It's Our Turn To Eat - Michela Wrong

4/5 stars

Michela Wrong's account of John Githongo's attempt to end corruption in Kenya is compelling. John Githongo got a job as the anti-corruption guru in the newly elected government of Mwai Kibaki, who took over after Daniel Arap Moi. Kibaki represented the renaissance of Kenya, a new way to conduct politics, but soon enough it appeared that he was as corrupt as his predecessor, as John Githongo would find out and try to mediatize.

Wrong shows that tribal ties is a huge issue in Kenyan politics. Kikuyus will always vote for and support their leaders, just as Luos will support theirs. Wrong compares this to a mafia, where family ties are more important than ethics. Githongo, by taping conversations with corrupt ministers, and later by divulging these to the media, was dubbed a traitor to his tribe.

Michela Wrong is adept at making the stories she writes about deeply personal and filled with comprehensive details about the context she describes. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to know more about politics and corruption in Kenya as well as for anyone wanting to understand the issues and implications of tribal dependencies in this country -and elsewhere in Africa.