| Bethwell A. Ogot | |
| Birth Date: | 3 August 1929 |
| Birth Place: | Gem, Kenya[1] |
| Occupation: | Historian |
| Citizenship: | Kenyan |
| Notableworks: | Zamani: A Survey of East African History, History of the Southern Luo |
| Genre: | African history, East African history, Kenyan history |
| Alma Mater: | Makerere University University of St. Andrews School of Oriental and African Studies (PhD) |
Bethwell Allan Ogot (born 3 August 1929) is a Kenyan historian and eminent African scholar who specialises in African history, research methods and theory. One of his works starts by saying that "to tell the story of a past so as to portray an inevitable destiny is, for humankind, a need as universal as tool-making. To that extent, we may say that a human being is, by nature, historicus.[2]
Ogot was the Chancellor of Moi University up to early 2013.[3]
Ogot, a Kenyan Luo, was born on 3 August 1929 in Gem Location of Siaya County of Kenya.[4] In 1959 he married Grace Emily Akinyi, a politician, writer and health specialist. She eventually served the government of Kenya as an Assistant Minister for Culture and Social Services.[5]
Ogot was educated at Ambira, Maseno School, Makerere University College, and the University of St Andrews and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. While studying in London, he served as a leader of the Kenya Students Association, where he assisted the Kenya nationalists, notably the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga during the 1960 negotiations at the Lancaster negotiations for Kenya's independence.[6] [7]
Ogot commenced his university academic and research life as lecturer at the Makerere University, and eventually became Chairman of the History Department of University College, Nairobi, currently the University of Nairobi (UoN). At the UoN he founded and directed the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and the Institute of African Studies (IAS). He also served as the Dean, School of Arts and Social Sciences and Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academics therein. He was the President of the International Scientific Committee for the preparation of UNESCO's General History of Africa. He edited Volume V of UNESCO's History of Africa, and presided over the committee that oversaw the production of the entire History. He was a member of the International Commission for UNESCO's History of Humanity.
From the University of Nairobi, Ogot was appointed by President Jomo Kenyatta to serve as member of the East African Community (EAC) Legislative Assembly, between 1975 and 1977.[8] He was President of the PanAfrican Archaeological Association from 1977 to 1983.[9] Between 1978 and 1980 Ogot served at the International Louis Leakey Memorial Institute for African Pre-History (TILLMIAP), which was an integral part of the National Museums of Kenya (NMK), as its first director. He served Kenyatta University as Professor, and the Kenya Post and Telecommunications as chairman. He was the Chancellor of Moi University, Eldoret, up to 2013. He remains Professor Emeritus of Maseno University, where prior to being Chancellor of Moi University he had been the Director of Post-Graduate Studies.[10] [11]
As the Chancellor of Moi University, he worked tirelessly with President Kibaki, the Ministry of Higher Education of Kenya, Professors David Some and Richard Mibey as Vice-Chancellors and Samuel Gudu, Margarete Kamar and Bob Wishitemi to oversee the constitution of the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Narok University, Karatina University, Kabianga University, University of Eldoret, Rongo University College and the Odera Akango’ College, which remains a constituent college of Moi University.[12]
Kiboyye Okoth-Yogo who writes on subjugationism as theory of legal history also proffers a critical analysis of his authorship that touches on the pacification of the African as colonial and the post colonial reality.[13]