Months, before Americans went to the polls to choose the successor of incumbent President Joe Biden, a Kenyan politician, released a book on why Donald Trump had high odds of winning the race.
Mr Kennedy Mong’are, a former Nyamira senator and a lawyer, shared his thoughts with the world in a 230-page book titled Why Donald J Trump Must Win 2024: Against All Odds that was on sale from as early as July.
“I wrote the book over seven months ago, and I’ve been vindicated now that Trump has won,” said Mr Mong’are, who also identifies as a political historian. “This was a book looking at American politics, economy, and societal values vis-a-vis world affairs. I was vouching for Donald Trump because he had served as a president and I looked deeply on his tenure.”
The book delves into the historical and geopolitical realities of the US, a country Mr Mong’are has visited several times and where his child is schooling. It dissects the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, and how Mr Trump’s Republican Party relates to Africa, among others. He told Nation.Africa that the book is made for leaders, aspiring leaders and those who study political history.
In the 2017 General Election, Mr Mong’are unsuccessfully vied to be the Nyamira governor, losing to John Nyagarama and stymying his bid to step up from senator to governor.
Afterwards, he toyed with the idea of running for president but changed his mind and gunned for the senator seat instead. He, however, lost to incumbent Okong’o o’Mogeni.
“Immediately former Prime Minister Raila Odinga declared his candidature to run for AU, I went back to the library. In fact, I have finalised a book. It’s called ‘Why and How Raila Odinga Can Win the African Union Chairmanship against Hurdles.’ I have just done it like a manual. It’s a manual I have made for the government. I am launching it in the next 10 days or so,” said Mr Mong’are, who went to the Senate in 2013 on a Ford Kenya ticket.
That quest brought up the issue of the perishability of his books, given that the political leaders he has written about will move into other things in the coming years.
“A political historian does not mind much about the lifespan of the book he does. It will be revisited by other historians, political actors, to understand and delve into the dynamics of that period of time, and you know history repeats itself,” he said.
He has published two other books before, one of which is about his journey from a son of a peasant to a man with presidential ambitions.
The fact that Mr Trump is one of the people he has dedicated his most recent book is a testament to how much he adores the president-elect.
“Your leadership, vision, and unyielding commitment have inspired many around the world. This book is dedicated to your efforts and the significant impact you’ve had on countless lives,” he addresses Mr Trump in the dedication page of the book.
