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The Dragonfly Sea by Yvonne Adhiambo ...
Brief Summary
From the award-winning author of Dust comes a vibrant, stunning coming-of-age novel about a young woman struggling to find her place in a vast world--a poignant exploration of fate, mortality, love, and loss.
On the island of Pate, off the coast of Kenya, lives solitary, stubborn Ayaana and her mother, Munira. When a sailor named Muhidin, also an outsider, enters their lives, Ayaana finds something she has never had before: a father. But as Ayaana grows into adulthood, forces of nature and history begin to reshape her life and the island itself--from a taciturn visitor with a murky past to a sanctuary-seeking religious extremist, from dragonflies to a tsunami, from black-clad kidnappers to cultural emissaries from China.
Ayaana ends up embarking on a dramatic ship's journey to the Far East, where she will discover friends and enemies; be seduced by the charming but unreliable scion of a powerful Turkish business family; reclaim her devotion to the sea; and come to find her own tenuous place amid a landscape of beauty and violence and surprising joy.
Told with a glorious lyricism and an unerring sense of compassion, The Dragonfly Sea is a transcendent story of adventure, fraught choices, and of the inexorable need for shelter in a dangerous world.
Dance of the Jakaranda by Peter Kimani
Set in the shadow of Kenya's independence from Great Britain, Dance of the Jakaranda reimagines the special circumstances that brought black, brown and white men together to lay the railroad that heralded the birth of the nation.
The novel traces the lives and loves of three men--preacher Richard Turnbull, the colonial administrator Ian McDonald, and Indian technician Babu Salim--whose lives intersect when they are implicated in the controversial birth of a child. Years later, when Babu's grandson Rajan--who ekes out a living by singing Babu's epic tales of the railway's construction--accidentally kisses a mysterious stranger in a dark nightclub, the encounter provides the spark to illuminate the three men's shared, murky past.
With its riveting multiracial, multicultural cast and diverse literary allusions, Dance of the Jakaranda could well be a story of globalization. Yet the novel is firmly anchored in the African oral storytelling tradition, its language a dreamy, exalted, and earthy mix that creates new thresholds of identity, providing a fresh metaphor for race in contemporary Africa.
Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
A modern classic in the African literary canon and voted in the Top Ten Africa’s 100 Best Books of the 20th Century, this novel brings to the politics of decolonization theory the energy of women’s rights. An extraordinarily well-crafted work, this book is a work of vision.
Through its deft negotiation of race, class, gender and cultural change, it dramatizes the ‘nervousness’ of the ‘postcolonial’ conditions that bedevil us still.
In Tambu and the women of her family, we African women see ourselves, whether at home or displaced, doing daily battle with our changing world with a mixture of tenacity, bewilderment and grace.
Histories of the Hanged by David Ande...
In "a gripping narrative that is all but impossible to put down" (Joseph C. Miller), Histories of the Hanged exposes the long-hidden colonial crimes of the British in Kenya.
This groundbreaking work tells how the brutal war between the colonial government and the insurrectionist Mau Mau between 1952 and 1960 dominated the final bloody decade of imperialism in East Africa.
Using extraordinary new evidence, David Anderson puts the colonial government on trial with eyewitness testimony from over 800 court cases and previously unseen archives.
His research exonerates the Kikuyu rebels; hardly the terrorists they were thought to be; and reveals the British to be brutal aggressors in a "dirty war" that involved leaders at the highest ranks of the British government.
This astonishing piece of scholarship portrays a teetering colonial empire in its final phase; employing whatever military and propaganda methods it could to preserve an order that could no longer hold.
Kikuyu Marriage and Rectification
Kikuyu Marriage & Rectification (Ũthoni wa Ũgĩkũyũ na Ũrũngi wa Icũrĩ) is not just a book—it is a cultural restoration. For generations, Kikuyu marriage was never a confusing or rigid ritual system, but a clear and structured social covenant that united families, safeguarded lineage, and affirmed harmony through shared understanding and consent. As observed by Louis Leakey in his study of the South Kikuyu before 1903, these institutions were coherent, purposeful, and deeply rooted in communal life.
Over time, however, colonial influence and missionary reinterpretations introduced distortions that diluted this once-consistent system. In many cases, colonizing Christianity dismissed indigenous practices wholesale, undermining cultural identity in ways that even contradicted the spirit of Acts of the Apostles 15:20, which called for restraint rather than cultural annihilation. What followed was confusion (where clarity once prevailed) leaving many questioning what truly defines an authentic Kikuyu marriage.
In this powerful Second Edition, Njuguna Mwangi moves beyond explanation and offers restoration. Drawing from indigenous knowledge, oral tradition, and the philosophical foundations of Kikuyu society, he reconstructs the authentic stages of marriage as they existed before colonial disruption. He explains the meaning behind each sitting, separates original practices from imposed distortions, and reveals a system grounded in simplicity, consensus, and communal legitimacy.
At the heart of this work is the Rectification Ceremony (Kũrũnga Icũrĩ na Gũcokia Rũĩ Mũkaro), a culturally grounded path for restoring what was overlooked. In Kikuyu tradition, marriage is not destroyed by interruption—it is restored through acknowledgment, reaffirming continuity, dignity, and truth.
