So, Nation subs have to be restrained, eh?

Mike Eldon, one of Kenya’s leading management consultants, just had a collection of his writings published under the title 'Kenyans, Yes we can!'.
A good read, I must add but something under acknowledgements caught my eye.
"For quite some time now Nick has been pursuing his MBA, and so Ochieng Rapura and John Kamau have been my bosses at Nation Centre. They have been good to me too, including doing their best to hold back their sub editors from 'editing' (note the quote marks) my pieces."

A wee correction: Mr Eldon, it is not Rapura but Rapuro (a sub would have noticed that, haaaaaaa ha!).

Actually, sir, subs are your friends. Don't listen to your high ranking friends in media houses when they say that subs mess up your nice piece of writing. They lie; subs don't mess up any copy unless it really needs to be messed up. (Oh, and I get this feeling those friends of yours spend zillions of minutes in ‘management, planning and strategy’ meetings and get paid hundreds of thousands for that!).
Subs work so hard; they clean your copy of such silly things like typos, untruths, outrageous similes, insults, stupid thoughts, incoherent thoughts etc.
One of these days sir, take some time off your busy schedule and sub for just one day. Your life will never be the same. For that one day you will be annoyed, disgusted, outraged, enraged etc at what crap subs have to deal with day in day out and still get a paper out with decent, engaging stories and remain sane.
However, if you find your piece butchered, chances are:
1. It didn't make sense;
2. You kept going on and on about the same thing;
3. It was too long for the space allocated;
4. It was a load of crap despite how highsounding it was;
5. It deserved to be butchered.
(6. Maybe the sub thought you were full of yourself and decided to 'edit' you to size.)

But: I like your book and wish other columnists and talking heads would put their thoughts to paper too.
I will definitely enjoy reading your book.

I am just a sub who has to be held back from editing some great piece every now and then

$1.1 b for France to digitise its literary works

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/15/world/europe/15france.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=france&st=cse

France to Digitize Its Own Literary Works


By SCOTT SAYARE
Published: December 14, 2009

PARIS — President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged nearly $1.1 billion on Monday toward the computer scanning of French literary works, audiovisual archives and historical documents, an announcement that underscored his government’s desire to maintain control over France’s cultural heritage in an era of digitization.

The French National Library announced in August that it was engaged in discussions with Google over the digitization of its collections, part of a global effort by Google to digitize the world’s literary works. This provoked an uproar among French officials and the publishing community here, and the discussions were suspended.

“We won’t let ourselves be stripped of our heritage to the benefit of a big company, no matter how friendly, big or American it is,” Mr. Sarkozy said last week, apparently in a reference to Google.

The money pledged Monday will finance a public-private partnership that will digitize the nation’s cultural works, Mr. Sarkozy said. Yet that partnership might well involve Google.

“The question remains open,” said Bruno Racine, president of the National Library, in a telephone interview. He emphasized the “necessity of a partnership with the private sector” in order to secure the capital needed for vast digitization projects.

He put the cost of digitizing the National Library’s collections, which include over 14 million books and several million other documents, at more than $1.5 billion.

Those who opposed the National Library’s discussions with Google were concerned primarily with its “dominant place” in the digital market, he said, noting, “It’s not so much that it is a private company.”

The French culture minister, Frédéric Mitterrand, met last week with David C. Drummond, a senior vice president and chief legal officer at Google, to express his concerns about a potential collaboration with the company.

France has long regarded Google warily. In 2005, French and German leaders announced plans, since abandoned, to develop a multimedia search engine to be called Quaero — “I seek,” in Latin — seen by many as a direct challenge to the company. The French government has also urged the European Union to undertake its own book digitization project.

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York is currently assessing the legality of Google’s global digitization plan. In a September submission to the court, the French Ministry of Culture wrote that the plan did not conform either to “intellectual property law or to competition law and constitutes a threat to cultural diversity.”

A modified version of Google’s settlement with groups representing book publishers and authors, submitted last month to the court, would restrict its book scanning to works published in the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada.

The $1.1 billion pledged by Mr. Sarkozy is part of a $51 billion stimulus package, announced Monday, aimed primarily at French universities, researchers, manufacturers and telecommunications companies. France will finance the investments largely through government borrowing, against the urgings of the European Union and the country’s own audit authority. France’s debt and deficit are currently at record levels.

Njenga Karume's adulation of Kenyatta, Kibaki and B.E Kipkorir's book launch

Njenga Karume, a man I admired for his supposed entrepreneurial spirit, launched his autobiography Beyond Expectations: From Charcoal to Gold yesterday.
The book, which was serialised in the Daily Nation for a couple of days, makes for a fine read though it shows Njenga Karume for what he truly is: An opportunistic entrepreneur whose best asset was his tribe and boy, didn't he use it to the full? Look at the distributorship with EABL, the GEMA links, huge properties at the Coast (hotels), the land in the Rift Valley ... this fella made it big.
A quick perusal at the book shows Njenga literally worshipping Jomo Kenyatta and Mwai Kibaki ...
Well...

Over to Macmillan Publishers, another book launch.

Here is part of the press release

"Former Kenyan Ambassador to Washington, Dr Benjamin E Kipkorir, has just written hard-hitting memoirs entitled, Descent from Cherang’any Hills: Memoirs of a Reluctant Academic. The book, published by Macmillan Kenya Publishers, will be launched tomorrow, Friday 11th December 2009 at the Lifestyle Mediastore, Westgate Shopping Centre, Westlands. The Guest of Honour will be the Hon. Kenneth Marende, EGH, MP, Speaker of the National Assembly. The occasion will be held from 6.00pm to 8.00 pm. Ambassador Kipkorir’s memoirs are a stunning account told in captivating literary language, gripping phrases and simple sentences mortised to astonishing tightness. It is a breathtaking study in genius and plain perspiration – an exhilarating look deep inside the life of a man who as a boy struggled hard just to survive but still beat great odds to scale the highest heights he possibly could. It is a story about what spawned and inspired, birthed and moulded him to pull himself from nowhere to become an icon. The memoirs are truly “Been there, done that, indeed!”

Do you know a book really well? here

If you know a book really well, back to back and can pick out the most importamt element and render them in a way that leaves one feeling they have read the book and you want to make or win some money, then this is your site...

