James Luvai, a retired secondary school teacher, sat front row to Kenya’s history. Attending the Kapenguria Six trials and hosting the late President Moi in 1952. Then Moi was headteacher at Tambach Teachers Training College. This was the beginning of a relationship that almost saw him ascend to national leadership when Moi became President.
In late July 1982, President Daniel arap Moi instructed the late Moses Mudavadi to arrange a meeting with Luvai.
But fate intervened. Just as he was about to meet Moi – a meeting that could have changed his life – the coup attempt of August 1, 1982, unfolded, plunging the country into turmoil and derailing the plan.
When he later met Mudavadi for a follow-up discussion, he was informed that President Moi’s security had been tightened and new protocols introduced, making it impossible to secure another audience with him.
Luvai cannot say exactly what Moi had planned for him. However, he says Mudavadi hinted that it was a senior government role — one that came with a driver, security detail and chase cars.
Luvai had first met Moi in 1952 at the Government African School (G.A.S.) Kapenguria during a sports event – a chance meeting that sparked a lifelong friendship.
Today, decades later, Luvai lives a quieter life on his 100-acre farm in Nabiswa Ward, Kiminini Sub-County, Trans Nzoia County.
When we visit his home at 8am, the elderly Luvai sits quietly outside his house, basking in the soft morning sun. The compound around him tells a story not of politics, but of hard work and a life rooted in farming.
Tractors, disc harrows, ploughs, combine harvesters, planters, cultivators, sprinklers and other implements are scattered across the yard – evidence of a man who has spent decades tilling the land.
“I no longer have the energy to run around the farm. It’s my son who manages everything now. I just watch things get done,” he says, smiling faintly.
In 1949, as he prepared to graduate from Kagumo College in Nyeri, Luvai applied for teaching positions at Bunyore Girls’ High School, Friends African Mission (F.A.M.) Kaimosi School, G.A.S. Kakamega, and G.A.S. Kapsabet.
He hoped to teach close to home. But one evening, while playing soccer, colleagues told him of a letter posted on the notice board: he had been assigned to G.A.S. Kapenguria.
“I feared I would be killed by the West Pokot people since they walked with spears,” he recalls with a chuckle. “I protested, but no one was willing to listen to me.”
The Dean informed him that the posting came directly from the Director of Education and the principal – it was final.
Begrudgingly, Luvai reported to G.A.S. Kapenguria in January 1950, where he was warmly received by fellow teacher Nathan Adembesa from Vihiga.
Principal P.O. Bryant assigned him to teach Geography, Agriculture, and Kiswahili. His starting salary was Sh166.66.
The school had impressive facilities – classrooms, laboratories, offices and staff houses.
“Most Pokot families were reluctant to send their children to school, preferring they stay home to herd livestock,” Luvai says. “The government instructed chiefs to find children and send them to class.”
His initial fears soon faded when he realised the Pokot people were friendly and hospitable. “Life was affordable,” he recalls. “A chicken cost Sh2, and goats went for Sh5 each.”
In 1950, Luvai witnessed the founding of Chewoyet Agricultural School. Principal Bryant secured land for the school from a local carpenter, Mzee Chemonges, in exchange for compensation, employment and school fees for his children.
The project was funded by the Development and Reconstruction Authority (DARA), a British programme supporting Commonwealth countries after World War II. The school had two classrooms, a laboratory, and two offices.
As one of the few agriculture teachers, Luvai taught lessons on soil erosion, dipping, manure preparation, cattle diseases, poultry keeping, destocking and irrigation. He remembers tensions between White and African teachers over housing, as European staff resisted Africans occupying houses built for them.
In Kapenguria, Luvai became an observer of Kenya’s unfolding independence movement. He interacted with local Asian traders and even advised political candidates such as Jacob Loremo, who became MP for West Pokot in 1963.
Then, history came to his doorstep.
In October 1952, Chewoyet was transformed into the venue for the trial of Jomo Kenyatta, Paul Ngei, Fred Kubai, Kungu Karumba, Bildad Kagia and Achieng Oneko – the famed Kapenguria Six. The school’s laboratory became a courtroom; the adjacent office served as the judge’s chamber.
Judge Ransley Thacker, a retired colonial judge from Fiji, presided, while British lawyer Dennis Pritt – sympathetic to African independence – represented the accused.
“I never missed a court session,” Luvai says. “And when I did, I bought The East African Standard to stay updated.”
He recalls that government prosecutors tried to use witnesses like Joseph Murumbi, J.D. Otiende, and Henry Muli, but they refused to testify and were declared hostile.
After months of hearings, Kenyatta and his co-accused were found guilty of organising the Mau Mau and attempting to overthrow colonial rule.
Hosting Moi
That same year, the Rift Valley Annual School Sports Competition was held at G.A.S. Kapenguria, attracting schools such as Kabarnet, Kapsabet, Kabianga, and Tambach.
At the time, Luvai shared a house with Reverend Daniel Tumkou. One day, Tumkou received a letter from Daniel Moi, then headmaster of Tambach Teachers’ Training College, requesting accommodation for himself and his wife, Lena, during the games.
Since Luvai’s room was newly painted, Rev Tumkou suggested the couple use it.
Luvai hosted Moi and his wife for five days, preparing meals for them – mostly chicken from his backyard.
The meeting marked the beginning of a personal friendship. At the time, Moi was a fellow teacher, his career in politics was to come later.
In 1959, Moi returned to Kapenguria on a political mission. He sought Luvai’s help to persuade Apollo Kilelu, a teacher at Chewoyet, to vie for the Wundanyi parliamentary seat on a KADU ticket — a bid that succeeded.
Moi also wanted to meet James Powon Korellach, a respected Pokot teacher and community leader, to discuss political issues in the region, though they missed each other.
In 1953, Luvai travelled to India on a study tour sponsored by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. He visited several cities — Poona, Calcutta, New Delhi and Bombay — learning about irrigation schemes, cottage industries and education systems.
In 1968, he was appointed headmaster and posted to Sikulu School, where he served until his retirement in 1987.
He fondly remembers colleagues such as Apollo Kilelu, John Namwamba, Opala Apunga, Waita wa Kitutu, and Hannington Makokha – educators who helped lay the foundations of modern education in the region.
Teaching, he says, was a career encouraged by his parents, Japhether Chunguli (also a teacher) and Rahel Libese.
Having interacted closely with politicians, Luvai remembers how tensions between Kenyatta and Odinga deepened after independence — especially over land redistribution.
“Odinga pushed for land to be shared fairly, while Kenyatta and his allies amassed large properties,” he recalls.
Among his proudest memories is having taught Francis Lotodo, who later became MP for West Pokot (now Kapenguria) and Minister for Energy.
Luvai was married to the late Caroline Jendeka, and together they had three children: David Chunguli, Alice Engesia and Mariah Adera.
Luvai says he has no regrets. “I may not have joined politics, but I’ve lived a full life,” he says softly. “Farming has given me everything I need.”