Skip to main content

Author's novel is an unofficial indictment to Kenya police for extra judicial killings


Title: Den of Inequities
Author: Kinyanjui Kombani
Publisher: Sasa Sema (Imprint of Longhorn)
Year: 2013
Reviewer: Kitui Wakape

As a novel targeting the  mature general public and to some extent university students most prone to insecurity, Kombani's Den of Inquities might as well be an unofficial indictment to the National Police Service on extra judicial killings that have bedevilled our police force for ages.

Going by the reports of police killing innocent civilians on the premise of maintaining law and order, reading Kombani's work will click on the reader's subconscious the numerous TV reports on police killings. It would be an understatement to say that his story sounds and reads like the truth inside of fiction.

Coming hot in the heels of his bestselling novel The Last Villains of Molo on post election violence, Kombani's writing places him as an authority figure on matters  criminal justice system in Kenya.

The author uses the Aliston Report on extra judicial killings as a backdrop for his book which gives his story an authenticity and vividness that some might find gory. Set mainly in the slums of Nairobi, the book captures Omosh and Gosti who get acquainted in a police cell; Omosh for wrongful accusation of fighting and Gosti though a mugger and a jailbird, this time he's innocent. It's through this two that the statement of the law is an arse makes sense for they are sentenced to serve jail time on their own admission of guilt for being ‘drunk' and ‘disorderly.' Actually Omosh weeps after the sentencing for he'd expected to get a lighter sentencing.

On the other hand Aileen, a cabinet minister's daughter falls in love with a member of Chama, a proscribed group that might as well be the Mungiki and her life begins changing. And when someone starts killing policemen, the plot gets interesting as police officers seem defenseless. In retaliation, the officers target the group members, but who really is targeting the police and why?

Kombani tells his story humorously but the weightier matters of police brutality, extra judicial killings, proscribed groups and miscarriage of justice don't escape the readers mind as they are told in all honesty. Though dialogue towards the end doesn't sound that convincing, Kombani's book raises issues that are fundamental and need to be discussed in detail.

Kombani wears many hats. He is a banker, learning facilitator, award-winning entrepreneur and certified business mentor. Perhaps this makes him better placed to write on different issues. And as an author who must be taken seriously, his first work has been turned into a film and is being studied in various universities around the globe.

His other works include Wangari Maathai: Mother of Trees, We Can be Friends, Lost but Found, and a film- Mizoga.

The book is available here https://books2read.com/u/boDnvR

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Dear Reader. Did you love our article. If so, leave a comment. If you were dissatisfied with the content, tell us where to improve.

If you are looking for content writers for your blog, or website, kindly get in touch via perfectpublications@yahoo.com. Cheers!

Popular posts from this blog

The Girl With a Winsome Smile

The Girl With a Winsome Smile ©2011, 2018, 2020 Kitui Wakape Image©cottonbro pexels Dedication To all those whose hopes and dreams keep them alive... When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time." Chapter One Central Prefecture Town An octogenarian stood inside a rickety, wooden kitchen detached from the main house. His unsure eyes stared at the misty white valley below as if searching for something. With froth forming on either side of his sperm-whale lips, he kept mumbling to himself. Addressing no one in particular, he declared, "She'll never succeed! The seed of her womb will amount to nothing!" He spat on the fire and opened his trouser zipper with shaky, heavily veined, and calloused hands. Within a few seconds, a jet of yellow liquid shot into the fire, the half-burnt wood hissing in effect before the fire went out. After he was done, he spat on the fire again before leaving the kitchen through a creaky door...
5 comments
Read more

10 Best Budgeting Apps For 2022

10  Best Budgeting Apps for 2022 Pamela Kaguri Budgeting keeps you on the right track and helps you know the amount of money that enters and exits your household. Did you know that budgeting apps can make your work easier? Instead of entering your work manually, most of them automate the process, thus making it effective instead of using paper and pen. Many budgeting apps have been developed over time. A budgeting app should be affordable, easy to use, and safe. It can also help you on how to survive the high cost of living in 2022 , if you use it well. Here are the ten best budgeting apps that you can use to simplify your financial decisions. 1. Mint This is a product of Intuit company. Available in both the app store and google play, it is free to download. It is also compatible with iOS, Android, and web browsers. The app is highly rated in both Google Play and Apple Store. Pros Categorizes all your expenses, and will help you know when you are approaching your limit...
1 comment
Read more

Tracking The Scent of My Mother

Writer tackles incest, betrayal and murder in outstanding novella Title: Tracking The Scent of My Mother Author: Muthoni Garland Publisher: StoryMoja Year: 2007 Reviewer: Kitui Wakape If you've ever had doubts on whether Kenya has great novelists or not, then you may have to consider Muthoni Garland's novella Tracking The Scent of My Mother. This book was a shortlist of the prestigious Caine Prize in 2006 as a manuscript and was completed in Naivasha during a Caine Prize African Writers' Workshop. Set in the rural Mukuruweini and Ithanga, Garland's story looks at the brutalised life of Scholastica who was born into a polygamous household with her senior mother having five daughters and her mother having two. She develops a certain bond with her mother that she guards jealously as they work the fields and do house chores together. It is this jealousy that leads her in killing her 14-year-old half sister at a rickety bridge over river Ragati. She was just nine...
Post a Comment
Read more