Kenya: A History Since Independence

It is banned in Kenya so the only way to get it is through Amazon. It's a must read for anyone who wants to understand who wrecked Kenya and how. Why things are the way they are and who decided they be that way. Why one man can change generations forever. Charles has no euphemism, prepare to not take anything personal. I wish he could continue updating his writing with upto 2022 events.

The book introduces you to some geopolitical atmosphere as it existed in the colonial days of Kenya denoting the ruthlesness of the people in power positions. I want to note that there are not much writings concerning the peasantry however much ado with the leadership of the electees. It sometimes addresses the finance climate of Kenya.As i read the book,I compared the situation against that of other African countries about which I have read and thus concluded that Kenya may demonstrate a more advanced community. By and large ,the book is quite entertaining and offers a reality approach to this African country which has developed as a rather valiant colony of England. It gave me quite a complete picture of the nature of a dedicated African people surmounting the pains peculiar to the formation of a new society in a milieu of traditional values.

My niece is going to Kenya to build a school, so I bought this book for her. ;I have not read it, but while scanning through it realize it is perfect for a student.

The book is rich in content, there is a bit too much of it and could have been better structured.

This book is absolutely wonderful and a must read for anyone looking to understand in depth Kenya's current state of affairs in relation to its history.

First and foremost i must say i am a Kenyan, born and raised here. The saddest thing about most of our historical figures have not left us any writting and if any something total different subject from they time in power or ruling. I am so happy that somebody has taken the task to put all this together in one book.The book is full of details which sometimes may feel too much but reality sometimes is hard to show without going into such.I love it and its a must have for ever kenyan and everyone who wants to understand us. the only thing i would say is its not a one seating read. its not a book you should borrow and then give back. you need this to keep checking facts up and to keep finding new ways to see old ones. I bought several just to give friends as gift.

For anyone wanting to learn about Kenya(particularly in the run-up to the 2013 presidential elections) this is a one-stop book. A thorough examination of Kenya from the time of independence to date, Charles Hornsby breaks down the period covered (roughly from 1966 to 2011) into smaller time periods, and reviews progress and developments within the Kenyan state across a variety of key sectors during each time-period- politics, security, the economy and so on - building a comprehensive picture of Kenya's evolution and growth.Thoroughly documented (his references include newspaper articles, books, journals, official publications, and even the occasional rumor in circulation) the book can be supplemented by sometimes breaking away to You Tube, to bring to life the cast of players portrayed in the book. The publication in serial form of this book in the East African Standard, one of the major news publications in Kenya, is an indication of how well Hornsby has succeeded in his task.

There's no doubt the Charles Hornsby's `Kenya: A History Since Independence' is a major work in more ways than one (not least because it is over 800 pages long). However, for those coming to Kenyan history for the first time, or wanting to learn about the country's history in any depth, Hornsby's book should be treated with a degree of caution. Despite its length and breadth, Kenya: A History is more by way of a popular account of Kenyan history based more on newspaper and magazine reports and articles rather than on primary sources and sometimes doesn't take into account publicly available information that runs counter `same old' accepted stories.To take but just one example, Hornsby's section on the murder of Dr Robert Ouko (Kenya's Foreign Minister murdered in February 1990) regurgitates the popularized version of events which has been largely discredited over the years based on verifiable, primary source based, facts. Hornsby retells the story (which admittedly he admits are based on speculation and `theories advanced') that Dr Ouko might have been investigating alleged corruption over the rehabilitation of the Kisumu Molasses project and clashed with colleagues who wanted bribes (an allegation made by the `directors' of a Swiss-Italian firm called BAK), or that on a trip to Washington just before his death he might have been treated too favourably by the Bush administration and fallen foul of an angry President Moi and cabinet colleagues. Both these theories have proved to be utterly untenable.There has never been any evidence to support the `corruption report' over the Molasses Project theory - all the evidence proves otherwise. Of the BAK directors, one was proven to have been out on bail from a Milan court convicted of attempted fraud (a conviction upheld on appeal) the other was his `partner', and their company, which never traded, was only formerly incorporated as a commercial entity on the day that Dr Ouko was murdered, February 13, 1990. Likewise, the `Washington trip' theory as a motive for Ouko murder was also proven to be entirely without foundation. Ouko did not meet President Bush in Washington (multiple sources confirm this and in 2013 Kenya's Truth, Justice and Reconciliation accepted as fact that there was no Bush-Ouko meeting during the trip to Washington), he flew back with the delegation (again multiple sources and photographs prove this), was not `sacked', his passport was not removed (Mrs Ouko handed her husband's passport to Scotland Yard shortly after their investigation began), and his bodyguard and driver remained on duty with him and under orders up until his death.Nearly all of the information and (primary) source material that prove the `Molasses project' and `Washington trip' theories to be nonsense has been available since at least 2004 (Kenya: A History was published in 2012) and much of it in the public domain, for those that cared to look, since the Gicheru Commission inquiry in 1991 (and readily available via the internet since at least 2010) . Hornsby's sources for this section of the book are largely drawn from newspaper articles and reports in The Daily Nation, Sunday Standard, and Weekly Review, for example, secondary sources mostly from 1992/3.`Kenya: A History Since Independence' is a big book perhaps worth a read to someone who already has a good knowledge of modern Kenyan history but readers new to the subject should beware.  Kenya: A History Since Independence

The first comprehensive book on Kenyan History that I have been able to find. Despite it's length, it is very readable. Gives a good intro to pre-independence Kenya before telling you everything that has happened since. Wish it went beyond 2013...update please.

Very detailed and thoroughly researched scholarly tome. Still reading it slowly. No other publication gives such insight into the history of Kenya.

Excellent

great