posed to stab a stick in various debes of ghee and pull it out and taste it and determine its quality. “We had to inspect the ghee ourselves,” Goolshen remembers, “and give him the information to put in his report.” They sold their skins and hides to Europe through various brokers. “Because of the leather business, we always went to a yearly leather show in Paris.” Goolshen says. When Amir announced his retirement from politics, Grace Onyango, then Mayor of Kisumu, said, “If you’re not going to stand, I would like to.” She was elected MP for Kisumu town following Amir. Life in Kisumu carried on as normal for Goolshen as her husband attended Parliament and made his trips abroad. Goolshen’s children grew up and went off to boarding school: Rehmetullah at Duke of York;
Yasmin at Kenya High; and Feisal at Kenton College in 1968. Goolshen has been heavily involved in various charities, especially the Rotary Club. At first in Kisumu Goolshen helped start an unofficial “Ann’s Club” (named for wives of
Above: Goolshen displays her Rotary Club necklace with emblems for all the positions she has held in the organisation. Left: Goolshen and Amir when he was president of the Aga Khan Provincial Council from 1984 to 1987. Amir received the honorary title of Rai from the Aga Khan. When a man receives this title, he is presented with this special cloth, which is made into a ceremonial gown. This is sewn and embroidered with gold thread in Mumbai. Whenever there is a big occasion in the Ismaili community, this gown is worn.
the Rotarian founders). Later Goolshen and Peggy Sutterfield from Maseno joined up to form an ‘Inner Wheel.’ Goolshen was
the International Services Organizer, and a charter member of the group in 1969. She has been the chair twice in Kisumu and twice in Nairobi and has held virtually every post in the group at one time or other. Goolshen is still a member. Goolshen also served as a lady member for the Aga Khan council in Kisumu. When the Aga Khan visited Kisumu in 1971 she received the job of Aide de Camp to Begum Salima. Goolshen worried that the Aga Khan’s wife Begum Salima would ask a lot of questions, so she studied up on information about the lake, ships and industries. “The driver of the car couldn’t believe I knew so much about Kisumu,” she remembers with a smile. The Aga Khan’s daughter and son came as well and visited the Jamal’s new house. Goolshen and Amir kept their home in Kisumu until 1991 when they moved to Nairobi. Amir passed away in 2006. Goolshen remembers with fondness the lifelong friends she made in Kisumu. One of her friends was Alfred Ng’ang’a, a disadvantaged Kikuyu boy living in Kisumu. Goolshen helped him with school fees to finish his studies. Alfred now has a PhD and is teaching at a university in the USA. “There’s more to do in Nairobi,” Goolshen says, “but in Kisumu you were a part of community life.” Surrounded by family in Nairobi, Goolshen reflects a quiet happiness as she recalls her life in Kisumu as the wife of Amir Jamal, Kisumu town’s first MP.
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