Gikuyu Son Of Solomon by FREDRICK MWANGI
Gikuyu Son of Solomon, traces the lineage of the Kikuyu people back to the biblical King Solomon and the Green of Sheba. The narrative follows Solomonic dynasty through its Ethiopian descendant Emperor Zara Yaqob and his son, Galawdewos. According to the book, Galawdewos, a slain prince, is the father of Zara Maryam, who is later known as Gikuyu. Fleeing turmoil in Ethiopia, Gikuyu escapes to the Kenyan highlands, settling at Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga. Here, he establishes the Kikuyu community with his wife, Sanii Suwena, who is also known as Mumbi. The book, therefore, provides a mythical and historical account of the Kikuyu people's origins, linking them to a royal and sacred lineage.
Amariogo Y’Omogusii
This book introduces nostalgic herbal remedies which cascades into the present realm of medicinal application outside the current conventional medicine.
Herbal medicine is the oldest present form of treatment ever applied in mankind. It is as old as man, God instructed Adam and Eve to eat from any fruit tree in the garden, but spare only one at the centre. The fruits and trees were medicine.
Quite many of the modern medicine are derived from the natural vegetation. The vegetation act as food for man as well as medicine. There were no modern hospital facilities then; this came along with the advancement of Science and Technology.
Most countries globally now use herbal medicine infused with technological innovation for rapid result. Herbal medicine has less negative effects to both man and animals, their administration is also simple and fast sometimes it can be taken directly or as food.
For generations Omogusii has used this form of treatment to manage many diseases they encountered on the way as they sojourned to the present settlement. Some ailments were life threatening and broke out in large scale which occassionally were unmanageable.
However through herbal medicine, diseases like Cholera, Yellow fever, dysentery and many others which had snowballed into calamities were controlled and contained.
Therefore this book has tried to sample the types of ailments which were prevalent and are still of concern together with the herbal administration applied. Although the authors may not have exhausted all the information, an hunch has been left for further research.
The book i s written in Ekegusii for that is the target group even though it can be used universally with little language interpretation and translation.
Inconclussion therefore this book is very appropriate and handy in administration of herbal medicine.
Hawkers-Pokers by Kinyanjui Kombani
The son of the one of the country’s richest men is missing, presumably kidnapped. The ensuing search and rescue operation triggers a series of events dragging in one of the city hawkers’ scouts. Meanwhile, a manager in a financial firm tries his hand at money multiplication miracles, and a woman makes a difficult choice to secure a better world for her child. It is all a mess – the kind of social commentary that can only be told by one of Kenya’s most critically acclaimed contemporary writers.
Millennial Voices: East African Poetry
Of pawns and players by Kinyanjui Kom...
Kinyanjui Kombani’s newest novel Of Pawns and Players is now available for pre-order. This is the third novel from the Nairobi, Kenya based author popularly known as the "banker who writes”.
Kinyanjui Kombani is a Kenyan novelist, playwright, scriptwriter, and literature activist. He burst onto the scene in 2004 with his debut novel The Last Villains of Molo one of the few pieces of art that have been produced about Kenya’s first post-election crisis in 1991. We loved it.
He followed in 2013 with Den of Inequities a book that follows a killer gang in Nairobi that we also loved.
Apart from fiction for adults, he wrote two books for children in 2007 Wangari Maathai: Mother of Trees a biography of Kenya’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai and We Can Be Friends: Theme, Spread of HIV/AIDS. He also wrote a Young Adult book called Finding Columbia which won the Burt Award for Young Adult Literature in Accra, Ghana last year.
The author’s new novel Of Pawns and Players tackles the underground world of betting in the simple and humorous narrative style that has made him a household name in contemporary fiction.
Facing Mount Kenya by Jomo Kenyatta
It Is Possible: An African Womans Ref...
For Phoebe Muga Asiyo, witnessing and participating in the birth of Kenya as a newly independent country in 1963 highlighted the importance and value of women participating in decision making. She dreams of a world where elected officials act with integrity to create a Kenya where all Kenyans are given fair access to opportunity.
It is Possible traces Phoebe’s life from her rural home Karachuonyo to the city of Nairobi where she recounts her experiences as a twenty-year-old social worker in the African reserves during the 1952 State of Emergency.
As the first African President of Maendeleo ya Wanawake Organization (MYWO), Phoebe learned that women united can reshape the narrative and change the direction of a country into a more inclusive society. For more than 70 years, MYWO has remained a constant source of encouragement and support for Phoebe.
Knowing that MYWO was always close by allowed her to expand the horizon of ‘possible’. Phoebe documents the challenges she faced and the reforms she initiated to provide basic necessities for women in prison.
This book narrates Phoebe’s challenges as a woman elected to male-dominated Parliament in a strongly patriarchal society; her work with international agencies, most notably the UN and finally her work to get more women into elected office. It articulates issues affecting women in development and asserts that policy initiatives for improvement must include women at all levels. It encourages women to aspire for political office to firm up the gains for women and everyone else.