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Descent from Cherang'any: Memoirs of a Reluctant Academic

Reading B.E Kipkorir's 'Descent from Cherang'any: Memoirs of a Reluctant Academic' has me psyched for the one about his tour of duty as an ambassador abroad:
'Kenya's foreign policy was shaped and interpreted by one man: the president himself, not the Foreign Minister (Kalonzo Musyoka) or the Permanent Secretary (Sally Kosgei)' (p. 436)
'The account of my ambassadorial appointment must, and will, be told. It is an account of promise, hope and despair; and of occasional triumph and numerous disappointments ... I am convinced that this part of my story, deserves its own pages unpolluted by references ...' (p.437)


That aside, B.E was indeed 'naive.' On p. 290 he talks of this bread he was offered to take to his wife. unknown to him, it was not loaf per se but a bribe of Ksh50,000/-! When his wife alerted him about the ''loaf,' a furious BEK had it prompty returned.

A nice read

Michelle Obama's biography, Kenya's draft constitution etc

The Kenya Draft harmonised Constitution was released to the public on November 17th. It is an interesting document. Sample:

Chapter Four Clause 24 (1) (j) All citizens have the responsibility to develop their abilities through acquisition of knowledge, continuous learning and the development of skills.

I liked that bit...
I also got a copy of Liza Mundy's 'Michelle: A Biography.' So far a nice read though light years away from Nigel Hamilton's exhaustive, insightful and absorbing biographies. Maybe it's because there is pretty little to say about Michelle as compared with Bill Clinton, maybe.

Quick, I get over and done with Michelle and move on to Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' and a number of travel books.

A reminder: Next bulk purchase will be Malcolm Gladwell's 'Blink' and 'Outliers.' I know there are 13 books awaiting purchase but, I will get to them.
Cheers.

What is your book editor's CV worth?

I am looking for a job, a normal job. A job where I can plan my own
work, where I can see my son, and daughter and my wife most of the
year. A job where ... I am looking for a job. I am a trained book
editor but have worked with magazines and now working with a newspaper. And it sucks.
So, in the spirit of job seeking and resume upgrading, I came across this post, off tompeters.com, http://www.blueprint4resumes.com/2009/04/whats-your-resume-worth.html
Here: (Sorry the figures are all in dollars - but you could as well replace them with shillings)

What’s your resume worth?

About $250,000 - $550,000 if you land a Chief Operation Officer (COO) position.
About $100,000 - $150,000 if you land a Retail Regional Manager position.
About $75,000 - $125,000 if you land an IT Manager position.
About $65,000 - $85,000 if you land a Technical Writer position.
About $45,000 - $65,000 if you land a Cost Accountant position.
About $35,000 - $55,000 if you land an Elementary School Teacher position.
About $25,000 - $45,000 if you land an Assistant Restaurant Manager position.
About $22,000 - $32,000 if you land a Receptionist position.
About $17,000 - $27,000 if you land a Retail Sales Clerk position.
About $17,000 - $22,000 if you land a Fast Food Cashier position.
About $3,000 to $18,000 if you are looking to go part-time for the majority of retail positions.
About $8 if you count the cost of resume quality paper, folder, envelope, a
few squirts of ink toner to print it, and then… you never mail it.
About two cents if you print it on copy machine paper (but you wouldn’t do that… would you?).
About .008 cents for the amount of electricity spent to e-mail your resume to a potential employer.
Zero (that’s Z – E – R – O!) if you never send it out.

What’s your resume worth? Do I need to explain this?

The above writing sent me thinking about the plight of book editors in the unfortunate event that they are fired, or, as our HR boss gleefully puts it, 'separated.'
I should correct the above paragraph to read: A conversation I had over the weekend with my mentor and relative, Mr O, sent me thinking about life after early loss of paid employment for book editors. Mr O is a published school books writer with 10 books to his name.
Anyway, he was telling me about his former editor, Mr K, who was edged out of a job in a prominent publishing firm in the country. Though he told Mr O that he had opted for early retirement, it was obvious he had been 'separated' for he was looking for a job, a teaching job.
He tried to talk Mr O into publishing a revision book with him, never mind that Mr O already had a revision book under his name and published with Mr K's former employer. They were to meet for Mr K to sell his proposal to Mr O. Somehow, Mr K didn't show up; he sent a text to say he was away in the farm so would get back to Mr O. Three weeks later, he hasn't.
Before he was edged out, Mr K, an outstanding editor, was earning over Ksh100,000 a month. As a an editor out of employment, Mr K could start his own publishing firm, do consultancy, seek for a job in another firm, take up teaching or move out of editing and publishing altogether.
Employment in another firm, unless at a higher level, was out of question. His employer is the best paying slave-driving firm in publishing; no other employer can afford to pay him the salary he was getting at that level.
For Mr K, his area of specialisation was such that he could not leave on consultancy, unless all the editors in that field all died and he had to edit the various firms' books one after the other.
He could as well go into self publishing: With the severance pay, get a few teachers, compile a revision book or student companion of sorts, publish it and market it like crazy. I will say nothing of his setting up a publishing firm but he could take up teaching. considering he is trained as a teacher.
All those options aside, the fact that as an editor of certain subjects, once you are fired you are as good as dead, professionally, should worry those in the field. Should they think of a career away from editing and publishing - have a solid career elsewhere and only dabble in publishing and editing as a side job? Maybe publishing firms should consider hiring such editors on short contracts so that from the word go they learn to fend for themselves or better still, remunerate them handsomely.
Those feeble suggestions aside, if you are a book editor in Kenya and employed by one of the numerous publishing houses: What would happen if your employer retrenched you tomorrow, next week, next month or next year? What would you do to sustain your family? Think about it, now. Then act. So, what is your CV worth?

Prestige Bookshop is the place to be ...

