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Haughty Boys of Ngoroke by Imali J. A...
Agoyi's afterschool argument with his step-mother sets off an unpredictable series of intriguing misadventures. The subsequent meandering journey is one of the choices between what is morally right and the lure of the 'attractive". Always a balancing act between what could be (success) and potential disaster, Ayoyi's life is a perpetual succession of dilemmas. The moral question of choices is the central theme of this work.
Where we Started: a novel
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?
A Mysterious Woman
A Mysterious Woman is a captivating story of Nyang’arisa, the protagonist and a woman who chose a life of crime for survival. Unlike what society is accustomed to, Nyang’arisa joins a group of men, her ‘business partners,’ to make a living through an unlawful acquisition of what belongs to others.
After some time, Nyang’arisa finds love in a young, hardworking, and loving man, Michael, whom she later marries. The thought of Michael knowing of her life in crime makes her scared and restless. She chooses to lead a mysterious life, with her history hidden from her husband and family. Nyang’arisa builds a new family, her tainted past notwithstanding. However, she lives always looking back over her shoulder with the nagging thought that her past might one day catch up with her.
True to her thoughts, her past catches up with her as she ends up spending the rest of her life behind bars.
Kwamboka’s Inquiry
Who killed Dr. Sarah Kwamboka?
This popular founder of a girls’ school is shot dead in her house and an inspector from Nairobi is sent to Kisii to investigate. While attempting to uncover the motive behind the brutal crime, Sgt. James Dingiria discovers that Kwamboka had been collecting memoirs from the area as a way of preserving the region’s history.
This novel weaves a murder mystery around short stories that reveal the history of ordinary people from this part of the country with a look at present-day Kenya.
What others say
“Dobrin has carefully plotted his novel with style that provides a smooth flow through short stories. It is a carefully thought plot that rouses a reader’s tang!’’- Sally Boyani, Book Editor.
“It is a gripping story about murder, corruption, power, church politics, colonisation and chauvinism. The great drift of suspense in the text and the interwoven short stories make it a page turner. It is a well told must read.’’- Verah Omwocha, Book Editor.
Letter to the Prime Minister
In the Letter to the Prime Minister , Justus Siage aims at communicating the view-point of the average Kenyan teenager on social, political and economic issues affecting Kenya
Told with a comical twist and in appealing, readable language, the author chronicles challenges of the common man and, tangentially, offers 'viable' solutions to the same.
The Letter to the Prime Minister is one young man's portrayal of deep concern for the well-being and future of the country, Kenya. Through this writing, he seeks help from one of the most well-known practicing politician in the country, the prime minister.
What others say:
"The book is very unique as the author puts through his views by giving personal experiences in a comical manner to drive his point home. It's very interesting and fun to read... it's out of the woods!" - Roy Ndagwa
"Kenya is an intriguing country and the myriad of issues faced by the citizen are sure to overwhelm anyone who takes on the task of narrating to an outsider. Justus has done this brilliantly by using witty language, one that appeals to both the young and old." - Beatrice Adera Amollo, Librarian
"A young Kenyan speaks in words of his generation and captures challenges facing the nation and contradictory actions of the political class. The Letter to the Prime Minister is timely for it speaks for the majority of Kenyans." - Dr Matunda Nyanchama, Publisher & ICT Professional
About the Author
Justus Siage is the second born in a family of three children, sandwiched between two adorable ladies - Winnie and Grace.
He sat for his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in 2006 after which he joined high school, which he completed in 2010 having sat for his IGCSE O-levels. He is currently pursuing undergraduate studies in International Business at the Australian Studies Institute (AUSI) in Nairobi.
Justus has a deep interest in the business world and economic issues in particular. He is constantly in search of solutions and the way forward for many of the economic, social, environmental and political problems that Kenya faces. Justus aims at improving Kenyans' living conditions, and making life a little more pleasant for the average Kenyan.
In many ways, he is an average Kenyan teenager in jeans. However, unlike the average jeans-wearing teen, Justus began writing at an early age, publishing his first book, Billionaire Dropout (Sahel Books Inc. 2009) at the age of 17.
A Historical and Cultural Analysis of...
In most societies in different parts of the world, there are gender inequalities in access to productive resources such as land, and other social, economic, and environmental resources that are critical for people’s sustenance. However, in many instances, not much research has been conducted on those critical gender issues and perceived unfairness in the ownership, access, and utilization of critical societal resources, particularly, in Africa in general, and Kenya in particular.
