When he was admitted at Makerere College for studies, Prof Ngugi wa Thiong'o was first taken into the class of economics where he was to study matters economy.
But when he first encountered youthful lecturerer Mwai Kibaki, Prof Ngugi wa Thiong'o faced difficulties in calculating the math in the subject.
In his later years, Ngugi wa Thiong'o observed that it's the complicated sums by Kibaki which forced him to drop out of Economics class.
The celebrated writer went on to graduate with a BA in English from Makerere College in 1963, almost the same time Kibaki returned to Kenya to venture into politics.
Prof wa Thiong'o, now in his 80s, is celebrating achievements in the literary world which have earned him recognition around the globe for decades.
While he went on to join forces in pursuit for democratic space in Kenya, Kibaki on the other hand joined government and serves as a minister.
Ngugi was first forced to exile in 1977 after releasing his novel, Petals of Blood. He would return after Daniel Moi exited the scene in 2002 briefly.
For Kibaki, a genius on matters Economics, he would serve as Vice President for 20 years before joining opposition politics in 1988 after falling out with Moi.
In 2002, Kibaki was elected as third president of Kenya. He went on to serve for two terms until his retirement in 2013. He's credited for fixing Kenya's economy.