Many are the times, as a book lover, I have walked into a bookshop and left, an hour or so later, feeling drained, assaulted and insulted.
The routine is: Walk in, 'shelf' shop, flip through titles, pick a title, two or three or ask for particular titles, pay and leave.
I feel drained after endless shelf/title hopping. Throw in the feeling that I may never get to read as many interesting titles as I may wish and the fact that I cannot afford as many books as I'd love to own, the drain is complete.
The assult and insult comes in the way the staffers respond to your queries - as if they are swatting a fly. So easy, so effortless and with such a bored look, you feel an idiot, a million times over.
However, today at the Prestige Bookshop, none of these 'ill' treatments were given. Indeed, if you happen to be in Nairobi and you are a lover of books and you love order, neatness, technology ... name it, go to Prestige Bookshop, (Mama Ngina Street, I think).
There is a way you feel when you walk in and are met by these warm, custom-made shelves, neatly and appropriately labelled: Fiction, Classics, World Affairs, Self Help, Business, School etc.
You get the feeling that so much thought was put into arranging/stacking the books on the shelves. It is not the size of the book noor the name of the author nor ... but, in my view, the cover of the book that attracts you. I thought this is a good thing: Let the book sell itself to you.
The staffers, as good and neat as they were, had half of their work done for them. Apart from a question or two about this or that title that could not be found on the shelves, they were more or less left to idle around.
I went looking for Frank McCourt's 'Angela's Ashes' but didn't find it. I tried John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, nil. Of Mice and men, nada.
Not to despair, Sara introduced me to Frank McCourt's other works: 'Tis and Teacher Man. I found Teacher Man interesting. I should buy it over Christmas.
Oh, and Gabriel Marquez Garcia's A Hundred Years of Solitude,hardcover no less costs a friendly 880/-.(Elsewhere, the paperback costs 990/-).
It is a nice place to go for books.
Kudos Prestige Bookshop

USIU Ksh20,000,000 Africana gig

Just seen a news item on KTN that USIU has launched a Ksh20,000,000 book fund (or is it an Africana Library or a fund to boost African authors?).
In the item, it is reported that USIU has so far raised about Ksh3,000,000 and hope to raise the rest in five years. (Standard Group CEO - or is it chairman? - Paul Wanyagah feels 5 years is too long a time!).
The chairman of the initiative is one Ken Kariuki.
I listened to the VC Prof Frieda Brown and she was talking of something to do with tuition, other resources - online, print etc. I am lost.
Maybe due to the nature of the news item - brief, rushed, almost PR-ish and all - and the education or otherwise of the writer of the item (shallow, book-matters illiterate, whichever way you look at it), it didn't come out clearly what USIU is coming up with?
a) Is it an Africana Collection? (they should be having one, surely?)
b) Is it an Africana Library?
c) Is it a book fund to boost authors (but how? paying them advances, helping them self-publish, sponsoring them to writing workshops? Buyng them decent clothes? What?)
Towards the end of the item, it was mentioned that USIU hopes to raise the cash from its alumni. I'm not one (thank you so much, Moi University serves me so right, er, for now), so does that mean am excluded from contributing? I can do Ksh50,000 in, you know, five years. I don't make much, really, but when it comes to books, I can even take a Sacco loan just to lay my hands on a said book.
Confusion aside, I think I like this. It was also metioned that there will be a hall of fame kind of thing - every contibutor's name will appear here. I think I will do with a certificate to show I supported a book cause. Considering USIU is my future employer (check with me 5 years from now - after I have done my Masters, written my two books and the works), I think a certificate that shows I contributed a princely Ksh50,000 would not be so bad, au sio?
On a serious note, if ever there was a time for Kenyan publishers and writers to shine, this is such. I'll illustrate.
The East African Educational Publishers beats all the Kenyan publishers hands down when it comes to Africana titles (by that I mean titles, both fiction and non-fiction, done by Africans). What if EAEP just bit the bullet, so to speak, and donated like each of its over 200 titles in the famed African Writers Series? (I know someone will say something to do with Heineman, Longman ... let them!).
Second example: The authors. They can and should surrender a copy of their published books to the USIU Africana thing. I am talking the likes of Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Francis Imbuga, Meja Mwangi, Mwangi Ruheni, Margaret Ogola, Micere Mugo, Maina Kinyatti, Koigi wa Wamwere (I know his limitations as a writer), Grace Ogot, ... (where have all the writers gone?).
Shhhhh: In fact, Ngugi wa Thiong'o with all the money he makes abroad could just write USIU a 1,000,000/- cheque (assuming they are receiving money from non-alumni.)
As soon as I get me the Ksh50,000, I'll go looking for Ken Kariuki. Watch this blog.
Kudos USIU.

Upcoming title: My Journey with Jaramogi by Odinge Odera

Informed sources tell me that Odinge Odera, the first secretary of the Kenya Press Club that was formed in July 1965 is to release an autobiography of sorts but capitalising on his time with the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.

Odinge Odera was among the top 19 KPU men to be detained in November 1969. In a November 11, 1969 Kenya Gazette signed by the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Mr. A. J. Omanga, Odinge was detained alongside Ochola Mak'Anyengo,Ondiek Chilo, Ochola Achola, Jeremiah Opiyo, Onyango, Okello Odongo, Solomon Obeid Oiro and others.
The book, 'My journey with Jaramogi' or words to that effect should be coming out in two weeks time or so.
The book will be published by African Research and Resources Forum, the publishers of A leap into the future - 2007 (By Prof Anyang Nyong'o), Discourses on Civil Society in Kenya and the quartely New Path.
Odinge Odera was among the top 19 KPU men to be detained in November 1969. In a November 11, 1969 Kenya Gazette signed by the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Mr. A. J. Omanga, Odinge was detained alongside Ochola Mak'Anyengo,Ondiek Chilo, Ochola Achola, Jeremiah Opiyo, Onyango, Okello Odongo, Solomon Obeid Oiro and others.

Frankfurt Book Fair, October 14-18

The Frankfurt Book Fair kicks off today.
Links:
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4786466,00.html
http://www.buchmesse.de/en/fbf/
http://www.book-fair.com/en/blog/

Manuscript doctor session for business writers, October 17

This from an email I received:

A MANUSCRIPT DOCTOR SESSION FOR BUSINESS WRITERS
Business writers, this is for you! Business books are best sellers around the world as well as here in Kenya. What makes a good business book stand out from the rest? What can you do to make your own manuscripts grab a publisher’s attention? The first step is to attend the Storymoja Manuscript Doctor Workshop for Business Writers. Bring your manuscripts for review and receive instant expert advice on style, content, structure, and get all your questions answered. The session will start with a workshop on general craft issues. You will learn how an idea and/or early draft can become a book that sells. Come refine your creative ideas with editors Muthoni Garland and Doreen Baingana.

Muthoni Garland, MD of Storymoja, worked in the corporate world for 15 years and wrote business articles on job creation for the Daily Nation. She is the author of several fiction books for adults and children, and the editor of the bestselling business book, “Crown Your Customer” by Sunny Bindra.

