Vendors fear selling book on Githongo over libel suits

Kenyans may never have the opportunity to read an insider’s account of grand corruption in the Narc Government in its entirety as a “chilling effect” has gripped book traders in Nairobi ahead of the release of It’s Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistleblower by acclaimed journalist Michela Wrong, excerpts of which were published by the Daily Nation recently.

Book vendors interviewed on Wednesday said they feared selling the book, which tells the story of former anti-corruption and governance permanent secretary John Githongo.

The book contains damning revelations about Mr Githongo’s former government colleagues in relation to the Anglo Leasing scandal, which involved dubious military contracts.

The traders fear that politicians adversely mentioned in the 400-page book, already on sale on websites like Amazon.co.uk, could sue them for millions of shillings for defamation. “It’s too political … we are not going to carry it,” said Mr Dipak Shah of Bookpoint Ltd on Moi Avenue in Nairobi.

Mr Shah said he had received a review copy from the book’s publishers, but decided he will not take any risk that could hurt his business. His shop was successfully sued in the past by former minister Nicholas Biwott, for selling Dr Ian West’s Casebook by Chester Stern.

The book was about the 1990 murder of Foreign Affairs minister Robert Ouko. Together with Bookstop Ltd, Bookpoint was ordered to pay Mr Biwott Sh10 million.

Other vendors said they were yet to receive review copies and were not sure how to proceed. “We have asked for a review copy, and we will go through it to see if it contains anything that could land us in trouble,” said Mr Arvind Shah of Text Book Centre (TBC) on Kijabe Street.

TBC also faced legal action from former President Moi and Mr Biwott over another book by former American ambassador Smith Hempstone. An employee at the bookshop said they had received inquiries from readers interested in buying the book.

Customer reviews

At Yaya Centre’s Bookstop Ltd, one trader told the Nation: “You won’t get it anywhere. We don’t want to deal with it. We want to stay as far away as possible.”

On Wednesday afternoon, the book ranked 499th on Amazon.co.uk. It was given the maximum five-star rating from each of the two readers who have submitted customer reviews so far.