled in Maseno High school where he studied and qualified with the Cambridge School Certificate. Determined to further his education Jim enrolled in Maseno Siriba College from 1958-60. It is during his years of training as a teacher at Siriba that his passion for teaching began to develop in earnest. Upon receiving his teacher’s certificate he taught in many schools and training centres around the country including Siriba itself. He went on to study at Makerere University College Kampala Uganda from 1964-1968 from where he obtained a BA degree in Economics and Sociology. However, his thirst for education did not end there. From 1968 to 1970 he entered Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, USA from where he earned a Master of Science degree in Organizational Behaviour and Public Administration.

James Herbert Obaso had a long and distinguished career of excellence and commitment which spanned over forty years. He was dedicated to capacity development, education and training of civil servants and public administrators in Kenya. From an early age, he could discern the value of strong institutions and sound human capacity for emerging democracies in Africa and he committed himself to making this happen.

As a systems manager and organizational sociologist, James was a passionate believer in the civil service as premier public service operation for any country. He also believed that the success of a viable public service depended on sound training, human and institutional capacity for its credibility and sustainability. And knowing the value of human and institutional capacity, he spared no effort to instill, mentor and promote excellence, transparency and accountability in those he was charged to teach. He seized every opportunity to make his contributions towards this end was felt everywhere he taught. Many who knew James Obaso closely at home, in class or in a training seminar, will recall that he put his heart and soul in building the human and institutional base for high level performance and sustainability of the civil service. He put his heart in making the Kenya civil service great and sustainable and his commitment and leadership shines everywhere he worked in Africa.

Mr. Obaso’s footprints are all over the page in his work assignments. He held many senior technical and leadership positions both in his native Kenya and elsewhere in Africa. James was an Instructor and later Deputy Principal, Government Training Institute (GTI), Maseno between 1962-64. He then rose to the post of Senior Lecturer and Head of Department in Public Administration at the Kenya Institute of Administration (KIA). At the Kenya Institute of Administration (KIA) James put on a stellar performance and is best remembered for his tremendous leadership and training role. At KIA, James taught a very large number of Kenya administrators, civil servants including DOs, DCs, Assistant Secretaries and Undersecretaries. Many Kenyans will recall James Obaso’s stellar performance as their instructor and mentor as well as administrator at the KIA finally getting a senior position in Government. James worked directly in the civil service as Undersecretary Directorate of Personnel Management (DPM) in charge of Staff Development), Office of the President, Kenya. Between 1978-1980 he was Deputy Secretary and Principal Government Training Institute, Mombasa.

His other professional positions included Manpower Development and Training Manager in Kenya Shell and BP Limited between 1980-1984; Lecturer- College of Education and External Studies of the University of Nairobi and Part-time Lecturer at the United States International University (USIU-Africa) in Nairobi, Kenya from 1985 onwards. He was also in 1984 that James was Founder and Director of professional Training Consultants-Training, Management and Research Consultants (PTC) through which he made tremendous contributions to institutional capacity development in Kenya and several countries in Africa to date.

But James was not to stop here. His passion for training led him to work and lecture farther afield in Africa including in key national management institutes such as Southern Africa Institute of Development Management (IDM) based in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland, he also worked for the Swaziland Institute of Public Administration (SIMPA) and taught part-time at the University of Swaziland.

James leaves a strong legacy of dedication to the training, capacity development and mentoring for excellence in public service and the application of public policy. This is the legacy he leaves behind. James leaves a strong legacy of dedication to excellence, transparency and accountability in organizational management. When it is all written up, his ideas will become a key part of learning on how to make public institutions and public servants a success.

In reminiscing about his life and the work he loved, just barely a month before his passing, James confided in one of his children about the disappointment and outrage he felt when his civil service career was abruptly ended in prime time when he was on his way to becoming Permanent Secretary. In his characteristic gentle and reflective mood, he recalled the pain of being fought for his commitment to issues around transparency, accountability and good governance that led to putting him in jail and then shunted off his job. But this did not break him. James continued to stand up for what he believed was right for Kenya and beyond and his career grew from strength to strength.

In his last days upon his return from Southern Africa, James continued to teach closer to home. More recently he was on contract as part time lecturer at University of Nairobi, College of Education and Distance Learning, Kisumu Extramural Center and Moi University Odera Akang’o constituent college.

Farewell Japuonj, WuonyaImbo, Jaka-Black.

May the Almighty Lord Rest your Soul in Eternal Peace until we meet again.