Post-Independence Kenya

The entirety of the play takes place in Kenya after it won independence from Great Britain in 1963. The experience of independence visibly affects the main characters throughout the play; Kiguunda and Gicaamba, for instance, constantly grapple with the fact that their wages have stagnated and prices have increased. Though the events of the play physically unfold in present-day post-independence Kenya, the characters’ memories often transport the viewer to the happier times that they experienced before independence.

Kiguunda’s House

The majority of the play takes place in Kiguunda’s house, the decorations of which mirror the events in the play and symbolize his transitions between worker and elite. At the beginning of the play, the stage directions describe his home as “a square, mud-walled, white ochred, one-roomed house” (3). The house appears cluttered and in disrepair, with broken chairs and tattered bedding on the floor. The title-deed to...