Doreen Baingana, Managing Editor of Storymoja, is an award winning fiction writer and editor of the Uta Do? Business Series.

WHEN: SATURDAY OCTOBER 17TH 2009 9:00am – 1:00pm

WHERE: STORYMOJA OFFICES, Njamba House, behind Spring Valley Shopping Centre (with Total petrol station),
Shanzu Rd, Off Lower Kabete Road, Spring Valley, Nairobi

COST: 500 KES
For more information, contact Sheila on 0722838161 or 020-208 9595
Acquire business writing skills for life!

Awesome repetition, this

I'm reading Shimmer Chinodya's Harvest of Thorns.

The blurb reads, 'Harvest of Thorns is a novel of great significance which will give all those who read it a greater understanding of the road along which Zimbabwe has travelled, as well as indicate many of the directions ahead.'



I'm moved by the way Chinodya employs repetition: the first line of the first four paragraphs is repeated in a very creative way:

Line 1, Paragraph 1: The day he came back, ...

Line 1, Paragraph 2: And on that same morning of the day he came back ...

Line 1, Paragraph 3: The afternoon of the day he came back ...

Line 1, Paragraph 4: And on the night of the day he came back ...

Notice the way the day he came back is repeated with great effect.

Imaginary Girlfriend ...

Just done with reading John Irving's Imaginary Girlfriend: A Memoir. Well, I came off more knowledgeable about wrestling than Irving's writings.
A good book nonetheless..

Diary note: Oxford-Longhorn case

The hearing of the case in which Oxford Universiry Press has sued Longhorn Publishers over copyright infringement is tomorrow, October 9.

Set books change... not just yet

Set books change put on hold - (Daily Nation, October 7)
According to KIE Quality Assurance Director, the Ministry of Education has found it necessary to postpone the selection of the next batch of English Literature and Fasihi ya Kiswahili set books until a new assessment report, called a summative evaluation was released.

OUP vs Longhorn: A tale of two kamusis, a runaway author and 320,000 bob

Oxford University Press and Longhorn Publishers are in court. OUP wants Longhorn stopped from further sellings its Kamusi Kamili ya Kiswahili claiming it mischievously 'copied' some of the content of OUP's Kamusi ya Kiswahili Sanifu and Kamusi ya Shule za Msingi.

OUP also accuses one of the co-authors of Longhorn's book, John Gongwe Kiango of breach of contract. OUP claims it contracted Mr Kiango to co-author its book Kamusi ya Shule za Msingi and that going by that contract he was not to engage in any work that 'may reasonably be regarded as conflicting or likely to conflict with the sale of the Plaintiff's work.'

Away from all the legal jargon, OUP cites the definitions of following words as having been lifted, word for word, off its Kamusi ya Kiswahili Sanifu: Amba-, anzali, farijika, kifungu, kipozamataza, shehena, simu, tamathali, tarijama, udekani, ufyefye, and ukaango.

From Kamusi ya Shule za Msingi, OUP cites the following as some of those which were lifted: zahanati, zoea, zoezi, zuia, zumari, zungumza and zuzu.

It also lists a number of ilustrations and photographs it claims were 'copied and imitated.'

So, OUP wants Longhorn restrained from selling or distributing Kamusi Kamili ya Kiswahili. In addition, it wants:

-All copies of Kamusi Kamili ya Kiswahili taken to OUP for destruction

-Damages against Mr Kiango for breach of contract

-Ksh360,270.40 as damages incurred in investigations, expert opinion, workshops and travelling expenses among others.

The hearing was set for October 9.

This is an interesting case: copyright infringement/theft and breach of contract (some would say sour grapes). More, it's a leading publisher, suing another leading publisher (not like the earlier incident in the year when Macmillan won a case against an obscure firm it had sued for reproducing its maps).

OUP and Longhorn are industry giants, any way you look at them. OUP is the more urbane one, the home of respected English texts while Longhorn tends to cut the image of the publisher next door - its stature in Kiswahili publishing ni ya kupigiwa mfano. In other words, if you think English, think OUP; if you want Kiswahili, run to Longhorn. And you won't be disappointed - they know their work.
At the height of the Free Primary Education frenzy, they both raked in hundreds of millions in turnover and had a liking for freelance editors.
They both have a good presence in Tanzania where they frequently send their editors to work.
In the past four years, they both have had mixed fortunes.
OUP got a new regional director for East Africa, one Muriuki Njeru who is known in publishing circles as a no-nonsense manager and performer. You don't mess with this Moi University-trained editor unless you are ready to face his wrath (while at EAEP he sued the former MD, Barack Muluka - now running Mvule - over copyright issues: http://allafrica.com/stories/200711260298.html).
OUP was also in the news when it issued an alert over bootleg copies of its dictionary.
Over to Longhorn, it has been four eventful years. In no particular oder:
a) In a first of its kind move in the region, Longhorn acquired Sasa Sema in 2007 and re-launched it as a Longhorn imprint to specialize in general publications, Early Childhood Development materials, creative works and other trade books. Some say SS was acquired for a rumoured Ksh 100 million.
b) It lost its experienced publishing manager Simon Sossion, who left to found hid own outfit, Target Publications. This didn't go down well with the management.
c) It lost its most famous, most conceited author, Wallah Bin Wallah, he of the Kiswahili Mufti craze. It is said Wallah and Sossion are running the same outfit.
d) It lost Sinjiri Mukuba - then the finest, if not the best - Kiswahili editor in the country, to KTN. Sadly Sinjiri later died in a road accident

Longhorn and OUP are in the business of copyright protection and ownership, so for Longhorn to be taken to court over claims of copyright theft/infringement, it is embarassing. It doesn't matter who is right for what is at stake is its credibility, its claim to originality and its faithfulness to its 'Expanding Mings' tagline. They have essentially been accused of lying, or in classroomspeak, they have 'dubbed.'

As for OUP, it has shown:
a) It doesn't sleep especially when it comes to its products. It looks at its competitors' works with more than a passing interest; perhaps in carrying out a SWOT analysis of the product it realised, 'Well, this looks like our work; yeah, it is our work that they have stolen and are now parading as their own - thieving fellas..' Boy, they know their products.
b) The view we have of publishing firms as these meek outfits ever begging the government to release Free Primary Education funds or who only act over small time book pirates is just an illusion. So it is not all brother-sister-love-you-love-me-back feel in the industry? So these guys can actually sue each other?
c) You don't mess around with them. You do a book with them, you are locked in (Er, look at that contract thrice. Read it. Give a lawyer for his opinion. Then read it... if you don't like it, take a walk).

