Grace Ogot in her short stories captures the state of Kenya immediately after independence. The new country is in confusion for people were now given roles in government that they had never dreamed of. These roles had previously been filled by the colonial master but now that the country was a self governing state, the government officials had to be from the citizens. There is a lot of corruption as people rush to make wealth in the new country. An example is in the story ‘The Honorable Minister’ where the minister expected women to sleep with him so that their loans can be processed. The ministers held these positions not because they had the qualifications to but because of nepotism and tribalism. In the story ‘The Professor’ the Vice Chancellor of the University of Kenya points out that the current Minister for Information had barely finished grade seven yet he was the minister whereas there were other learned people who had qualified for the opportunity.
The stories also seek to show the struggle that people were facing on how to incorporate their traditional ways into the modern life and Christianity. The people held strong African beliefs that were deeply rooted in their cultures. An example is Professor Miyare who was at crossroads for he was a professor of medicine at the University of Kenya. He was about to make a breakthrough in heart transplant and to perform it for the first time in sub-Saharan Africa. This move was met by a lot of both internal and external conflict whether it was right in view to African views on life and death. Women in the novel also struggled with the gender roles that were required of them traditionally and whether to venture in the world of work.
