Melville House Books

John Githongo, Kenyan whistleblower

CNN reported today that a new book from Harper Collins UK is making trouble in Kenya. It’s Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistleblower, by Michela Wrong, chronicles the culture of corruption in Kenyan politics, “making booksellers and government officials uneasy, but for different reasons,” says CNN. The “fear of reprisals is keeping sellers from stocking it, while top officials named in the book are threatening to sue for libel.

The book is about whistleblower, John Githongo, a former journalist whom the Kenyan government hired in 2003 to head an anti-graft unit, and apparently did his job too well. He resigned in 2005 and fled to England. Author Wrong, an old friend and fellow journalist, initially offered him shelter there.

Githongo’s investigations traced the intricate webs of corruption within the Kenyan political system, and featured top Kenyan politicians. According to CNN, “The most noted scandal — Anglo Leasing — revealed fraudulent deals, in which a fictitious company was paid millions of dollars for contracts using government funds.”

According to Wrong, after Githongo fled Kenya in 2005 the government started a manhunt for him in the UK … where, “a year later, Githongo released an explosive report detailing government fraud, which led to the resignation of some Kenyan politicians linked to the scandal.”

It’s Our Turn to Eat, though unavailable in Kenya, is enjoying a lively underground life there. A pirated PDF version is being circulated, and travelers are smuggling copies in to sell to their friends. Booksellers are afraid to carry the book for fear of reprisals from the government, though a government spokesman, Alfred Mutua, says their fears are unfounded. Mantua tells CNN, “I am not aware that people are afraid of selling the book, because we have freedom of expression here and any book can be sold.”

But booksellers like Chand Bahal say, “There are lots of names mentioned. You can’t say, ‘I am going to sell this book and make it big.’ … You will be the scapegoat; you will be in trouble.”

And, in the interesting twist for e-books, Harper has released an e-book version that Kenyans can download legally from the Internet. The book will be also available in the US in June.

Valerie Merians is the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.