Where does the Kenya Publishers Association come in?
Here, look at its relevant objecives:
-To promote and protect by all lawful means the interests of the publishing industry in Kenya.
-To protect Members by dealing collectively with problems which can best be so dealt with.
-To serve as a medium for exchange of ideas with respect to publication, sales copyright and other matters of interest to book publishers located in Kenya and to form committees to report on such matters.
-To extend the activities and usefulness of the Association as may seem desirable.
-To discuss and agree on an acceptable code of ethics, to ensure good business and other relationships among members of Association and between the Association and the public

Does KPA have an Arbitration Committee or Ethics Committee to handle such? What of a Legal Committee? Something to think over.

Oh, where is Kopiken?

Kenya Publishers Association website ... needs an uplift

As an avowed book enthusiast, any news on that revered product always catches my eye; so it was that I came across this news item in today's Daily Nation, 'Book on female cut wins annual prize.'
It said Blossoms of the Savannah by Henry Ole Kulet and published by Longhorn Publishers had won the Jomo Kenyatta Literary Prize in the English category. It added that Dr K. W. Wamitila's Unaitwa Nani? published by Vide Mua won in the Kiswahili category. Winners got Ksh150,000 each.
Just like that.
I wanted more: who had won in what category, what the judges said, what the winners said, how the books are doing in the market name it. Where else to look for this than the Kenya Publishers Association website, www.kenyapublishers.org?.
I didn't have it offhead so I googled, got it, clicked and voila, I was in.
Simple enough, not complicated and not self-praising.

About us. Objectives. Partners. members. Photo Gallery.
Upcoming events. View members.

Then the usual: 'To advertise your book here call this number or that number.'
Each of these sections is detailed kiasi cha haja, as they say in our numerous Swahili Bulletins. For instance, KPA has 17 objectives, the second of which is 'to promote and protect by all lawful means the interests of the publishing industry in Kenya.' Very nice.
Its partners are listed as the African Publishers Network, The International Publishers Association, the Kenya Booksellers and Stationers Association, Kenya Institute of Education, KOPIKEN, The Ministry of Education and the National Book Development Council of Kenya. Again, good and encouraging - so they are not in some cocoon of a kind?
Anyway, what left a bitter taste in the mouth was the absence of information on the 2009 Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature Literature. All I got was:

Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature Award (JKPLA)
The Judging of the JKPLA is on going and winners will be
announced during the closing ceremony of the 12th Nairobi International Bookfair
on Saturday, 26th September 2009. The total titles received for the the prize
were 65, 34 English and 31 in Kiswahili covering Adult, Youth and Children
categories.

Period. Nothing more, not even the full list of the nominees!
I thought, well, being publishers - and not lawyers - they felt no need for full disclosure. Those who need to know, know; the rest, well, they can jump into the nearest pond. I need to know. I need the details - just for the heck of it especially considering my fascination with the industry and its products.
Anyway, let's forgive KPA for that omission, let's even overlook the fact that in the Jomo Kenyatta notice on their website they wrote 'received' as 'recieved.' Never mind that it is only at a KPA member's office that you will find a collection, nay, concentration of copyeditors and proof readers.
What I can't forgive them for are the typos that litter the captions in the photo gallery; to say nothing of the poor quality of the pictures.
Here:

Mananging Director (Managing Director)
Mrs. Nacy Karimi (Nancy Karimi)
Flaging off (Flagging off)
Macmillain (Macmillan)
Mrs. Mary Mumbuthia (Mbuthia)

I was just wondering: Do KPA members ever visit their site? When they do, do they smile at the kind of typos, poor pictures, dearth of info and outright 'just there like a debe' feeling of the site?

Government vs Publishers: All about the money

Before the ink dried on my last post, Kenyan publishers were already up in arms over the government's plans to stop buying textbooks for public schools starting next year.
The government insists the books purchased so far are enough while the publishers say more books are needed to meet an acceptable pupil-student ratio.
In a sentence: The government doesn't want to spend a shilling more on the book-purchase deal while the publishers want the government to buy even more books.
Poor publishers, what to do!

Cast:
Sam Ongeri, Education Minister: Schools are already saturated with books and buying more would not make any sense
Calistus Mwatela, Education Assistant Minister: The books the government bought for schools since the launch of the Free Primary Education in 2003, were enough to sustain Education - books last (sic) more than any other educational materials.
Nancy Karimi, Kenya Publishers Association boss: The books available per pupil in the country's public schools do not even meet the required standards. The ratio of books-to-pupils in lower primary should not be higher than 3:1 while that of upper primary learners should not exceed 2:1. The government should rethink its decision or lese publishers maybe forced out of business come next year.
John Mwazemba, Macmillan Kenya Publishers Ltd: All one needs to do to prove Prof Ongeri wrong is to visit any public school in the country.
Kakai Karani, Longman Publishers: KPA has made attempts to engage the government in dialogue over the issue but no progress has been made yet.

Additional information:
No. of pupils: Over 8million
Amount of grant:Ksh6 billion
Allocation per child: Ksh650 for learning materials; Ksh 350 for water, electricity and security

Nairobi International Book Fair is here

The 2009 Nairobi International Book Fair is finally here.
I may not attend it but the thought of 25 per cent discount on all books ... I may just attend.
It is coming at a time when the economy is really down.
However, for the book industry, the real concerns are on the unavailability of school texts at two levels:
a) Books for form 3s in Maths and Science - the new syllabus are said to be eithr not there or for those that are there, so inadequate in terms of content.
b) There are complains of a poor students to book ratio. While the publishers say the ratio is still dismal, the Ministry fo Education insists the books are enough and that the funds should now be channeled to other non-book school facilities.
Let's see what the book fair brings up...

Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature - Nominees

The nominees for the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature have been announced.
Here they are, courtesy of Jos Ngunjiri's Maisha yetu blog (http://kenyanbooks.wordpress.com):
1. Adult English Category (Ksh150,000)
a) Hawecha (Longhorn) by Rhodia Mann,
b) Blossoms of the Savannah (Longhorn) by H.R. Ole Kulet
c) The Big Chiefs (EAEP) by Meja Mwangi.

