Editon Consortium Publishing

THE STORIES THEY TELL, THE LIES WE CONSUME: SUBALTERNITY AND THE POLITICS OF DECEPTION IN KENYAN AUTOBIOGRAPHIES

2026-06-15T12:14:09+00:00

The Stories They Tell, The Lies We Consume: Subalternity and the Politics of Deception in Kenyan Autobiographies examines the intersections of nationhood, ethnicity, and identity politics, with a particular focus on their most potent expression in political autobiographies. By examining the lives and writings of leaders who “reigned but never ruled” – namely, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Bildad Kaggia, Joseph Murumbi, and Raila Odinga – the book argues that these concepts are closely interconnected. It reveals how these leaders used narratives that incorporated specific affirmation rituals and patterns of defiance to maintain power.

A central finding of this work is that these leaders employed a strategic form of double-speak that embodied subalternity. While they publicly championed the interests of the masses, they privately upheld those of the political elite. By positioning themselves as Kenyan subalterns, they mythologised their personas, implying that their personal political choices aligned with the best interests of the subordinate groups they claimed to represent.

This study interrogates the Kenyan political autobiography as a primary site where the nuances of “subalternity” are constructed through literary sleight of hand. By adopting the mask of the marginalized, these authors – who are historically and materially part of the Kenyan hegemony – effectively hijack the grievances of the masses. In this context, the stories they tell us are carefully curated mythologies designed to bridge the chasm between the palace and the pavement. The book offers a critical interpretive analysis of how Kenya’s political elite use life writing to construct these identities. Although the nation’s founders envisioned a unified, prosperous Kenya more than five decades ago, reality has been shaped by ethnic divisions and uneven development. This research posits that the autobiographies authored by these leaders are not objective historical records but “public transcripts” – strategic tools of deception designed to mythologize individuals and preserve entrenched personal interests, ultimately serving as “shrines of deception.”

By examining the intersection of nationhood, ethnicity, and history through the lens of strategic self-fashioning, the study analyses four seminal texts: Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s Not Yet Uhuru, Bildad Kaggia’s The Roots of Freedom, Joseph Murumbi’s A Path Not Taken, and Raila Odinga’s The Flame of Freedom. These works reveal a recurring motif in which socialist rhetoric is used as a populist tool, framing the elite as champions of the poor to mislead the masses into believing their interests are aligned, when, in fact, such rhetoric often masks personal or class-based agendas. A central pillar of this analysis examines rhetorical performance, noting how these authors present themselves as fearless, revolutionary figures by adopting religious and messianic imagery. They often embody archetypes such as Moses or Joshua leading people to a promised land, the Messiah as the nation’s saviour, or the Prophet as a lone voice speaking truth to power.

Through a postcolonial lens that treats resistance as a strategic calculation, the work argues that claims of marginalization by these figures often mask indirection. These narratives create a flattering self-image for the elite while reinforcing existing power structures rather than dismantling them. Ultimately, this critique warns against the “danger of a single story,” suggesting that Kenyan political autobiographies are public performances of loyalty and deference intended to secure personal gain and, at times, to function as shrines of deception. By rewriting history to favour their own narratives, these elites construct a politics of deception in which the need to tell an effective story consistently outweighs the moral obligation to tell a true one.

Business Finance

2025-11-17T07:27:30+00:00

This book serves as a guide for business leaders, students, and financial professionals to navigate a new era of financial management. It presents business finance as a dynamic and strategic discipline, moving beyond traditional accounting routines to embrace a holistic framework for decision-making, value creation, and sustainable growth. The book emphasises finance as a continuous process of planning, analysis, and strategic alignment—where financial managers act not merely as record-keepers, but as architects of enterprise success.

Organised into eight chapters, the content builds logically from foundational concepts to advanced applications and continuous improvement. It progresses from financial theory and definitions, through planning, capital budgeting, working capital management, forecasting, performance review, to systems integration and emerging trends. Each critical element—from cost of capital to financial risk management—is addressed with clarity and relevance. By aligning personal and corporate financial objectives, this book empowers readers to make informed decisions that drive long-term value and resilience in a competitive global economy.

Performance Management in Education: Theory and Practice

2025-09-24T06:59:40+00:00

This book serves as a guide for school leaders to implement a new era of performance management. It presents performance management as a dynamic and transformational process, distinguishing it from the traditional, one-time exercise of performance appraisal. The book aims to show how a continuous and strategic framework, where leaders act as coaches rather than judges, can foster a culture of professional growth and collaborative accountability among educators. This book has been organized into 15 chapters and optimized as a university-level book on Performance Management. It builds logically from foundations to advanced implementation and continuous improvement. It moves from theory and definitions, through planning, implementation, review, rewards, and finally systems integration and future trends. Each critical element—from instructional supervision to ISO certification—is addressed. It provides a comprehensive and actionable framework for school leaders to achieve clarity, support their staff, and ultimately improve student academic outcomes by ensuring that both personal and corporate goals are met.

The Docker

2025-07-03T00:07:18+00:00

When the ship docks on this island, everything goes in disarray. Students abscond school, and all economic roads lead to the dock. The beach becomes active. This is time for Jamal to get the much-needed financial boost to take care of his sister, Maria, with whom they are orphans. This is at the expense of his girlfriend, Jasmine, who decides enough is enough; she also wants to be happy like her peers, thus taking to her pen pal, Octopus. The Principal of Kisiwani Day School is now fed up with this trend and is out to expose Octopus and Camellia, but not before family ties and illicit relationships are revealed. The eye does not see itself.

Transforming Tradition

2025-07-02T23:51:09+00:00

In the book Transforming Traditions: Impact of Guidance-Based Rites on Female Genital Mutilation among the Marakwet of Kenya, Prof Gladys Kiptiony tackles a decade-long challenge, yet a persistent tradition of FGM among members of the second most populous community in Kenya. Female genital mutilation’s persistence across decades of attempts to eliminate it has challenged even the United Nations. It became clear that only a multipronged approach gives hope. That is why, as an educator in counselling psychology, Prof Gladys decided to make her contribution to tackling the ordeal using the counselling psychology approach. The book offers a rare yet effective approach to dealing with FGM among the Marakwet community—an approach that can be universalised to all communities across the world where FGM elimination seems to take longer than expected. The approach's applicability goes beyond FGM. It is, therefore, a book every crusader of harmful traditions like FGM should possess.