She encourages youth to fight against perceived and real challenges in the journey to become dependable leaders. The biography captures her institutional memory of the country’s struggles on gender equality, political reforms and activism. It is a story of the hope and determination of a woman whose firm steps helped usher in freedoms for everyone, especially the youth, girls, and women.
The book is a historical reference for policy-makers, universities, and scholars in gender and development studies.
AFRICA AURA by Nekoye Ommeh
The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz F...
Brief summary
A distinguished psychiatrist from Martinique who took part in the Algerian Nationalist Movement, Frantz Fanon was one of the most important theorists of revolutionary struggle, colonialism, and racial difference in history. Fanon s masterwork is a classic alongside Edward Said s Orientalism or The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and it is now available in a new translation that updates its language for a new generation of readers.
The Wretched of the Earth is a brilliant analysis of the psychology of the colonized and their path to liberation. Bearing singular insight into the rage and frustration of colonized peoples, and the role of violence in effecting historical change, the book incisively attacks the twin perils of post-independence colonial politics: the disenfranchisement of the masses by the elites on the one hand, and intertribal and interfaith animosities on the other.
Fanon s analysis, a veritable handbook of social reorganization for leaders of emerging nations, has been reflected all too clearly in the corruption and violence that has plagued present-day Africa. The Wretched of the Earth has had a major impact on civil rights, anti-colonialism, and black consciousness movements around the world, and this bold new translation by Richard Philcox reaffirms it as a landmark."
THE PATH LESS Travelled: From Cattle ...
In this powerful memoir, Dr Stephen Rulisa’s “The Path Less Travelled” is a part biography, part philosophy and part call to action. He writes on how he became a leading voice in medical academia in Rwanda from a nomadic childhood and refugee in a neighboring country. He shares his lifelong quest to understand what truly drives personal and societal success.
A history of the Luo Abasuba of Weste...
Henry Akello Ayot in his PhD thesis titled A History of the Luo Abasuba of Western Kenya from AD 1760-1940 however offers an alternative narrative. The scholar argues that the Abasuba are also to be found in Tanzania and had originated from southern Uganda before migrating to South Nyanza via Mfangano Islands.
He casts doubts about Buganda being the origin of the Abasuba, hypothesising that there were some descendants from the Busoga.
The oral narrative of Abasuba’s blood linkages with the Kabaka of Buganda are given credence by Siraje Lubwama in an article published by Uganda’s The Observer.
The writer retells Kabaka Jjunju’s sexual excesses and the rebellion it triggered in the over two centuries ago.
The consequences of this palace lust have had some far reaching effects which are still felt today in Kenya, more than 200 years after the sibling betrayal.
According to the Suba folklore, the people banished from the Buganda Kingdom first set foot on Kenyan soil led by Kiboye.
One of the few remaining elders conversant with the oral history, Moris Kasuku, Kiboye disembarked his canoe along the shores of Lake Vitoria in Mfangano Island. His brother Witewe who opted to remain in Mfangano Island as the latter proceeded towards Gwassi accompanied Kiboye.
" Kiboye had been attracted to the Gwassi hills that were visible from Mfangano Island. The hills, bathed by fluffy misty and enveloped by alluring dense vegetation were irresistible,” explained Kasuku.
Betrayal in the City by Francis Imbuga
Brief summary
First published in 1976, this play from one of Africa's foremost dramatists is in the classic cannon. It is an incisive examination of the problems of independence and freedom in post-colonial Africa states, where few believe they have a stake in the future.
In the words of one of the characters: "It was better while we waited. Now we have nothing to look forward to. We have killed our past and are busy killing our future." Francis Imbuga is a playwright and actor.
He is the recipient of the Kenya National Academy of Sciences Distinguished Professional Award in Play Writing.
ISBN:9789966463609
Author:Francis Imbuga
Walking in Kenyatta Struggles By Dunc...
The legacy of notable leadership in Africa, be it in politics, government, academia, business or the corporate sector cannot be said to be adequately chronicled and published. Yet, the moment the story of a man or woman of great achievement, and whose contribution has changed the destiny of others is published — particularly when the one in focus has been presented as a person of flesh and blood — the inspiration that could result can eventually transform people, generations or even entire nations.
In acknowledgement of the foregoing, Kenya Leadership Institute (KLI) has initiated a Biography Programme with a mission to publish memoirs of outstanding men and women whose contributions to the makings of modern day Kenya beg systematic documentation. KLI hopes that publications that will result from this initiative will inspire Kenyans to aim higher in their various pursuits and rethink their individual roles in nation building.
The programme also aims at prompting useful discourse on issues of national interest.
BEYOND THE BULLETS: THE HUMAN SHIELD
In Beyond The Bullets: The Human Shield, the conversation shifts from firepower to people, exploring how human-centered approaches can create lasting peace and stability. By prioritizing education, health, and equality over force, this book reveals a path to addressing the root causes of insecurity.
Through compelling insights and real-world examples, this book reimagines security as a shared responsibility that empowers communities and strengthens nations. Beyond The Bullets is a call to action for leaders, policymakers, and citizens to champion a future where human dignity becomes the foundation of Africa's resilience.