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Frederick Ochieng'-Odhiambo

Frederick Ochieng'-Odhiambo is a professor of philosophy at The University of the West Indies and is today amongst the best known African scholars in the area of African philosophic sagacity; a field that has become a fundamental aspect of African philosophy in current academic philosophical discourses. He previously held teaching positions at various universities, namely: University of Nairobi, Kenyatta University, Egerton University, Maseno University, The Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Consolata Institute of Philosophy (all in Kenya) and at the National University of Lesotho in southern Africa.

Life and Engagements

Though of Kenyan ancestry, Ochieng'-Odhiambo was born in Mpigi, Uganda. In 1963, after the three East African countries attained their political independence from British colonial rule, his father who was an officer with the Uganda Police transferred to Kenya Police. The family therefore moved from Uganda to Kisumu their hometown in Kenya. Ochieng'-Odhiambo started schooling at the tender age of 4 at Kisumu Union Primary School. In August of 1967 the family moved to Nairobi due to his father's transfer to Ofafa Police Station (today known as Jogoo Road Police Station). Ochieng'-Odhiambo as a result transferred to St. Patrick Primary School in the Eastlands area of Nairobi. In 1970 his father was again transferred to another polices station within Nairobi, Eastleigh Police Station (today Pangani Police Station), and Ochieng'-Odhiambo moved to a nearby school, Juja Road Primary School, where he sat for his Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) in 1972.

For his "O" and "A" levels of education, he attended Nairobi School—earlier called Prince of Wales School—from 1973 to 1978. In 1979, he gained admission at the University of Nairobi to study for a BA degree. It is whilst at the University of Nairobi that he came in contact with academic mainstream philosophy. His interest in the discipline was generated and sustained particularly by three philosophy lecturers at the University of Nairobi. These were: Professors Joseph G. Donders (1929-2013), Henry Odera Oruka (1944-1995), and D. A. Masolo. The latter two were instrumental in initiating and guiding him into African philosophy. Odera Oruka supervised Ochieng'-Odhiambo's MA and PhD theses submitted for examination in 1984 and 1994, respectively. Odera Oruka, therefore, had a tremendous influence in Ochieng'-Odhiambo's academic advancement and scholarly production.

Ochieng'-Odhiambo was the Treasurer of African Futures Studies Association (AFSA), 1993-1997; Secretary of Philosophical Association of Kenya (PAK), 1994-1998; Chairman of Philosophical Association of Kenya (PAK), 1998-2000; Regional representative of Eastern and Central Africa to the International Society for African Philosophy and Studies (ISAPS), 2000-2001. He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of several philosophical journals, among them are Journal of Global Ethics (JGE), Caribbean Journal of Philosophy (CJP), Thought and Practice: A Journal of the Philosophical Association of Kenya (PAK), Journal on African Philosophy (JAP), Confluence: Online Journal of World Philosophies.

Main Ideas on Philosophic Sagacity

Sage philosophy project was introduced to the international philosophical circles in the 70s by Kenya's arguably finest philosopher, Henry Odera Oruka. He identified sage philosophy as one of the four trends in African philosophy. The others being ethno-philosophy, nationalist-ideological philosophy, and professional philosophy. Odera Oruka believed that sage philosophy was "the only trend that can give an all-acceptable decisive blow to the position of ethno-philosophy. None of the other two trends can objectively, decisively play this role. The reason being that professional philosophy and nationalist-ideological philosophy are generally suspected of smuggling western techniques into African philosophy. Those who make this charge can hardly be convinced that professional philosophy in Africa is a refutation of the presupposition of ethno-philosophy. They maintain that it is a fallacy to use professional philosophy (in their view a 'foreign' philosophy) to reject ethno-philosophy."