2. Adult Kiswahili Category (Ksh150,000)
a) Kala Tufaha (Phoenix) by Babu Omar
b) Vipanya Vya Maabara (JKF) by Mwendah Mbatiah
c) Unaitwa Nani (Vide Muwa) by Kyalo Wamitila.

3. English Youth Category (Ksh75,000)
a) Lake of Smoke (Phoenix) by Julius Kibera
b) Walk with me Angela (KLB) by Stephen Mugambi.

4. Kiswahili Youth Category (Ksh 75,000)
a) Ngoma za Uchawi (KLB) by Atibu Bakari
b) Kisasi Hapana (OUP) by Ken Walibora
c) Sitaki Iwe Siri (Longhorn) by Bitugi Matundura.

5. Children English category
a) A Mule Called Christmas (Phoenix) by Nyambura Mpesha
b) The Prize (OUP) by Elizabeth Kabui
c) On the Run (OUP) by Mwaura Muigania.

The winners will be announced on Saturday, September 26 at Avalon Restaurant along Riverside Drive.

All the best guys

Successful business book

Here:
http://blog.800ceoread.com/2009/09/15/recipe-for-a-successful-business-book/

Recipe For a Successful Business Bookby Todd Sattersten
David Galanis at the Peeble Creek Partners Blog shares the secret to creating a successful business book:
Start with multiple authors – including an academic from a prestigious business school and a seasoned business consultant plus a business journalist from a major newspaper or magazine (someone has to actually write the book).
Using free graduate student talent from the B-school, develop a database of the performance of thousands of companies over the past decade – more if you want to sound really authoritative. Be sure to select a few unique performance metrics to differentiate your results from all the other formulaic books.
Select the top performing companies and “study” them to determine why they are better than the others. Interviews and visits make things sound much more legitimate. Use “strategy”, “execution”, and “management talent” as this makes for good reading and advice. Always avoid “a great market”, “favorable economic factors”, “lousy competitors”, and “luck” to explain success.
Develop a list of between 8 and 12 characteristics (the chapters of the book) and expound on them. It always helps to close each chapter with a summary list or two so readers of your book can copy it and pass it around at management meetings to impress their peers.
Come up with a catchy title; get a few quotes for the back cover; and publish. Then go on a brief book tour to business meetings around the country; trash the prior books; and wait for

Everyone in Nation Media Group's got a Sunny Bindra book

It is perhaps the first firm in the country to do this: The Nation Media Group just bought each of its 1,000-plus employees a copy of Sunny Bindra's 'Crown your Customer'.

Those in the know say NMG is currently promoting customer care as a key feature of its 'New Culture' where "enablers" (Customer care, professionalism, clear career path etc) are promoted while "disablers" (back stabbing, favouritism etc) are being discouraged, or done away with.

To the extent that NMG is promoting customer care, Bindra’s book is seen as a fitting reading material – and what a read it is.

What is of note is that the firm actually bought its employees BOOKS. It didn't take the easier route of buying a few copies and dumping them in the library for those wishing to read to borrow; Or, better still, invite Mr Bindra to conduct a training on customer care.

Not even the 30-plus publishing houses in Kenya have bought a book for each of their employees. (Imagine if each of the editors in the publishing houses bought at least one locally published book a month…)

This is not only a vote of confidence in Bindra's writing and expertise (after all he is a columnist with Sunday Nation) but also a boost to the local publishing industry. It also encourages Muthoni Garland’s StoryMoja initiative.

But buying the books and giving them to the employees is just one step. The next step is to have the employees read the book … then apply the concepts so learnt.

Well done NMG.

Books everywhere but ...

Is it just me or is everyone suddenly into books?
We have Kwani? - flush with cash but mean as hell, never mind that is more of a clique of I-know-you-you-know-me-the-rest-are-idiots-let's-write fellas; Storymoja - still can't figure out how to describe Muthoni Garland's outfit past the word 'awesome' ... and dozens of other book related events like the recent book signing at Nakumatt Junction where about 7 authors featured.
Oh, and just today read of this couple that is offering an e-bookshop - you order your book online and pay via m-pesa then the book is delivered to you.
I'm aware Books First has such a service too. Midiwo's sister's Legacy bookshop at Yaya Centre and Sarit Centre has such a service too, I mean online purchase. Legacy is not your common kind of bookshop though - it mostly caters for NGOs and 'development' minded individuals.
Still on my rant about this outbreak of books, I must salute Nairobi Star - now known simply as The Star - for their pioneering way of marketing books. Every day they would offer a free book to a lucky reader. All the reader had to do was to write to them and say whta section of the paper they liked ... and they would get a book.
The Star also deserves praise for their relentless marketing of Michela Wrong's It's Our Turn to Eat, a book that no bookshop would touch for fear of being sued by our untouchable billionaire-shilling thieves. The book wouldn't stand much scrutiny, really. I mean, it's more of John Githongo and his sneaky ways at a Kikuyucentric State House than anything else.
Every other day a book is being launched or serialised somewhere in Kenya. Every hour, someone is blogging about a book or an editor is assessing a manuscript or some politician is engaging a writer for a biography ...
It's a books galore people. Don't be left behind.