In this regard, the need to improve access to land and strengthen women’s land rights in Africa provided the main rationale for undertaking this research, with specific reference to the Gusii of Western Kenya. In particular, the book examines the changing and/or evolving responses of women over time to land access, ownership, control, and usage. Further, the book analyzes the relationship between indigenous land tenure systems and gendered relations; and the effects of colonial land policies on gendered relations. It also examines gender rights with respect to land access and ownership in the post-colonial period in Kisii.
Overall, this study provides pertinent information on the following critical issues. What was the relationship between pre-colonial land tenure systems and gender relations in Kisii? What were the effects of colonial and post-colonial land policies on gender relations in Gusii? How did Gusii women respond to gendered land rights and ownership in the pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial periods?
My Roots
Set among the Abagusii of Kenya at the onset of independence in Africa, Jeremîré Araka’s My Roots is an extraordinary story of postcolonial migration and the characters’ struggle to negotiate their existence in the disparate cultures that assailed Africa during and after colonization.
Otenyo, as Chief Ongoro’s first son, is the entitled heir to his father’s throne. Colonialism and Christianity, however, have infected native customs and traditions, especially among those who have attained formal education such as Otenyo and his sisters who have excelled in modern education undergirded by Christian values. Otenyo acquires outstanding credentials in America where he also meets and marries an American woman, jilting a childhood flame whom he had left – so far unknown to him – pregnant with a daughter. All the successes with education and in the professions, however, further alienate Ongoro’s children from their culture and traditions that have stood the test of time and served their society well. Torn between two worlds and rooted in neither, despite their academic success, their family faces mysterious deaths, countless ailments, baffling mishaps and many incomprehensible happenings whose solutions are deemed only explainable in the traditions of their people.
This story gives the reader insights into the accounts of an immediate pre- and post-independent African state and the journey that Otenyo had unseeingly set out into the distant lands and upon his return, but now in search of his roots. Will the search for his roots succeed? How will his people, who have long-awaited his return, receive him? What of his estranged fiancé, Keruboo? Readers will conclude this book with a sense of awe-inspiring amusement.
What others say about My Roots
“My Roots is a searing memoir painted on a leather that is a vivid, revelatory, thoroughly original and compelling account of postcolonial migration and the characters’ battle to negotiate their existence in the mosaic of cultures that assailed Africa during colonialism and immediate post-colonialism.” – Omwami Prof. Dietrick Kaijanangoma, Author, Analyst, Distinguished communication scholar, St. Augustine University of Tanzania, Mwanza.
My Skinny Cow on an Anthill
My Skinny Cow, set in rural Seito which slowly urbanizes and brings a new order, is the captivating story of Asiago and Obiri from their youth to old age. The two work hard in school to become heroes and beacons of hope for the future of the community. The reader is taken through a rich cultural heritage, epitomized most vividly by the community’s wedding tradition, which leaves the reader yearning for more. Even with the old striving to preserve the life-long glorious cultural traditions of the people, modernity comes with a price. The emergence of an all-knowing clique of youth threatens the community’s future; what with disputes between the traditional local elite and the youth determined to have their way with the societal changes they desire.
Danger lucks either way: the rush to modernize at the expense of tradition and the desire to preserve tradition in the face of modernization. Which way for Seito? You, the reader, tell us!
What Others Say
“The novel demonstrates imagination and originality in league with the postmodernist canon, which upholds traditional cultures that are misconstrued by modernist views as peripheral and obsolete.” – Dr. Andrew Nyongesa, teacher, author, critic and literary scholar.
Enchengeria EkeGusii Dictionary: A Co...
This is a complete EkeGusii-Kiswahili-English dictionary that provides definitions for EkeGusii words. The work has been compiled for over fourteen years of collecting lexemes from the native speakers of the language. The respondents, who provided the raw data, range from former teachers of EkeGusii as a mother tongue to indigenous knowledge experts in the Gusii community. Linguists with expertise in lexicography, phonetics, and translation and interpretation, drawn from the Linguistics department, Kisii University, worked on the technical details. Herein lies the uniqueness of this work: it presents more than mere definitions of word tokens. This edition serves as a template for further exploration, future expansion, and development of orthographic conventions in the language.
The dictionary offers the following:
- Meanings of EkeGusii words with Kiswahili, and English translations.
- Abbreviations and proper nouns.
- Grammatical constructions.
- Concise sentences to serve as illustrative examples in EkeGusii.
- Broad transcription of words, using the IPA format, as guide to pronunciation.
