To all RTC Alumni from Francis Noronha:
 
All RTC alumni of the first intake of students (1956) will recall tall, gangly Asalache, a student in the Faculty of Architecture. He was elected Vice President of the Students Union in 1956 and threw himself into the task of providing leadership and bringing the different races in Kenya's first multi-racial post-secondary college closer together. He was visible and active in all aspects of student life and was equally at home on the dance floor as he was taking part in Rag Day Parade. He was a friendly presence in any group and did much to get the Students Union going in the right direction in its first two years.
I lost track of Asalache after I completed my A-levels at the RTC and proceeded to undergraduate studies in Britain. I have no idea whether he obtained any academic credentials at the RTC - or later for that matter. Asalache was a free spirit and marched to his own drum. I know that he landed up in London and studied art and architecture in Britain and on the Continent. He began a bohemian existence and was soon part of a group of like spirits, artists and writers. Asalache's poetry and plays earned him a stint with the BBC. In 1981 he settled for a  job in the Treasury. He moved into a dilapidated house and spent the next twenty years in converting it into an extraordinary and exquisite escape from his humdrum job in the civil service. It was a gathering space for his artistic and literary friends.
Sadly, Asalache died an untimely death in 2006. He left the house that he created to the National Trust. Last week, it became London's newest museum and will be preserved as Asalache left it
Many of his peer group at the RTC went on to distinguish themselves in their professions and in various walks of life. I warrant, however, that few led as interesting and fulfilled  a life as that of Nathaniel Khadambi Asalache. His poetry and plays were published but possibly his most enduring memorial will be his house at 575 Wandsworth Rd., London.
I urge you to read the article and watch the video below. If you have difficulty opening them, just google "A Kenyan poet in London."
All of us can be proud of Nathaniel Khadambi Asalache, a fellow-alumnus whose creativity knew no bounds and whose restless spirit is now at rest.
 
Francis Noronha (1956-1958)
 
See Photos: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47693440
See BBC Clip: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p074hdpx
See more on Nathaniel (on RTC website): https://tinyurl.com/asalache-pdf
See extracts from Daily Telegraph article in 2013 (on RTC website): https://tinyurl.com/asalache-house