The sage philosophy project having gratified Ocheng'-Odhiambo's rational scrutiny in the face of the then fierce debate on the nature of African philosophy, he embraced it wholeheartedly. Regarding the sage philosophy project, he later succinctly asserted that broadly speaking the project sought to retain and merge the African-ness of ethno-philosophy with the professionalism of professional philosophy. Or as he conversely stated, it sought to relegate to the periphery both the "philosophical" aspect of ethno-philosophy (because it is not genuine philosophy) and the "African" aspect of the professional school (because it is not African as such). In his words, therefore, philosophic sagacity acts as the crossroads of the two approaches. Despite its significance and relevance to African philosophy, sage philosophy as propounded by Odera Oruka had its share of critics. The notable ones then were Lansana Keita, Peter O. Bodunrin , and D. A. Masolo. In defence of sage philosophy, Ochieng'-Odhiambo has been of the view that some of the criticisms arose because of lack of clear understanding of sage philosophy and as a result he identified three basic aims or functions of the philosophic sagacity wing of sage philosophy in African philosophy, namely the academic function, the cultural nationalist function, and the epistemic function.

The Three Trends in Philosophic Sagacity

[i] The academic function of philosophic sagacity, according to Ochieng'-Odhiambo, was meant to resolve the antagonistic position pitting ethnophilosophy and professional philosophy as trends in African philosophy discourse which heightened within the academy in the 80s. It was meant to disprove the position (or the impression) created within philosophical circles, by both ethnophilosophers and professional philosophers alike, that traditional Africa was a place that was "free from philosophic, rational discourse and personalised philosophical activity." Though the ethnophilosophers had granted the existence of African philosophy, they were using the term 'philosophy' in a pejorative sense; not in the way it is normally used in mainstream philosophical circles. Therefore what they were referring to as African philosophy was not philosophical as such. The trend of professional philosophy which was very critical of the position of ethnophilosophy, on its part granted the existence of African philosophy in the proper sense of the term 'philosophy.' Unfortunately however, they seemed to limit African philosophy to modern Africa giving the impression that traditional Africa was a place innocent of philosophic rational discourse in the proper sense. In this academic tussle between ethnophilosophy and professional philosophy arose philosophic sagacity. The aim being to resolve the discord by arguing that philosophy even in the proper usage of the term pervades both traditional and modern Africa.

[ii] The cultural nationalist function lends itself to an issue that has been a preoccupation of most post-colonial African nation-states; the question of national unity. And according to Ochieng'-Odhiambo there is no doubt that issues that revolve round culture and ethnicity have hampered national unity in most post-colonial African nation-states. "Ethnic ideology stands at the centre of the fragile nature of both Kenyan and Zimbabwean politics; it has guided the directions of political instability in Uganda and Chad; it was at the centre of the fierce civil war in Nigeria; the creation of Eritrea and South Sudan was a result of atrocious ethnicity in former Ethiopia and former Sudan, respectively; it devastated Liberia and Rwanda; it stands in the way of political progress in Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, and Burundi; countries such as South Africa, Togo, Benin Republic, Mauritania, among others, have had their share of problems which revolve around the issue of ethnicity." In Ochieng'-Odhiambo's view other distractive cognate elements besides ethnicity which revolve round culture that have bedeviled African nation-states include religious affiliations, regionalism and racialism.

Sometime in 1976 Odera Oruka presented to the relevant Kenyan government authorities a research proposal titled "The Philosophical Roots of Culture in Kenya." The objective of the research proposal was geared towards coming up with a national culture which would assist Kenya ground itself as a harmonious collectivity of people from the 44 ethnic groups in Kenya; it was meant to transform Kenya from statehood into nationhood, from a mere state into a nation-state. How was the research to be undertaken so as to attain that objective? Culture philosophy is the philosophy underlying any given culture and acts as its justification. The research would be undertaken amongst the various ethnic groups in Kenya in two phases. During the first phase, the endeavor would be to unearth the culture philosophies of the various ethnic groups. In other words, the researches would identify and make explicit the fundamental principles (mythos) upon which the various cultures are based upon. The second phase would consist of sorting out the mythos. More precisely, it would entail putting together the mythos that are similar and coherent on one side, and those that are not on the other side.

There-from the services of philosophic sages would become cardinal. Since the philosophic sages operate at a second order level and are capable of produce systems within systems, orders within orders, they would be required to rationalize over and resolve the mythos that are inconsistent. They would also be relied upon to recommend alternative ideas that are consistent. Because of the respect they command in their respective communities, their recommendations would be seen and received in positively. A national culture would then be constructed using the unified position as the foundation. Odera Oruka believed that such an exercise should be embarked upon by African scholars and conservationists; they should "investigate and unearth such principles. This is necessary both for posterity and for the development of a national culture. This investigation or research should be a part of the national programme in every African State."

