A century of service: Rotary’s enduring legacy across Africa

As this volunteer organization marks a century of service, its legacy of change shines through a transformative journey of impact, innovation, and community empowerment across the continent.

The history of Rotary on the continent dates back to 1921 when the Rotary Club of Johannesburg was chartered on 1st July 1921. Other clubs in South Africa followed a few years later, beginning with the Durban club, chartered on 20th January 1925. 

Rotary International has a long standing history in community involvement in District 9212 that comprises Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Eritrea.

 The first Rotary club to be chartered in Kenya was the Rotary Club of Nairobi, which was chartered on 11th September 1930 whereas the first club in Ethiopia, Rotary Club of Addis Ababa, was chartered on 1st June 1955.

 The establishment of Rotary in Kenya was driven by Rotarian John Innes from Leeds, who had been inspired when Rotary’s Founder, Paul Harris, visited his club in England two years earlier and encouraged him to use his next business trip to East Africa to charter a new Rotary Club.

He approached the then Mayor Mr. Charles Udall on establishing a Rotary Club in East Africa. Mayor Udall was impressed by his talk and there and then got together twelve prominent citizens to a luncheon at the New Stanley Hotel on 11th March 1930. With this meeting, the first Rotary Club between South Africa and Cairo and one of the oldest in Africa was born. In the subsequent years Rotary was founded in Mombasa in 1944, Uganda in 1947, Dar-es-salaam in 1949, Ethiopia in 1955 and Eritrea in 1997.

 The first club in Eritrea, Rotary Club of Asmara, was chartered on 18th December 1957. At the time of its charter, it was still part of Ethiopia. The first club in South Sudan, Rotary Club of Juba, was chartered on 16th March 2010.

Since the volunteer organisation was established, two Africans have nominated as Rotary International president, a global role to run the volunteer organization for a year. However, only one served in that role.  Jonathan Majiyagbe from Nigeria served as president in 2003-04. President Jonathan passed on in May 2023 at the age of 88.  Sam Owori of Uganda was nominated to serve as Rotary International President in the year 2018-19 but died in July 2017, a year before his term as Rotary’s 108th president would have begun.

One of the flagship projects of Rotary District 9212 is the Rotary Sunshine Rally, an annual fun-day where Rotary and Rotaract members host children for art, music and dance . It was initiated by the Manu Chandaria Foundation in 1979.

This special day was in alignment with the United Nations' International Year for the Handicapped and commemorating Rotary's 75th Anniversary. This initiative quickly became an annual hallmark, evolving into the largest inter-club project among the Rotary Clubs in Nairobi. For the first time in 2023, it was devolved to clubs in the Mt. Kenya region, Western Kenya and the Coast. 

Globally, one of the flagship projects of Rotary International, which unites the more than 1.4 million Rotarians around the world, is the End Polio campaign. It also traces its roots to 1979, the year when The Sunshine Rally began.

 As District 9212, we have participated effectively in raising part of the $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. We will continue to do so until the disease is eradicated from the world soon. 

The Beginning

Rotary started with the vision of one man, Paul Harris. On 23 February 1905, Harris, Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, and Hiram Shorey gathered at Loehr’s office in downtown Chicago for what would become the first Rotary club meeting. 

Today, Rotary is a global network of 1.4 million neighbours, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.

Rotarians solve real problems takes real commitment and vision. For the 120 years that Rotary has been in existence in the world, Rotarians have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to act on sustainable projects in seven areas of focus which include  peacebuilding and conflict prevention,  disease prevention and treatment, water, sanitation, and hygiene and maternal and child health. 

Other areas of focus include basic education and literacy, community economic development and protecting the environment

In the current Rotary year that runs from July 2024 to July 20925, the District Governor is Dr. Joe Kamauwho leads the four countries, a Rotary member since 20212, having served in various roles such as from Speaker Secretary, Fundraising Director, and Membership Director. He has also served as the Club President of Rotary Club of Nairobi East in 2016/17.

 Dr Kamau’s commitment to Rotary extends beyond the club level, as evidenced by his tenures over the years as chairman of the District Conference and Assembly, District Secretary, Vice-Chair of the Eastern Africa Projects Fair and District Membership Chair for two years.

In response to the urgent need during the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Kamau chaired the Rotary District Emergency Response Team in 2020 which played a crucial role in the distribution of essential emergency material and equipment to families and communities impacted by the pandemic. Additionally, he provided leadership as the District Governance and Ethics Chair from July 2021 to June 2023. 

Dr. Kamau holds the prestigious role of the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Tecways Group of companies, alongside his executive positions within various esteemed organizations in Kenya. Concurrently, he shares his expertise as a part-time lecturer at a local university.

His current board membership includes serving on the board of Nairobi Club. He is also a board member, Advisory group of Nairobi Rivers Commission under the Deputy President's Office.

 Previously, Dr. Kamau contributed his leadership acumen to several distinguished institutions, such as the Nairobi Hospital, the Kenya Institute of Management (KIM) MBA board, Communications Authority of Kenya and also served as a director with the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, among others.

 Dr. Kamau's academic achievements include his PhD in Strategic Management, which is complemented by his certification as a Professional Mediator from Eckerd College, USA. He also holds a notable position as a life member of The Kenya Red Cross.

 As a co-founder of Kihate Orphans Secondary School, Dr. Kamau was instrumental in establishing the first orphan secondary school in the Central Region, currently providing education to over 180 disadvantaged and destitute children.

 During his leisure time, Dr. Kamau takes pleasure in activities such as farming, hiking, jogging, and golf, outside of his professional commitments.

 As Rotary commemorates 100 years of purposeful service, its enduring legacy continues to inspire new generations of changemakers and remains dedicated to serve in the areas of focus from health, peace to environment, impacting individuals and communities.

 Rotary’s century-long journey in Africa is a call to serve for a better tomorrow.