Kenya's Swahili Coast: From the Roman Empire to 1888

by Judy Aldrick

256 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2024

Reviews

[William Pike]

This book is well worth reading, especially if you are interested in the ancient city-states of the East African coast. The book started life as a primer for Kenya coast schoolkids, suggested by the Mombasa governor, but sadly for the kids that never happened. This is the adult version and gives a potted history of the Coast, through the mediaeval heyday of trading cities like Malindi, Mombasa and Kilwa; the disruption of Portuguese maritime technology and subsequent Portuguese rule; the Mazrui governorship and eventual Omani rule; until the arrival of the British and full colonisation. The author has a great eye for a story and the book is very readable.