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The Lady who Married a Crow
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The Pearl and Other Poems
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Lord Kitchener
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Set in newly-independent Kenya, Lord Kitchener is the story of ‘two worlds’, epitomized by Ombam and Engineer Okwach, and buttressed by an eclectic mix of social and political growing pains of a young nation. Ombam is focused on education, childhood games, sickness and the like. Engineer Okwach’s are high-class socio-political and economic problems that bedevil the young African nation.
Concerned with political expediency, despite his education, Okwach is unashamed of political sycophancy and material aggrandizement under an autocratic regime that tramples upon citizens’ rights and freedoms. It is an environment that is a graveyard of independence-era aspirations where detentions without trial and opponent assassinations are the norm.
Unfavourable circumstances (greed and social stratification) mean that Ombam discontinues his schooling early, and endures many challenges that life throws at him. His education is left waiting till much later in life.
Will either of the two succeed? You, the reader, be the judge.
What others say
“The author has successfully created an imaginative and factual work of art under postcolonial and post-modernist thought, a contestation between marginal and dominant groups owing to cultural and political differences. African independence has not led to egalitarian societies but entrenched classes, political chaos and corruption.” – Dr. Andrew Nyongesa, writer & literary scholar.
“Written in a unique, appealing flowery language, this book is rich in history dating back to Kenya’s independence. It captures the politics of the time – ideological divergence, political greed, corruption, ethnic discrimination and political assassinations, among others. Like Chimamanda Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun, it highlights the dangers (personal and community) of opposition politics in young African nations.” – Joel Onyango, teacher, literary critic and founder of iTend-Kenya.
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Totems of Abagusii of Kenya
Ebimanyererio nigo bire bi'echingencho ao ao ase abanto ao ao. N'enchera eyemo abanto b'ororeria oromo bakomanyana na kwemanyia ase abanto bande. Ase abande n'enchera y'ogwetogia. N'abande begenete buna ebimanyererio n'enchera eyemo y'okobeka okwegena ase chinkoro chi'abanto. Komenta nayio, ebimanyererio nigo bigokonya abanto koinyora ing'ai barwete nechimbwa chiabo. Soma egetabu eke egere omanye igoro y'ebimanyererio bi'Abagusii.
*****
Throughout the world, totems are used variously, including linking people with each other and defining the relationships among many people or groups of people. They can represent the connection between people and the spiritual world. Further, totems help people preserve their culture and history. This book presents totems of Abagusii and explains how they came to be, based on oral history passed down generations.
Tell me a Story
Folk tales were a major ingredient of community lore in traditional society, a craft that is almost forgotten in modern society. Not only are the stories lost but with the loss goes the cultural and social activities that were the fabric that undergirded the craft and strengthened community bonds. Tell Me a Story draws from this traditional storytelling culture. It is an attempt to preserve that unique craft of storytelling, the stories and the lessons that came with the tales. It is noteworthy that such traditional folklore was not only entertaining but was also a source of moral lessons that informed society’s day-to-day well-being.
The collection of ten folktales touches on societal aspects such as trust, greed, friendship, respect, and deception, among many others. In the process, the author gives readers a glimpse of the foundations that kept society strong. The lessons, therein, are as relevant today as they were in times that have passed, underlining the fact that human beings have hardly changed despite advances made over many centuries.
What others say:
“Very imaginative with moral lessons that can be learnt from the conduct of the characters. Presented in the tone of pre-literate society storytelling, they take the reader on a captivating journey.” – Harriet Irungu, Editor and Student of Literature.
“This is an invaluable collection of stories that captures both the craft of storytelling and the moral lessons that come with the stories. It is a timely publication for modern times where values and community interest are on a downward slide.” – Anonymous
Three Things You Must Desire in Life
In Three Things you Must Desire Bishop Augustine Rugutt provides some guiding principles to enable humankind lead fruitful spiritual lives. Much as she is driven by her infinite range of desires, Bishop Rugutt argues that what is vital is what God desires of humankind. As such, it is humankind’s duty to understand what God desires of her and, to do so, she must develop a strong spiritual relationship with the Lord. Being right with God is essential, the author avers, for it offers the basis for all other relations to be right with the rest of society.
Bishop Rugutt identifies three important desires which he suggests will enhance the relationship with God and enrich the lives on this earth, namely: the Desire to Live in Righteousness, the Desire to have a Godly Family and the Desire to Prosper in God’s Way.
