This image is the cover for the book Hakuna Matata

Hakuna Matata

The DNA of a nation is cast at the dawn of its independence from any form of subjugation. This template lives on, replicating frequently but transforming through political mutations. For Kenya, this dates back to 1963, when the country gained independence and the legacy lives on. In this setting, the life journey of Salimo bounces along professional and political adolescence, as well as close relationships with international friends and the people he serves. Collectively, they leave a lasting imprint and shape his future life. Hakuna Matata is the spirit of the nation and its young generation. The people, the nation and the profession, all are at the mercy of the ruling class that is shameless in the orgy of violence, political intrigue and corruption. The story straddles the political lives of the founding president, Jomo Kenyatta, and his often-violent regime through the political turmoil and corrupt regime of President Moi. However, the people and its youth are not cowed but they march on stoically, always expecting a better future of which they are as much a product of but also its architect.

Biba

Biba was born in Kenya, the first-born in the family of seven, four girls and three boys. His grandfather moved the family from the top of Manga escarpment in the then Kisii highlands southwards to virgin land, where he curved out what was then considered huge tract but in fact a couple of hectares! Much later, when the colonial authorities presented him with a choice to host a school or church, without second thoughts, he chose the Seventh Day Adventist Church. “Unlike the school, the church grows beyond its borders without eating up your land,” was his logic. From this humble origin, his eldest grandson obtained earlier education before venturing into schools in various parts of the country, and university, graduating in medicine before specialising in surgery and public health. He has worked for universities and governments in Eastern Africa, the horn of Africa and Southern Africa. He is married with four children.

Austin Macauley Publishers