Malkiat Singh is one of those few people who have single-handedly impacted Kenya’s education sector.
He is a veteran publisher and author of over 100 textbooks and revision guides, a business he has been doing for the past 50 years.
His books span various subjects, including English, Mathematics and Social Studies.
Many of those who sat for KCPE exams have encountered his revision guides at one point or another, especially the bulky KCPE Encyclopaedia.
This is his journey as told by WoK:
Singh was born in Punjab, India, in 1938. He relocated to Kenya in the 1950s, and a year later he started his teaching career at Nairobi Technical High School, known today as the Nairobi National Polytechnic.
There, he taught Maths, Literature, History, and English. This experience may have been the major driving force behind his ability to write books on almost all examinable subjects under the 8-4-4 curriculum.
Singh started writing while he was still teaching. During the early years of his career, he wrote and published three books.
It was at this point that he decided to join the University of Nairobi to advance his education with a master’s degree and later a PhD.
However, a chance meeting with veteran Author Ngugi wa Thiong’o convinced him that he could make more money as a writer than he could ever make as a teacher of literature.
And Singh took the advice seriously.
By the late 1960s, he was gradually shifting from his classroom duties, focusing instead on creating revision guides and other structured learning materials. At the time, he was teaching English at Eastleigh High School.
In 1975, as the Kenyan government introduced new reforms to incorporate more learners into the country’s education system, Singh quit teaching to focus full-time on writing.
When the 8-4-4 education system became established in Kenya, Singh found a strong market for his books. His revision guides soon filled the shelves of libraries, schools and bookshops across the country.
The idea of writing the KCPE encyclopedia was born out of a personal pain point. “As an African parent, I used to find it frustrating that I had to buy six or seven revision books. I decided that it should be better to combine all these books under one cover and call it the KCPE national exam encyclopedia,” he said.
The book became an instant hit, with orders flying in thick and fast. That became one of the most glorious moments of his career, with his book circulating to every corner of the country.
In 2016, Longhorn Publishers bought 43 of his titles, with a combined market value of sh 83 million, fulfilling Ngugi’s prophecy that he could make more money as a writer than as a teacher.
Reports suggest that Singh, who is a regular patron of Parklands Sports Club, buys a new car every two years, with all their number plates ending with -844.
Rumour also has it that most of his cars are shipped from Korea by Sang Yong.
Throughout his 50-year career as an author, Singh has penned his books on the same table and chair that he used when he wrote his first book.
He was recently inducted into the Kenya Publishers Association Hall of Fame, in an event that was held during the official grand opening of the Nairobi International Book Fair.