African Ethics

Hannah Wangeci Kinoti was born in the middle of the Second World War, the last of the six children of Ruben and Ruth Gathii. Her parents were among the first converts to Christianity in central Kenya. She imbibed from them Gĩkũyũ cultural and moral values; at the same time she learned the Christian faith from them and from their Scottish Presbyterian Church. At Kahuhia Primary School and Alliance Girls High School she learned western culture from her teachers, most of whom were European missionaries. At Makerere University College (then a constituent college of the University of East Africa) she read English and Religious Studies, learning African religion under the distinguished scholar, Professor John Mbiti. For her doctoral thesis she decided to do research into Gĩkũyũ traditional morality, which is the subject of this book. Hannah Kinoti’s research and teaching interests took her to many foreign institutions, such as Regent College, Vancouver, Canada and the Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. She wrote and spoke widely on ethics and religion, always concerned about the spiritual, moral and social well being of the African people. She herself was, as a friend once observed, an authentic African Christian woman. She was an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Nairobi when she died suddenly in 2001. Hannah and her husband, Professor George Kinoti, had five children.

• PrefaceForewordAcknowledgementsIntroductionRationale for the study Description of the literatureThe various groups interviewedChapter 1: The Cultural SettingGĩkũyũ society in the pre-colonial periodChanges that have occurred in Gĩkũyũ society since the 1880sChapter 2: Honesty (Wĩhokeku)Views of early writers What is honesty?Honesty in modern times ConclusionChapter 3: Generosity (Ũtaana)Views of early writers What is generosity? (ũtuuna)The ideal practice of generosityWhy generosity is valuedTraditional ways of enforcing generosityGenerosity in modern timesConclusionChapter 4: Justice (Kĩhooto)Views of early writersWhat is justice?Reward and punishmentForgiveness, atonement and restorationYounger generations’ understanding of justiceJustice in modern timesConclusionChapter 5: Courage (Ũcamba)Views of early writersWho is a courageous person?Incentives to courage ConclusionChapter 6: Temperance (Wĩkindĩria)Views of early writersTemperance as abstention (kwĩhinga)Temperance as self-control (gwĩthima)Temperance as caution (wĩmenyereri) Temperance as steadfastness (ũkirĩrĩria)Temperance in modern timesFactors influencing ideas about temperanceConclusionGeneral ConclusionNotes and referencesBibliographyArchival materialIndexAbout the author