SJS2 - The Kenya Africa Union is Not the Mau Mau

SJS2 - The Kenya Africa Union is Not the Mau Mau

Source: Munene, Ishmael Irungu. "The Boy is Gone: Conversation with a Mau Mau General by Laura Lee Huttenbach (Review)." Africa Today Vol. 63: Issue 1. Fall 2016. Pages 109-112.

Author Credentials: Ishmael Irungu Munene is a professor at Northern Arizona University. He specializes in research and leadership in higher education. He has published several articles about Kenya, most of which concern Kenya's education sector. He has written these articles for publishers and universities both in Kenya and in the United States. He evidently has studied Kenya for a long time and seems qualified to write this article.

Summary: This article is a review of Laura Lee Huttenbach's book The Boy is Gone: Conversation with a Mau Mau General. This book, according to the review, details the life of Japhlet Thambu, who was a Kenyan military general at the time of the Mau Mau revolt. The books connects Thambu's life with the events that were happening around him, and focuses on the theme of betrayal, within the Mau Maus as well as between the Mau Maus and the British.

Analysis: The author does a good job of explaining the premise of the book in depth. Munene's review of the book is primarily positive, and he describes the book as unique and different from most other existing accounts of the Mau Mau revolt. He explains that this biography recounts the events that occurred from the firsthand perspective of Thambu, and how these events impacted Thambu's personal life, which is certainly different from many objective accounts of the revolt. Munene keeps his opinions separated from his facts, and the quality of the article reflects his substantial experience with Kenya.