Thinking of Harith Bakari Mwapachu: A Memoir and Tribute

What you need to know:

HB’s body was driven to Tanga on the evening of the 12th and laid at his luxurious and favourite home at Mwambani, a few kilometres from the centre of the City of Tanga. The wife, Sheila, daughter of Elangwa Shaidi, the first Tanzanian Inspector General of Police, had gone there earlier in the afternoon.

Dad’s engagements in Tanganyikan politics led to his transfer from Dar-es-Salaam to Ukerewe Island on Lake Victoria in February 1950. He got HB a place in Standard Three at Bwiru Middle School, a boarding school, in Mwanza which was under Mr Rwechungura as Headteacher. In Ukerewe, Dad got places for Rahma (Standard Two) and for me (Standard One) at a day Bukongo Primary School, Nansio. In late January 1953, following his wedding with Mama Maria on 21st January in Musoma, he passed through Mwanza and went to Bwiru Middle School to see HB. He met HB and gave him five shillings pocket money. He told him to share the money with Jack Nyamwaga, a schoolmate, son of a friend. Nyerere was already informed by Dad of HB being at Bwiru. The meeting was seven years since first meeting at Tabora. Nyerere was surprised at how quickly HB had grown. Interestingly, HB used to move around Nansio on Dad’s motorbike in 1953. He was quick at learning how to drive cars. He drove Dad’s new Peugeot Saloon Car in Dar-es-Salaam from 1960.

The friendship of HB and Kaduma extended initially to Tabora School in Standard Eleven and Twelve and later at Makerere College between 1962 and 1965. HB took his A’ level studies at Tabora School between 1960 and 1961. HB began to show signs of a sleep walking disorder. In a train journey in July 1958 from Dar-es-Salaam to Tabora to continue studies at Tabora School, he was in a first- class cabin with Chief Abdallah Fundikira, the Chief of the Nyamwezi people and a close friend of our father from Makerere College years. At night, the Chief overheard some kind of commotion. He woke up only to see HB, who sleeps in the upper berth, had opened the cabin glass window and one of his legs was dangling outside. Chief Fundikira pulled him back inside and put him back in bed. He realised that HB suffered from the sleepwalk syndrome.