“My Top Three Favourite Reads”
Rendezvous with Deputy Vice Chancellor of St. Paul’s University, Kenya
Today | @ MCC | 6th May 2025
Today we had a rewarding time of interactions with Prof. Abraham K. Waithima, Deputy Vice Chancellor of St. Paul’s University, Kenya.
Our Principal Dr. Paul Wilson welcomed the dignitary following which we had a time of rewarding interactions on avenues for collaborations between the two institutions.
When he said that his native tongue was Gikuyu - a Bantu language primarily spoken by the Kikuyu people in Kenya, I was delightfully surprised, and asked him, ‘So you know Ngugi Wa Thiongo?’
“Oh yes, I do! He’s one of my favourite writers”, said Prof. Waithima.
“Great. We have him prescribed for us. He’s a writer with such great ideals and convictions on him, ” I replied enthusiastically.
Doubly excited, he then started waxing eloquent on the Mau Mau Uprising, and their liberation struggle.
He also suggested that I read this book titled, Carcase for Hounds by Meja Mwangi, that delves into the brutal realities of the Mau Mau liberation struggle during the final years of British colonial rule in Kenya.
Prof. Waithima added to say that, he had done a project on this book for his ‘O’ level in school, for which he had got distinction as well, he added.
Then, we discussed the memoir by the 44th President of the US - Barack Obama – and his life in Kenya that he discusses at length in his memoir titled, Dreams from My Father.
The book is a poignant chronicle of Obama’s search for his own racial and personal identity, by exploring his upbringing as a biracial child, with a white American mother and a Black Kenyan father. Moreover, Obama delves into the lives of his parents and his extended family, tracing their roots in Kansas and Kenya.
Sensing that he’s an avid reader, I then asked him for his top three favourite book recommends.
Pat came the answer – 😊
His First Book Recommend was the book titled, Surrounded by Idiots by Thomas Erikson.
This book offers a straightforward and engaging approach to understanding different personality types and improving communication. It introduces a four-colour system – Red (Dominant), Yellow (Inspiring), Green (Stable), and Blue (Analytical) – to categorize common behavioral patterns.
His second book recommend was - Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia.
The book delves into the Japanese philosophy of “ikigai,” which translates roughly to “a reason for living” or “a reason to jump out of bed in the morning.” The book explores how finding your personal ikigai can lead to a more fulfilling, happy, and potentially longer life.
His third book recommend was – Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear.
The book is a practical guide that focusses on making significant life improvements through small, incremental changes in our daily habits. Instead of focusing on big goals, the book emphasizes the power of ‘atomic habits’ - tiny, manageable routines that compound over time to produce remarkable results.
PS: Quite interestingly, exactly five years ago, on 4th May 2020 we had reviewed Atomic Habits on our blog. 😊 You may want to read the review on our past post HERE
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| Prof. Waithima at the MCC-MRF Innovation Park |
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