Kuli by Adam Shaffi - Book Review

Poverty, poor pay, hard, unappreciated work. This sums up the lot of porters. And it is the life into which Rashidi is born, raised, grows up, marries into and finally gets imprisoned for.
After the death of his father, Majaliwa, Rashidi has to look for work, any kind, to at least help his mother out.
He starts off with pushing carts under the watch and guidance of Mzee Tindo and crew. With time, he is as good as any. In that time he realizes that while the work is long and arduous, the pay is meager and hardly enough to sustain him. He also notices that Mzee Tindo seems to take advantage of the other workers but they seem oblivious of this.
He decides to take this up and asks for more money. Mzee Tindo is taken aback at Rashidi’s nerve. All the same, he agrees to lead him and one other employee to the boss. Unknown to Rashidi, Tindo had already told the boss about their demands. When they get to the boss, Rashidi is summarily dismissed.
He is back to joblessness but he does not give up and after a long while, he gets another job. This time as a porter at the harbor. He throws himself into the job and though the pay is better, it is not good enough to get him out ofpoverty nor is the work any less – it’s long, arduous and thankless.
Try as he might, Rashidi again finds himself drawn into the labour movement.
Things get so bad –too much work, same pitiful pay and a cruel management. Matters are brought to a head when an employee is killed. Rather than show compassion, the management treats it as a non issue since the employee was just a casual as such Smith Mackenzie Ltd has no obligation to do anything. This irks the employees so much that they strike– three weeks long forcing the management into a meeting. The workers accept to go back to work but nothing changes; if anything, the management becomes more cruel.
Rashidi, Baraka and Faraji decide on a go slow. On the Saturday of the go-slow Rashidi is arrested at work. Things happen pretty fast. After the supervisor of Smith Mackenzie, one George, tries to force the workers to resume work and they refuse, he alerts the police. On their arrival, the head ofpolice picks out Rashidi and starts off roughing him. This does not go down well with Rashidi who hits back and before long it’s a free for all. Rashid is beaten senseless and thrown in.
This results in a blanket ban of all meetings by the colonial administration. Policemen are poured into the streets to enforce a curfew. What started as a go-slow grows into a strike of several weeks. But notto be deterred, the workers reps devise ways of relaying messages to every one and soon a huge meeting is called – never mind that meeting are banned. On the day of the meeting real chaos erupt as the workers take on the police – several are killed among them Baraka and Faraji.

All the while, Rashidi is behind bars. He is later jailed for three years. Charges? Striking a uniformed policeman and starting chaos.
It is in the court that the one-sided nature of the legal system is brought to light. While the prosecution forces the accused to answer questions in acertain way, when the accused is given a chance to ask questions, the magistrate does not even pretend to see that the accused has shredded the prosecution’s case … and goes ahead to give him three years.
Rashidi’s selflessness, naivety and thirst for a better life illuminates an otherwise sad tale. As we walk with Rashid from one stage of his life to another, we are confronted with the harsh life of a porter, made harsher by illiteracy and a colonial administration that not only rules by the fist but also takes the local’s labour for granted – indeed treats it as their right to exploit.

A deluge of books on Obama, African-American, Slavery

After the Obama victory, it seems any bookshop worth its name must have countless books on Obama and the African American.
A good example is Bookpoint Nairobi. I was there three days ago and counted close to 30 titles on Obama, Michelle, the African-American, slavery name it.
I'm on my second book on the same topic. This time it is Booker T. washingtom autobiography, Up from Slavery.
It is quite a read - more engagig and uplifting than the earlier one...

The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work

This is a review of the book I will be reading in August when I take my leave. It sounds like Po Bronson's "What Shall I do with My Life".

http://www.thebookseller.com/books/author-profiles/71272-a-jobbing-author.html

A jobbing author

21.11.08 Catherine Neilan

Alain de Botton The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work (Penguin, April, hb, £18.99, 9780241143537)

With unemployment figures reaching an 11-year high and talk of a recession spreading throughout Europe, working life is coming more and more into the spotlight. Jobs are becoming more scarce, particularly in sectors such as finance or construction, but also, as we have seen with recruitment freezing, in publishing. And workers are becoming stressed—helplines have reported an increased number of calls from people concerned about their fi­nances and the future of their job.

Alain de Botton believes the economic crisis will encourage people to think about more than just where their next pay packet comes from. People must, he believes, examine the meaning of our nine-to-five life—whether it is remunerative or something "higher" and whether being "successful" and "happy" are attainable targets.

In his new book The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, de Botton ­addresses the core belief that work should have meaning, a relatively modern concept, which was introduced to Europe at around the same time as the idea of marrying for love.

"This is the great bourgeois dream—having a job that is essentially your hobby and a wife you love," he says. "It is a beautiful idea, but an incredibly demanding one, and one that leaves most of us feeling inadequate."

Pleasures and Sorrows offers a chapter-by-chapter glimpse into the kind of "hidden" jobs many of us don't think about—factory workers, fishermen, or electricity pylon engineers. He rejects the notion, which he is "sometimes accused of", that his books are self-help; Pleasures and Sorrows will not, he says, help you find the right job. But he believes it can offer a new "perspective" on the types of jobs there are in the world, and what goes on behind the scenes to provide us with tuna, biscuits, and television.

Partly inspired by his own "constant career crisis" and partly by curiosity—having only ever worked as a writer­—about "how the rest of the world functions", de Botton thinks the book will tap into a universal ­interest. "I think it's natural human curiosity, and yet it is weird how much it doesn't come into books very much," he says. "There are journalists' books about spectacular successes or failures—the rise of Google or the fall of Enron—but what is missing is something telling me what it feels like, what people get up to."

The book has a very personal feel, with de Botton setting out as "intentionally naïve and a bit innocent, treating some of these things that are very obvious to these people to bring out the strangeness". By seeing the daily grind through new eyes, de Botton brings an alternative interpretation to what most would consider part of the routine, if it were considered it at all.

For example, while following a group of accountants on their isolating commute, de Botton interprets their newspaper reading as "not, of course, to glean new information, but rather to coax the mind out of its sleep-induced introspective temper". And when meeting a young woman at a biscuit factory, he asks: "Why in our society are the greatest sums of money so often tended to accrue from the sale of the least meaningful things?" He is then faced with "a terrified expression . . . and she asked if I might excuse her."

The people he meets range from senior management who are often "incredibly nervous, so far as to say paranoid" about what de Botton might be looking for and those on the shop floor who were "very enthusiastic, very friendly and open", even if their jobs were "truly grim".

Melancholic, bittersweet
As well as the biscuit makers and accountants, he meets Indian Ocean fishermen, the British Inventors' ­Society and a lonely, somewhat unsuccessful albeit satisfied, painter. De Botton says he looked most fondly­ on the scientific roles, "the craftsmen of the satellite or the craftsmen of electricity pylons. In a way these are the heroes of the book, because they are very modest people, putting together small bits of the world that nevertheless matter a lot."

The career adviser is one of the more tragic figures within the book, failing to realise just how ironic his very position—one that is derided, underpaid and hardly aspirational—just is. De Botton admits to feeling sorry for him, but is also critical. "He was a very nice man, who was caught up in a dangerous ideology about work that he was peddling to himself and those he saw," he says. "Really what we need is not a career counsellor, it is someone to console us."

