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The remarkable story of how Kenya travelled, in a very few years, from the trauma of Mau Mau to peaceful independence is retold with, for the first time, full access to the official documents. It is a story of strong personalities - of Jomo Kenyatta, after nine years of prison and restriction, emerging as the saviour of his country; of Tom Mboya, the immensely talented young man who outdebated, outmanoeuvred and outshone whites and blacks alike, but who generated an amazing degree of hatred and died by an assassin's bullet; of Iain Macleod, who made the crucial recognition that Kenya was a black African country; and of Malcolm MacDonald, without whom it could still have all ended in disaster. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good read of history up to Independence
This book was a good read - informative and absorbing, unlike so many dry books about Kenya's independence that are out there. Kyle was a journalist in Kenya at the time of Uhuru and he has a journalist's flair for writing. You get not just the facts but his spin on the personalities involved as well. My only disappointment was that the book ends immediately after independence, with only a brief postscript to describe any of the history following. Moi's presidency is not covered at all. Too bad he didn't write another book on Kenya's more recent history. ... Read more

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This book examines the conflicts brought on by the introduction, management and institutionalization of Western biomedicine into Kenya. From the dawn of the colonial age, there were conflicts over the issues and meanings of sickness, health and therapy. Conversations often broke down, especially during the first two decades of the twentieth century, because of the natural and strong desire on the part of local populations, the state and biomedical practitioners to protect their respective hallowed traditions, approaches and identities. However, the persistence of epidemics, spiraling mortality rates, the interdependent nature of the colonial economy, and the establishment and recommendations of Commissions of Inquiry turned the tensions of race and conflict into dialogues about accommodation and compromise. The focus on a common good, rather than upon partisan satisfaction, became a dominant force. Western biomedicine and African traditional therapies each contributed to the growth and development of colonial health care in Kenya. ... Read more

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Wangu wa Makeri was born in the second half of the nineteenth century into traditional Gikuyu society. She underwent customary rites and married. In 1901, she was appointed the 'headman' of Weithaga Location, the first and only female headman of the entire colonial period. The author outlines her character and background, and the kind of leadership Wangu showed her community; and discusses to what extent the stereotypical portrayals of her as a leader - as a whore or personification of evil - are true. The study also assesses the significance in her fall from power of the conflict between traditional society and the colonial political framework within which Wangu worked, as against her own role in her downfall. ... Read more

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This book is part of the Our Name in History series, a collection of fascinating facts and statistics, alongside short historical commentary, created to tell the story of previous generations who have shared this name.The information in this book is a compendium of research and data pulled from census records, military records, ships' logs, immigrant and port records, as well as other reputable sources. Topics include:

• Name Meaning and Origin
• Immigration Patterns and Census Detail
• Family Lifestyles
• Military Service History
• Comprehensive Source Guide, for future research

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Destiny bundles Fred in jail, in the company of a former judge, a Member of Parliament, a priest, a doctor, and other pillars of society. The author is a well-established novelist and he delivers a rendition of the scintillating encounters and escapades of the various characters when they were free - some of the encounters being the reason they are now together in jail. ... Read more

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