In the Akamba language, Kalembe denotes smallness yet Richard Kalembe Ndile, who died on Sunday, was a big politician in Kenya. Although they returned to Kenya to a squalor life and being forced to sell charcoal on the Mombasa-Nairobi highway, Kalembe was destined for great things. In fact, at the age of 33, Kalembe was already a household name-fighting for the rights of the landless. Despite his documented academic inadequacies, Kalembe rose from squalor as a charcoal seller to dine at the country's high table. He would later be handed the nickname Kalembe to befit his 'smallness' as they settled as squatters back in Kibwezi.

Source: The Star May 31, 2021 02:03 UTC