Filemona F. Indire

Indire—Filemona F. Indire, 95, on March 13, 2025, in Nairobi, Kenya. Filemona was born on March 3, 1930, to Levi and Irene Fundi, in Vigina Village, Vihiga County, Kenya.

Filemona and his lovely wife, Abigail K. Indire, were full-member Quakers since 1949 and 1947 respectively. All of their seven children became full-member Quakers. Both were active members in the leadership of the Friends Church in Kenya for almost 70 years. Filemona was a retired professor of education (the first African professor of education in Kenya) and was also in the leadership of the Quaker church from 1957 to 2015 in various positions, including chairman permanent board of the formerly known as East Africa Yearly Meeting of Friends (South) (EAYMF South), and on Nominating and Personnel Committees. He was a steadfast lifelong Quaker; started Friends International Centre in Nairobi (1966); was a founding member of Friends College Kaimosi; and held several senior positions in the church during his life, including serving as the first chairman of Friends World Committee for Consultation in Africa, a post he held for many years.

Some of his many other significant achievements included being the first African deputy headmaster of Friends Kamusinga High School, Bungoma County (1957); one of the first African Fulbright Scholars to the United States (1959–1962); the first African provincial director of education in the then Nyanza Province (1962); and the first deputy ambassador to the Soviet Union (1964–1965). He was the first dean of the faculty of education (1970); the second president of the Association for Teacher Education in Africa (1975–1976); and the secretary for the original Commission for Higher Education where he chaired various committees and was responsible for the charters of numerous colleges and universities in the country including establishment of Moi University as the second university in Kenya (1981–1989). He was also a nominated Member of Parliament (1983–1988).

Filemona was an avid Quaker historian and documented the arrival and work of the Quaker missionaries in Kenya from the early 1900s. His family thought very highly of the work the Quaker missionaries had undertaken and believed God had sent these Quaker missionaries to help Africans in Kenya. It was an amazing experience to learn to read and write, especially for children born during the 1900s to 1940s. Many who had learned how to read and write became church leaders. Those, like him, who went to Makerere College in Uganda, which was highly prestigious and greatly revered at the time, became “lamps” placed on the table for all to see. They served as “Secretaries” at church weddings and sang at Christmas and other special events. This inspired those who were in school to work hard and achieve the same level.

Christian Quaker values have been the force behind his success in life as a family man, an educationist, a researcher, a historian, a politician, a businessman, and a mentor to many. Filemona believed in the power of God’s word and His teachings through the Quaker principles.

Filemona was predeceased by his oldest daughter, Jayne Musimbi, in 2020; and was followed in death by his beloved wife of 70 years, Abigail Indire, on April 30, 2025. They were inseparable, so it was only natural that one could not live without the other.

He is survived by six children, Bernard Lavusa Indire (Nifredah), Joseph Nabwani Indire, Patricia Indire Pondeca (Manuel), David Mahasi Indire (Jael), Nancy Indire, and Clara Indire; eleven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.