Prominent historian and archivist Dr. Maina David Kagombe dies
Prominent historian and archivist Dr. Maina David Kagombe dies
Dr. Maina David Kagombe, a prominent Kenyan historian and archivist who also served as the first African Chief Archivist of the Kenya National Archives has died.
Kagombe’s family said that the renowned conservator died on April 13, but did not disclose the cause of death.
Kagombe was celebrated for the critical role he played during the formative years of the Kenya National Archives where he once served as the Director.
He is credited with transforming the archives, initiating the collection of oral traditions, and securing vital national cultural heritage collections, such as the Murumbi collection, during the 1970s.
The renowned curator served as the third chief archivist and the first African to head the Kenya National Archives post-independence.
While at the helm of the KNA, Kagombe famously intervened to prevent the sale of the Joseph Murumbi collections to foreign buyers by issuing a gazette notice in 1976, ensuring the artefacts remained in Kenya.
The move saw Dr. Kagombe critiqued for overextending the mandate of the National Archives and incorporating a wide range of non-archival functions, but many in the field considered that period the golden age of the Kenya National Archives.
His tenure saw increased funding, recruitment of new graduates, and the move of the archives to its current location in the Old Kenya Commercial Bank Building.
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Kagombe will be remembered for initiating a nationwide oral tradition collection project and founding the Kenya Yearbook to support historical research.
“The Kenya Yearbook came about because we did not have enough literature. Kenya Yearbook, therefore, was to facilitate young people to get enough bibliography to be able to write their dissertations and to read more,” he told Citizen TV in 2023.
Following his retirement, he focused on researching and narrating the stories of lesser-known historical figures and mentoring youth in appreciating Kenyan history.
He also authored a well-known book detailing the life and leadership of Wangu wa Makeri, the first female tribal chief in central Kenya during the colonial era.
His work helped document the ‘Iron Lady’ of Murang’a, who served as a village headman under the British regime in the early 1900s.
Dr. Kagombe will be buried on April 17, at his home in Murang’a County.
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