The Desire to Live in Righteousness is a consequence of humankind’s need for spiritual power to do what is virtuous in society. To be righteous requires seeking God continuously even in the face of challenges and distractions.
Desire to have a Godly Family recognizes that a family with a strong spiritual foundation is essential for humankind to thrive spiritually. It is thus important that families live in righteousness and godliness, starting this early in the lives of children.
The author’s view of prosperity is broad and he suggests that pursuit for prosperity should be based on addressing the needs of society and be spiritual in itself, and hence the Desire to Prosper in God’s Way.
What others say
“This is a book worth reading and keeping in one’s library because it is written to help one to grow in godliness.” - Prof. Eric Masinde Aseka, Professor of Leadership and Governance and Senior Pastor.
“The author makes a persuasive argument that, as much as our desires may be infinite, what really matters is what God desires of us. This is a timely message, especially coming at a time of global turmoil and many personal challenges.” – Matunda Nyanchama, Book Publisher
About the Author
Bishop Augustine Rugutt, a Pastor by calling, is a trained agricultural engineer, a profession which he practised for many years. He served the government of Kenya for thirteen years until 2006 when he left to dedicate his time to the ministry of serving God.
He is the husband of Nancy Rugutt and father of Faith Chelangat, Mercy Cherotich, Caren Cherono, Nehemiah Rugutt, Salome Chemngetich and Joshua Kiprono. Bishop Rugutt is a spiritual father to many.
Based in Narok Town, Kenya, he serves
Learning Entrepreneurship Through Indigenous Knowledge
In Learning Entrepreneurship Through Indigenous Knowledge the authors extract knowledge from a sampling of proverbs and sayings, and ingeniously apply this to entrepreneurship. They innovatively employ educative storytelling to concretize the application of the knowledge to business. The stories used are easy to follow given they are drawn from ordinary lives. They are stories that most readers are likely to relate to, given that these stories are drawn from familiar environments and in familiar settings. The work demonstrates the richness of indigenous information and its relevance to today's marketplace.
This work will be useful to those that would like to extend the scope of their entrepreneurial information while drawing inspiration from traditional heritage. There is something in this book for students, teachers, businesspeople and researchers in the subject of entrepreneurship. This work provides a glimpse into the potential of the indigenous knowledge base and should inspire similar future works demonstrating relevance of indigenous heritage to other aspects of contemporary life.
What Others Say
"This is a well thought out idea given the entrepreneurial efforts that are currently underway. It is a good book that targets the forgotten groups of people thus the school children, the youth and the general readership. ... It contains very interesting stories that motivate the young and old alike to read and understand the entrepreneurial ideas being passed on." - Dr. Nelson H. Were Wawire; Senior Lecturer, Department of Applied Economics; Kenyatta University.
"It's unique in making a link between folktales and entrepreneurship, especially when the authors draw insights or lessons learned from each story." - Dr Luvisia Bakuli, Lecturer & IT Professional
"The stories told are very humorous and stark to the point leaving no room for ambiguity. The Business concepts are tackled with clarity and brevity in a businesslike manner. - Everret Wakoli, Engineer
The Armageddon and Other Stories
The unpredictable weather patterns in Africa, the rise of earth's surface temperature, the melting of polar ice caps, rising of sea levels and the blazing wildfires in the Americas and Australia call for urgent action to conserve Mother Nature or risk Armageddon, the final destruction of the planet. This is the subject that runs through this compilation of stories to reiterate Wangari Maathai's assertion that the future of the planet concerns all of us and we should do what we can to protect it. It is the intention of debut and established authors of this anthology to perpetuate Maathai's legacy to avert Mother
Natures' vengeance against humanity. The Armageddon and Other Stories, therefore, breaks away from conventional social and political themes on the African literary scene to depict the demerits of deforestation, pollution, logging, the relegation of climate change, and other concerns of ecocriticism. At the crux of the anthology is the argument that the tendency to use financial profits to measure the success of commercial institutions without considering their role in environmental conservation is misleading. - Andrew Nyongesa.
Air, water, and earth are the basic amenities of life. Humans have constantly tampered with nature. Cyclical processes that nature has designed for resource conservation are fragrantly interfered with. As a result, the threat to life has been increased due to human activities in the environment. Some of these are air, water, and noise pollution; deforestation, blind industrialization, over-population; waste disposal, climate change, global warming, the greenhouse effect, and the imbalance established in the biosphere. The stories herein serve to spread environmental awareness in our society as well as in our daily routine life. It is necessary to save and protect our environment. - John Mugubi.
Where we Started: a novel
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