Living Without Fear: A Memoir

This book is at once history and a compelling memoir—the author’s riveting account of his upbringing in the tumultuous colonial period, his family’s struggles during the Mau Mau War, and his tenacious and eventually fruitful quest for prosperity in independent Kenya.

Relying on his experiences within the larger Gichure clan that traverses the current Othaya and Tetu Sub Counties in Nyeri, the author relates his family story within the context of sweeping social, economic, and cultural changes that reverberate in Kenya’s national life to this day.

The book provokes readers to think through the immeasurable scope around us for self-improvement, but without being preachy or glossing over the hard work it takes to succeed in life. In this narrative, he calls all Kenyans to a moral armament which he considers a precondition for the social transformation we all seek.

Author Bio: H.W. Gichohi was born on 23 September 1944 in Turi, Nakuru County, where his paternal and maternal grandmothers—who were both widowed young—emigrated in search of employment in the late-1910s. His parents met and married at a settler farm in Nakuru, where they both worked. When he was four, the parents returned to their roots in Nyeri, so their children could access education denied to them by the white employer in Nakuru.

He did his primary education at Munyange Primary School, whose 1962 class topped the country in the Kenya African Preliminary Examination. He then joined the prestigious Kangaru High School, where he slackened in academics but was inspired by the headmaster, Mr. C.F. Hampton, into a career in accounting and business.

He is a founding member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya, which he has served in several capacities over five decades; most notably during the establishment of Mhasibu Sacco. He has audited and managed several companies and nurtured many professionals and entrepreneurs.

Details:

• ISBN: 978-9914-4900-5
• Format: Paperback
• Genre: Memoir & Biography
• Publication Date: February 25, 2024