At times the book feels incredibly gloomy. Despite de Botton's attempt to make a midnight visit to a logistics park resemble a childhood memory of waking and hearing the goings-on of the house, it remains a stark indictment of the futility of modern life. The many black and white illustrations often lack people and are of sights we tend to avoid capturing on film: electricity pylons, car parks, people sitting at their desks.

"I have no idea whether I will just bore the reader solid," de Botton jokes. "On a good day, I imagine I have brought out the poetry of working life. It is quite poignant, the tension between the incredible sophistication of the machinery and the meaningless of the end product and the fact that these people's lives are wrapped up in it. It's not cheerful, but neither is it depressing. It's melancholic, bittersweet—it is the world we have created."

Translation is double editing

I was lucky enough to get a book to translate from English to Swahili about three weeks ago. My contact wanted it done in two weeks flat. I was enthusiastic in my response promising to do it in less than two weeks. How wrong I was.
It was my first time to do such a job and, boy, was it long!
Anyway I learnt a few lessons:
One: Translating, though sharing certain skills with editing is not editing, it's more demanding, more laborious; iti is energy sapping;
Two: Demand to see the job beforehand and set your own deadline; or at least, agree on a period that works for you;
Three: Agree on what is expected from you and in what form - whether in a CD, emailed etc. Also, agree on when you expect your payment;
Four: Arm yourself with the relevant reference books: Dictionaries (one language, two languages), Thesaurus and Grammar guides. Remember to have a notebook too;
Five: In translating, start from the first page onwards, never at the middle or at the end; that way, should you have to translate an institution's name or other such outfit, you will have it easy. It also comes in handy when you have to cross-refer;
Six: After you are done with translating, read through your work carefully and make changes where necessary (proof reading skills come in here);
Seven: Eat well;
Eight: However hard you may work, remember to take a break, no less than 3 hours;
Nine: Write a thank you note to whoever gave you the job;
Ten: After you are done, sleep, and sleep some more.

"It's Our Turn to Eat" author cries foul

Soon after the serialisation of Michela Wrong's book - It's Our Turn to Eat - started in the Daily Nation, a pdf of the book was posted on a number of email groups and websites. Word got to Ms Wrong that her book - in pdf - was doing the rounds in Kenya. She wrote to complain about the injustice and illegality of it all and implored readers to be patiennt and order for a copy from abroad as local bookshops declined to stock copies for fear of being sued by those mentioned - we are talking of moneyed individuals who have all kinds of lawyers at their beck and call. The Nairobi Star and a few enterprising individual are offering the book to the public.



Here is Michela Wrong's letter as copy-pasted from one such website/email group:



March 16, 2009

Just so there is no confusion: the PDF version of my book being offered on this website is a bootleg copy, not authorised by me orJohn Githongo.When I was putting feelers out to the Kenyan media over a possible newspaper serialisation, I entrusted a copy to several individuals inNairobi on the strict understanding it would go no further. My trust was clearly betrayed. So it's an illegal pirate version (I can't vouch for its contents even being same as the book, by the way, as it maywell be an early, pre-edit version) -- and anyone passing it along is also doing something illegal.

I understand why people are doing this. I'm incredibly pleased there's so much Kenyan interest in the book, and I also quite understand the huge exasperation people feel at not being able to get their hands on the book immediately because booksellers are hesitating to stock it. However, if my book keeps circulating in this form in Nairobi, it has damaging implications not just for me but for any author who wants to write about Kenya in future. They will struggle to find a publisher willing to put money behind them, as Kenya will have won a reputation as a country where books get stolen, not sold, and copyright law has no meaning. I certainly would never again offer a serialisation to aKenyan newspaper, as I'm pretty sure this copy was stolen during thatprocess. That's not a great favour to do future Kenyan readers. So please have a heart and stop this.
The decent thing for any website manager to do would be to buy the rights to an e-book from my publisher so I at least make something from every download. Why has no one from this website even seen fit to approach me with this request?My address is not hard to find, it's on facebook, for God's sake. The failure to attempt to legitimise this download constitutes an act of theft.

This "it's impossible to buy" business is, in fact, exaggerated. The book CAN be easily bought, off http://www.amazon.co.uk/. Going down that route doesn't take that long, it's perfectly legal and yes, the copies are arriving in people's PO Boxes without any problem. Get your friends to bring copies in or send them: the book is on sale now in Western capitals, Dar Es Salaam, Johannesburg, and will shortly be available in Kampala.

Finally, please be aware that this is only a retail industry boycott. There is no government ban, no libel suit pending. Any enterprising Kenyan is therefore entirely free to order aconsignment off my publisher's representative (contact: anita.zih@azabs.nl This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ), and then dispose of the copies at will. You don't have to go down the pirate route. I am in the meantime pursuing the possibility of a local, cheap imprint with a Kenyan publisher, but these things take time to organise.

Personally, I wouldn't want to read the book on a computer screen. And if people are going to go to the lengths of downloading the PDF onto a memory stick, taking it to a photocopying centre and laboriously having all 339 pages printed out, I would have thought they might just as well order the thing off Amazon and wait for a week.

Michela Wrong

Kwani 05 is a great read

Just got a copy of part 1 of the twin issue of Kwani 05. It is dedicated to the 2007/8 Kenya post election violence. One would have expected a scary, patronising content but this isn't so. It tells it as it is through pictures, poems, prose and interviews with the truly affected.
I have read Chepkong'a, David Kaiza and one Ugandan guy whose name I can't seem to get right.
David Kaiza, a Ugandan writer based in Kenya, writes on the Luo as a people. He writes of his journey to Kenya to learn more of his 'distant' cousins and their honesty and trust. Very illuminating.
Let me get back to read it further before I can say more.

It's Our Turn to Eat

Just got myself a pdf of Michela Wrong's It's Our Turn to eat: The story of a Kenyan whistleblower. The writing is superb. Indeed, Ms Wrong treats the reader as an expert lover would his mate. She teases, gives you a taste, withdraws, moves to 'uninteresting' bits, gets back and all the while the tension is building, the desire ... you are asking for more. Be warned: It is not a book you will put down easily.
The book is about John Githongo and his troubles as the PS in charge of Governance...
It is already being serialised in the Daily Nation and has been reviewed - not exhaustively - in The EastAfrican and The Standard.
Great read ...

Why this blog?

So many books read; so many to read; so many to read. But where do we get the books? How?