[iii] The epistemic function considers philosophic sagacity as a source and storehouse of indigenous knowledge and wisdom. In this category philosophic sagacity is viewed as the vehicle through which noble and desirable ethical principles and practices of a given community are accentuated and hence readily preserved. In this endeavour Ochieng'-Odhiambo opines that the thoughts of sages of various ethnic groups should be documented so that the thoughts are easily available to others, who may otherwise not have (had) access to them. The ready availability of such texts would not only be an immediate source of knowledge but would enhance further philosophical discussions. In this respect, Odera Oruka asserts almost with nostalgia that: "The time has now come to put their thinking and expressions into the written word for a larger audience and for the world community." The customs, values, and cultures of various African communities have for a long while been misunderstood, derogated, and looked down upon within the academy which has been—Western and as is characteristic of them—imposing and hegemonic. The epistemic function of philosophic sagacity is largely concerned with the introduction and discussion of African cultures at the professional philosophy level. Hence, it is the aspect that is prima facie bound to interest and engage any professional philosopher because of its epistemic focus. One should also note that herein lies the difference between the academic and epistemic functions of philosophic sagacity. The academic function has to do with proving the existence of philosophers in traditional Africa, whereas the epistemic function is not interested in proving the existence of philosophers but in the philosophy (thoughts) that has African themes.

Ochieng'-Odhiambo gave two of Odera Oruka's papers as fitting examples to illustrate the epistemic function of philosophic sagacity. The two papers are titled, “Sagacity in Development” and “The S. M. Otieno Burial Saga.” In "Sagacity in Development" Odera Oruka argues and shows that if sages are used as sources of information, then their explanations can go a long way in throwing light on the sociocultural factors (problems) that affect change and development in their societies. Government and non-governmental organization officials in African countries who are concerned with development strategies and plans should therefore consult and utilize the thoughts of sages if they sincerely wish to attain any meaningful degree of success in their development endeavors.

In "The S. M. Otieno Burial Saga" was a tug-of-war conducted in the High Court of Kenya, between December 1986 and May 1987, on the whereabouts of the burial place of Silvano Melea Otieno who belonged to the Luo ethnic group. Otieno's widow belonged to the Gĩkũyũ ethnic group. Otieno's widow wanted to bury him at their Upper Matasia farm a few kilometres from Nairobi. Otieno's clansmen, on the other hand, wanted him buried in his ancestral land in Central Alego, Siaya District, about 350 kilometres away from Nairobi. The wrangle went through four major court hearings, the final one being the Court of Appeal, which ruled in favour of the clan. During the court hearings Mrs. Otieno's lawyer in his spirited efforts to win the case actually succeeded in ridiculing some of the Luo customs and beliefs on burial, as had been expressed by some Luo elders. He also succeeded in showing that some of the testimonies of the old men were inconsistent, or at least that they so-appeared. This was the situation before Odera Oruka's appearance. He was sworn in as the very last witness for Otieno's clansmen. Being not only a sage but philosophic as well, Odera Oruka resolved most of the inconsistencies that had arisen during the course of the court case and put the Luo burial customs in perspective. Quite a good number of people believed that the clan won the case largely because of Odera Oruka's testimony; he had played the role of an epistemic philosophic sage.

Main Works 

•	Handbook on Some Social-Political Philosophers (Nairobi: Consolata Institute of Philosophy Press, 1998).

•	African Philosophy: An Introduction (Nairobi: Consolata Institute of Philosophy Press, Nairobi, 1997).

•	Logic and Induction (Nairobi: Stantex Publishers, 1996).

•	Introductory Symbolic Logic (Nairobi: Consolata Institute of Philosophy Press, 2003).

•	Conversations in Philosophy: Crossing the Boundaries (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008).

•	Foundations of Ethics: A Critical Reader in Moral and Social Philosophy (Nairobi: Nairobi University Press, 2009).

•	Trends and Issues in African Philosophy (New York: Peter Lang, 2010). •	A Companion to Philosophy( Nairobi: Consolata Institute of Philosophy Press, 2010).

•	Conversations in Philosophy: Knowledge and Freedom (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015).