“It all started at the Kenya Polytechnic where I was teaching starting 1972. Here, I met British expatriate lecturers who were under UNESCO support. Among them was a Mr. John Hunt who became my best friend. He came to know my tribulations about my Soviet degree and quietly studied my academic capabilities. He encouraged me to go for further studies and pursue a PhD degree in the UK. I applied for a Commonwealth Scholarship and through overwhelming support of the expatriate referees, got shortlisted and invited for an interview by a panel made of professors and the Ministry of Education representatives at Gill House, Nairobi.
I passed the interview and given a scholarship to go to the UK. A letter of admission to Bangor arrived initially for a two-year MSc Programme, pending matriculation to a PhD at the university. I went to the map and learnt about Bangor City and its university. I found that Bangor is the oldest city in Wales, lying on the coast of North Wales near the Menai Strait, which separates the island of Anglesey from Gwynedd, with Menai Bridge connecting the island with the mainland and to the north of the city were the Snowdonia Mountains.
When time for departure arrived, I flew out of Kenya by British Airways on 30th September 1974 and after landing Heathrow, I went to Euston Station by tube, boarded the Bangor train and, as was in my itinerary letter, was received by a Mrs. Jones, the North Wales’s British Council Representative who drove me to Rathbone Hall for temporary accommodation while looking for a family unit, since my wife was to join me after a month. After settling for a short while, the room phone rang and in line was a lady who introduced herself as the School Secretary, Ms. Gabrielle Barwell. She gave me words of welcome to Bangor and said I was expected the following morning at 9am and she would pick me from the hostel at 8.30am.
On that following day, she picked me to The School of Electronic Engineering Science at Dean Street, where I met Prof. Ian Stephenson and Mr. Brian Easter and Dr. Anan Gopinath, the Microwave Engineering Team. They told me that I was to initially be placed in the MSc class to assess my academic capabilities and after one month, a decision would be made for promotion to PhD, depending on my performance. I worked hard and passed all the tests and assignments and matriculated. I was shifted the PhD programme by research and thesis.
My wife, Jane arrived with my daughter Nyna at Heathrow airport, where they got a taste of the autumn cold. I received them and we spent one day at a cousin’s house and acquainted them with London. We then took the train to Bangor and went to the house, which the university found for the family in Llanllechid, near Bethesda. There, I found a very friendly lady, Mrs. Thomas, who warmly welcomed and settled my family. I also met Mr. John Roy Porter, now a Professor Emeritus. I remember him loaning me his car, which I bumped on the farm walls as I drove downhill. I was so pleased to meet him with some members of my family when he came to Nairobi on a Global Climate Change in February 2023.
From Llanllechid, the university found for us a nearer three floor maisonette owned by the Catholic Church on 40 College Road, Upper Bangor.
That gave me good access to John Bull’s Bar, where we met every Friday evening to discuss our research progresses, as the “townmen” listened attentively and appreciated that indeed, Bangor was a university city. From the discussions, I remember critiques which made us jump to go and reflect on the missing variables, triggered by “laymen”. This, coupled with contributions from our supervisors, made us publish in globally reputable journals.
I defended my thesis, titled Microwave Field Effect Transistors, and got the acknowledgement of my passing from the then Academic Secretary, R.W.Evans in a note dated 28th July, 1977. Then I came back home, where I have taught Electronics and Telecommunications at The University of Nairobi, from where I retired in 2004, then helped start Engineering Faculties at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (2004-2011), Multimedia University of Kenya (20011-1019) and now at The Technical University of Kenya.
I was again privileged to meet Ms. Louise Morgan, the Deputy Director of International Recruitment and Mobility, who visited us here in Nairobi in January this year, located me and gave a short treat. May I thank the Alumni Office for regular updates. Me and my daughter Laurie, who was born while I was a student there, hope to return to visit before I fully retire. All the best to all and, kindly call when in Kenya.”
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