The legendary journalist Leonard Mambo Mbotela will be buried at Lang’ata Cemetery. This news has left many in shock. Given his towering legacy, many expected him to be given a befitting send-off in his ancestral home.
However, journalist Yassin Juma has now revealed the deeply rooted history behind this unexpected decision.
Mbotela’s Malawian Roots
Unlike many Kenyans who have a rural home (ushago), Leonard Mambo did not. His family history traces back to Malawi, where his grandfather was among the freed slaves rescued and resettled in Freretown, Mombasa, during the 19th century.
“If you want him (Leonard Mambo) to be buried at his ancestral home, that would mean flying his body to the village of Mpanda on the shores of Lake Malawi in Malawi,” Juma explained.
Shedding light on Mbotela’s lineage, he added:
“He was an ethnic Yao and a descendant of a freed slave, Mzee Mbotela, who was rescued from an Arab slave dhow heading to Arabia in the 1860s.
The freed slave Mbotela later married a fellow Malawian named Ida Halima from the Kamtunda clan in the village of Mpanda, Malawi.
Their son, Juma, later married Grace David, a freed slave from Seychelles who had once been enslaved by the Sultan of Zanzibar in the early 1900s.
This was Lenny’s grandfather, from the son of Juma and Grace, James.”
Mbotela Confirmed His Malawian Ancestry in His Memoir
In his memoir Je Huu Ni Ungwana, Leonard Mambo acknowledged his Malawian roots, though he had no personal ties to the country.
“My great-grandfather, Mbotela Senior, hailed from the Yao Clan in Central Malawi. He was born among this clan in a year believed to be 1865.
I cannot claim to be a Yao because I was never born or brought up among them. I don’t know any relatives there, and I have never lived with them. But that’s where my origin can be traced back to. None of my relatives ever attempted to trace our origins in Malawi.”
Mbotela Estate Was Not Named After Him
Juma also cleared up a common misconception about Nairobi’s Mbotela Estate, often assumed to be named after the veteran journalist.
“Mbotela Estate in Nairobi is not named after Leonard, but his uncle, Councillor Tom Mbotela, who was assassinated by Mau Mau.”
Mbotela’s Final Journey
The nation mourns the passing of Leonard Mambo, who died on Friday, February 7th, at the age of 85.
He had been battling pneumonia and low blood pressure for some time. His remains currently lie at Umash Funeral Home.
Leonard Mambo leaves behind his widow, Alice Mwikali, and their three children: Aida, Jimmy, and George.
His final farewell is set for Saturday, when he will be laid to rest at Lang’ata Cemetery.
