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Salted with Fire takes place in Kisii on the eve of Kenya’s independence. Central to the story is Dexter Conway, a colonial officer who will be one of the few to remain in Kenya. This suits Conway, who seeks a different life in the newly independent country. The tale begins with a mysterious train wreck. As the story unfolds, Conway becomes enmeshed with Kwamboka, wounded and hidden at Conway’s home by his servant, Maranga. Through Kwamboka, Conway’s relationship with Maranga takes a new turn.
In the surprising and suspenseful story, Arthur Dobrin reverses the effect of a changing world upon the lives of these people in Western Kenya
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Mother Rat and Her Son Chepsoo
This children’s book teaches about the importance of good behavior and manner among children. It teaches them among other things to respect their parents and elders.
Dorothy Jebet has more than 18 years’ experience in the Kenyan journalism scene. She has worked for various media houses including the Nation Media Group, The Standard, the defunct Kenya Times, The Star and Kass FM in various capacities. She is currently an independent consultant and analyst on matters of journalism and media.
She has had extensive training in the world of journalism, including a stint on US Congressional Reporting under the Bill Clinton Administration.
Dorothy’s work is extensive, some of which has attracted international attention. Her story on the early marriage of a 16 year-old girl won her a Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) sponsorship to study Human Rights and Administration at Lund University.
Vyama Institutions of Hope
This book makes the case for informal sector institutions in development theory. Through practical examples and interviews conducted in Kenya, the author captures how ordinary people organize themselves to meet daily economic and development challenges. The author traces how ordinary people (wananchi) use non-mainstream mechanisms in the form vyama (social groups) to enable individual, group and community development. The book offers insights into the evolution of vyama (institutions of hope) and the role these institutions continue to play in realizing economic growth: wealth creation and distribution; investments, social protection; and general community development.
The work shows how, despite historical disruptions, modernization and neo-liberal policies, ordinary people creatively borrow from tradition. In the process, they use collective mechanisms for resource mobilization, investment, risk-sharing and shared gains for the common good. The author offers pointers into the future and how the chama concept can become mainstream in a people’s economic development.
What others say
“The analysis is rigorous. It is highly original, emotive, and an excellent piece of work. It makes a major contribution to our knowledge of the proto-proletariat and the informal sector in the developing world. - How the author beautifully weaves anecdotes from classical African novels into her analysis to reinforce her argument makes this work distinctive and unique.” - Professor MBK Darkoh, University of Botswana
“This book is based on real life cases in an area that most scholars have not ventured into. It is a major addition of new findings in the body of knowledge. The presentation is clear, understandable and would appeal to most readers.” –Paul Kamau, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, University of Nairobi
“The strength of this book is the way it has managed to present the lives of the ordinary people as not hopeless, but rather the base where future development for Africa could be emerging. The book starts from the grassroots and the development actions and innovations taking place there based on the needs as experienced by the ordinary people, rather than the technical fixes of development experts that follow the books rather than the actual needs of the people being developed.” – Professor Beth Maina Ahlberg, PhD, Professor of International Health, Uppsala University
“This book demonstrates how ordinary citizens have discovered the power in tapping into social relations and are proactively solving their own socio-political and economic challenges. It calls for the incorporation of the ordinary citizen in development planning with a view of enabling them to receive value from and add value to the globalization and integration process. For anyone who is interested to see Africa play an important role in the global agenda, this is not a book to be ignored.” -- Josephat Juma, Managing Editor, The African Executive magazine.
The Unforgotten
Imali Abala’s The Unforgotten is a memorial work of fiction that captures the fate of Desi Makhungu in the face of tragedy and cultural gender disparities. When her son Jordan Ūmbisi leaves home in search of greener pastures, following the footsteps of his older brother, it is a moment of hope for better days ahead. He leaves behind his pregnant wife and aging parents who all remain optimistic that he will be successful and help them along! That is never to be! He completely loses ties with his family even when tragedy strikes back home. Now widowed, Desi faces the full gravity of living as a woman with no male figure in the home! What would be her fate in the days to come with neither husband nor son present? Who would build her a home when the old one falls apart? Would cultural practices ‘bend’ enable her to inherit her husband’s land?
Proverbs of the Abagusii of Kenya Christopher Okemwa
Like most cultural groups, the oral tradition of Abagusii People of Kenya is expressed in, among others, proverbs. These capture lessons and meaning, modulated by time and context as they are passed down generations. Like riddles and metaphors, proverbs express the wisdom of a culture and find apt applications in many situations. Christopher Okemwa's work documents some of the proverbs of Abagusii, their meaning, context in which they are used and application thereof. In this book proverbs are documented in the original form accompanied by English translations in addition to lessons they offer. Embedded in this collection are cultural aspects such beliefs and norms which touch on many aspects of Abagusii society. These aspects include relationships among people, communal life, gender matters, economic issues and many more.
Here is what others say
"Through careful transcription and translation of proverbs of Abagusii people of Kenya, Okemwa shares knowledge and cultural diversity as a wide range of themes and motifs recur hence multiplying meanings and implications. The proverbs explore both socio-political and socio-economic issues, in addition to fulfilling an aesthetic function." - Gladys Nyaiburi Ogaro, Mount. Kenya University
"The uniqueness of this work lies in its use of Ekegusii language to impart culture of Abagusii on the reader through the imagery in proverbs. The advantage of 'hearing' Ekegusii first hand, its literal and deep meaning provided, makes it ideal for students and teachers of language and culture in learning institutions. The work also preserves, for posterity, wisdom that may become extinct with the passage of time." - Margaret Kemunto Obaga, Catholic University, Nairobi, Kenya
"Christopher Okemwa's Proverbs of Abagusii of Kenya: Meaning & Application captures and radiates, with delight, the wisdom and beauty in Abagusii proverbs. For Ekegusii speakers, the proverbs nudge one to take a deep look at oneself and see how entertaining they can be. For non-speakers of the language the translation provided gives the poems versatility in content and pervasive reach, thus making them universal pieces of erudition that challenge and encourage. The proverb, 'Naigure ndumo boina ko mosiori ntamanya' (I have heard noise coming from grave diggers, but I am not sure who will be first to be interred), for instance, warns everybody against the barbarism of intransigence and physical confrontations, a universal piece of wisdom. Reading this invaluable book is a sure-fire route to intellectual nourishment. Okemwa has documented answers to our deep-seated questions on our socio- cultural, socio-economic and socio-political queries as captured by Abagusii proverbs. The wisdom therein helps one pry into one's own inadequacies and learn to challenge adversity." - Bwocha Nyagemi Bwocha, St. Augustine University, Tanzania
Mwangi’s Adventure
When Mwangi helped a distressed lady change a punctured car tyre one day, he thought it was just that. Little did he know that the token of appreciation that the lady gave him was a trigger that would set him off on an adventure of mixed fortunes. On one hand danger looms large and, on the other, he has to keep a job as an assistant to a young Irish researcher named Trevor. Trevor, as well, finds himself on a new path with the thugs pursuing Mwangi. How the two youths juggle between their research and safety, in and around Nyandarũa, is the thrill of this compelling narrative.
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