Avid Readers Column

The gentlemen of the jungle by Jomo Kenyatta And ‘Quotes from Tom Mboya’ in An Evening with Tom Mboya

2026-03-10T00:01:00+03:00

The second Agora session of the year convened on 10 February 2026 and was facilitated by Youngreen Peter Mudeyi and Lewis Ndichu. The evening involved a critical engagement with African leadership through two texts: An Evening with Tom Mboya published by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, and The Gentlemen of the Jungle by Jomo Kenyatta. The texts formed a dialogue between hope and betrayal, vision, dispossession, leadership, and power.

The Day Christianity was banned in Africa by Billheart Braxtone

2026-03-10T00:01:00+03:00

The Avid Readers’ session of 10 March featured a reflective and imaginative piece authored by a member of the Forum, Billheart Braxtone, titled ‘The Day Christianity Was Banned in Africa.’ The reading emerged as a response to earlier discussions within the Forum that had largely critiqued the historical and contemporary impact of Christianity on the African continent. In contrast, the author sought to present a more introspective and ultimately affirmative perspective on the place and resilience of Christianity in Africa.

To: The Political Class at Independence

2026-03-10T00:01:00+03:00

From: A Child of the Republic You Almost Built

Ndugu zetu, o foolish and gifted yet dangerously misguided founders. We write to you from a country you built. A country shaped by your hands, your speeches, your signatures and by the blood of those who believed in you without reservation. A people who sang for you, named their children after you and even stood in the rain for you. Independence is not your greatest victory but your first test and you are already failing it in ways that will echo for generations.

Tujiangalie: Across the Shadows of Independence

2026-03-03T00:01:00+03:00

Dear People of Kenya,

We write to you not as one above you, nor as one separate from you, but as one among you, yet from a different time. A time where your past has become our lesson, your silence our question, and your strength our inheritance.

A Letter to Jomo Kenyatta

2026-03-03T00:01:00+03:00

Dear Jomo Kenyatta,

I believe that we are not acquainted yet. This is because we are from the future, modern day Kenya. You would not believe how much has changed. TVs are now in colour, and we have a new Constitution, promulgated in 2010. It vests all power in the people and is praised to have autochthonous aspirations and an admirably progressive Bill of Rights.

The Ethical Foundations of Julius Nyerere’s Legacy by Cranford Pratt and Corporate Charter Colonialism Never Died by Iain Parker

2026-03-03T00:01:00+03:00

On 3 March 2026, the Avid Readers Forum convened for a reading and discussion session on Chapter 4 of The Legacies of Julius Nyerere and a substack article by Iain Parker. The session was moderated by Jimmy Wambua and Sarah Muhonja and attended by members of the forum drawn from Kabarak Law School, including Prof. Oluyemisi Bamgbose and Mr Cedric Kadima. With Parker’s article providing context, Pratt’s chapter explored key dimensions of Julius Nyerere’s intellectual, political and social legacy, with particular attention to his philosophy of leadership, education, and nation-building. Prior to the reading, the moderators provided brief contextual remarks on Nyerere’s role as Tanzania’s founding president and his enduring influence on African political thought and his emphasis on ethical leadership and collective responsibility.

Making of a Nation by Hillary Ng’weno

2026-03-03T00:01:00+03:00

The Contribution of Alliance High School to the Leadership of Post-Colonial Kenya

Session Overview

On Tuesday, 31^st March, 2026, we, the members of the Avid Readers Forum converged at the Professorial Boardroom in our prestigious law school for the final Agora session of the semester. The meeting featured an audio-visual presentation, ‘Making of a Nation’, a documentary by Hillary Ng’weno centered on the legacy of Alliance High School (AHS) and its long-term impact on Kenyan governance. We held a discussion on the historical influence of Alliance High School on the leadership and political landscape of Kenya, noting that AHS celebrated its centenary on 1^st March, 2026.

Papa, Snake and I by Luis Bernardo Honwana

2026-03-03T00:01:00+03:00

This report presents a structured account of the Avid Readers’ session on the short story ‘Papa, Snake and I’, moderated by Billheart Braxtone on 17 March 2026. The session focused on analysing the major events, themes, and lessons derived from the narrator’s encounters with the snake referred to as “Snake.” The discussion examined how the narrator’s perception evolves from fear to understanding through repeated observation of the snake’s behaviour.

A reflection on Braxtone’s The Day Christianity was Banned in Africa

2026-03-03T00:01:00+03:00

When it comes to outshining themselves, Kabarak Law Students seem to have a knack. Sharing a stage with a seasoned Kenyan artist during the Cultural Week Gala Night pales in comparison with having your writing dominate the subject of discourse in the same arena as renowned authors such as Chinua Achebe. Our very own Billheart Braxtone shared in this honor when discussions of the Avid Readers’ Forum were directed by his The Day Christianity was Banned in Africa.

The Challenges of Development in Tanzania: The Legacy of Julius Nyerere by Julius Nyang’oro, and The Arusha Declaration by Julius Nyerere

2026-02-24T00:01:00+03:00

The evening session of 24 February began with a summary of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s background from Jimmy Wambua who was the facilitator of the session. A reflection of what it means to inherit a vision and its burdens hit the room as the narration by the two authors were read, making it the central guest in the room. The texts did not simply recount history; they demanded that we confront the paradox of leadership, vision, and the stubborn realities of development.