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Ngugi bags Man Booker nomination

Kenya’s foremost writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o is among 14 contenders for this year’s Man Booker International Prize. Worth £60,000 to the winner, the prize is awarded every two years to a living author who has published fiction either originally in English or whose work is generally available in translation in the English language. Ngugi is […]

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Issues Personalities Reviews

Koigi’s shock and awe in new book

It has been said that former Subukia MP Koigi wa Wamwere and controversy are inseparable. Nowhere does that come out clearly than in his new book Towards Genocide in Kenya: The Curse of Negative Ethnicity in Kenya. Actually, this is not an entirely new book. Koigi added a new chapter in his earlier book Negative […]

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Events Issues News

Kwani? Litfest is the place to be

The Kwani? Literary Festival (Litfest) kicks off today in Nairobi. This is by far the most prestigious literary event in the country, which attracts celebrated international literary luminaries, who mingle with homegrown talent. The festival starts today and runs up to August 15 in Nairobi and the coastal town of Lamu. The festival will be […]

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Reviews

Negative Ethnicity: From Bias to Genocide

Title: Negative Ethnicity: From Bias to Genocide Author: Koigi wa Wamwere Publisher: Seven Stories Press For a long time Kenyans held their heads high confident that theirs was a peaceful country, that the “Curse of Africa” – internal fighting – has never struck us, in spite of the fact that we are a multi-ethnic communities. […]

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Deadly Money Maker: A Review

Title: Deadly Money Maker Author: Saga Macodongo Publisher: Paulines Publications Africa It is human nature to yearn for better life. This is the reason why people work so hard so as to improve their livelihoods. It is no longer strange to find people holding multiple jobs, if only to make ends meet. However, there are […]

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Issues

Letter to a friend

This is my first post this year. What happened after the General Election left me thoroughly disillusioned. How could we descend to such barbarity. Is politics really that important that I have to kill my neighbour? Are our political leader’s worth dying for? Do we have to hate so much? I tried asking myself these […]

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Reviews

Book on Kalembe Ndile out

I have always been fascinated by the outgoing Kibwezi MP Kalembe Ndile, who is also an assistant minister in the Ministry of Tourism. His modest education aside, the politician has a way of putting his points across, that I think makes a lot of sense. Take the case when he told off envoys attached to […]

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Anyang’ Nyong’o’s New Book

Former Planning Minister Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o launched his new book A Leap into the Future: A Vision for Kenya’s Socio-political and Economic Transformation, at the Grand Regency on Wednesday October 10. A Leap into the Future is a collection of speeches, essays and articles compiled during Prof Nyongo’s tenure as minister in the Narc government, […]

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Issues

Book Fair: lessons learnt

With this year’s Book Fair over and done with, there are a few things that organisers and the book industry in general need to take into consideration. Granted that the Fair, which was in its tenth year, was relatively successful, there are lingering feelings that it would have been much better. Anyone visiting this year’s […]