There is something about Mathemboni that makes you want to keep going back.
Last Saturday was my third time, since November last year, and it definitely will not be the last. There is a certain aura of peace that pervades the place. Situated on a hilly place, Mathemboni, to those who have never been there, is full of all manner of exotic trees. This is the perfect place for meditation, to be one with nature, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Mathemboni, in Kikamba, means the place of shrines. That is precisely what writer David Maillu had in mind when he developed the place that sits on a ten-acre piece of land. It is a shrine of knowledge.
When you consider that Maillu, who is now 86, has been at the writing game since the early seventies – his inkpot is still brimming full – then you know that you are walking into a museum of sorts.
A visit to Mathemboni, which is at the border of Machakos and Makueni counties, near a town called Kola, is not complete without the host taking you on a tour of the place. For example, the main houses are built in the shape of medieval castles, using material collected from various places. What you see is a castle, but Maillu will tell you that the storied building was inspired by the Akamba Kiondo.
The main compound is dotted with sculptures, ranging from the Ankh, an ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic symbol, representing life, to a sculpture of Syokimau, the Kamba prophetess, who foresaw the coming of the colonialists to Kenya as well as the railway. The latest addition is the giant President Donald Trump Shithole, which basically houses toilets.
Listening to Maillu explaining things, from African spirituality to philosophy and writing, is like flipping through the pages of an encyclopaedia; you just want to listen and listen some more.
On the second floor of the main building is an open-air conference hall, which on this particular day hosted a one of a kind book club meeting. I am not a member of the Not Nerdy Book Club, but when I saw their poster announcing that their March, 2025 session would be held at Mathemboni, I was determined not to miss.
I had met Cheryl Kamy, the founder of Net Nerdy, at a book event at the Alliance Française, in February, and expressed interest in attending one of their sessions. Turns out that Not Nerdy have an arrangement with Mvua Press, the newest and coolest publisher in town, to feature some of their books in their sessions. What a novel way of marketing books!
What made this particular book club session even more attractive was the fact that they were featuring one of Maillu’s classics After 4.30. Now, anyone who has read some of Maillu’s earlier books, knows that they are full of fireworks, right from the use of language to the imagery employed.
Older generations, from GenX upwards, have hilarious recollections of their encounters with Maillu’s books. Almost all confess that they consumed the books in secret and very few read the complete text. There were bits and pieces of the books doing rounds in the villages/estates and schools. This is testament to how sinfully popular these books were.
In a previous interview, Maillu summed up the who whole experience of his books among the masses then. “I knew of households that, at any one time, had three copies of my book,” he explains. “The husband had a copy, the wife had a copy and the children had theirs too. None of the three parties knew the rest had the book.”
Now the membership of Not Nerdy is entirely made up of millennials and the occasional GenZees. Seeing as After 4.30 was written in 1974, way before each one of them were born, I was curious to know what their take on the book is.
All of them were unanimous that the issues raised in the book are as relevant, if not more relevant than they were at the time of its publication. “When I started reading the book, I was shocked and I asked myself, ‘who is this beautiful woman who is speaking for me?’ and then I turned back to the cover to confirm that it was written by a man and not a woman, as I had thought,” Maya Suleiman told Maisha Yetu.
She added that it was eye-opening for her that a man would so accurately tell a woman’s experience. “It is amazing that the book was written in the early seventies and can I relate to it in 2025.” she added. “For raising issues so close to the hearts of women, I would say that Maillu was feminist and not of the toxic variety.”
Peter Karuga, a banker, was impressed by the diverse themes raised in the book. “Despite the fact that the book was written over 50 years ago, we are still experiencing the same problems encountered then. The poverty that was prevalent at the turn of independence and attendant issues like the gender-based violence are still the same problems we are grappling with in today’s world.”
June Jose noted the finesse with which the author raised the sensitive issue of gender-based violence, which is still as prevalent as it was back then when the book was written. “It is amazing how despite the difference in time, the issues remain the same. The book is highly recommendable especially with us people of the younger generations.”
Maureen Wairimu was especially fascinated by how Maillu raises the issue of religion and spirituality. “This book really spoke to me because lately I have been deconstructing some long-held religious beliefs,” she explained. “I identified with a character in the book called Emily, who questions the whole concept of confessing her sins to a pastor. Why bestow so much power on a fellow human being to determine how your sins would be absolved? There is more to religion than we are taught.”
What about the language?
“I loved the rawness of language used in the book; that is what attracted me to it,” added Wairimu. “There are people who might be shocked by the language used and might call it vulgar; it is because they don’t want to call a spade a spade. I am not at all shocked by the language; on the contrary, I loved it.”
While Jose acknowledged that the language used is ‘strong’, she said it is necessary when it comes to dealing with difficult issues like Gender-based violence.
As a Muslim woman, Suleiman is not offended by the language used and themes explored in the book. “The issue of violence against women, which features prominently in the book, cuts across religions,” she said.
Kamy started Not Nerdy in October 2022 because she wanted to be in a community of readers. “Through our online activities, we got to meet with the people at Mvua Press, which is an imprint of eKitabu, and we quickly discovered that we shared common ideals like the love of books. They also wanted us to help popularise the books they publish and distribute,” she explained.
Isaac Mwangi, the managing editor of Mvua Press says that they work with a wide range of stakeholders in the publishing industry to advance the interests of authors, publishers and book lovers. “One of our strategies is to work with book clubs such as Not Nerdy. We are happy to see book clubs mushrooming around the country as they play an important role in enhancing critical reading skills,” he explains.
Mvua Press does a number of activities aimed at encouraging a reading and writing culture, especially among students and young people. “These include the annual Digital Essay Competition as well as short poetry and fiction submissions from young writers across the country. Hopefully, these activities and book clubs will assist in the emergence of not only future authors, but also avid readers and spoken word artists,’’ adds Mwangi.