QTN1: Write an essay showing how Francis Imbuga satirises leaders using illustrations from Betrayal in the City  

Francis Imbuga has criticised leaders in Kafira, humorously exposing their weaknesses.

Boss, the leader of Kafira, is characterised by dictatorship, corruption, nepotism and incompetence. He rules the country by an iron fist and does not condone criticism from anyone.

He signs death warrants of innocent citizens Doga, Nina and Kabito for speaking their minds and trying to fight for their rights.

He tells Jusper to warn the students against protests and he brags about ordering 300 expatriates just to prove a point to the protesters.

He appoints Mulili, his cousin, who is semi-literate, to be his eyes and ears and gives him the power to deal with those who oppose him.

He is incompetent and irresponsible and he relies on incompetent officials to run the country, making his way of conducting his business laughable.

Mulili is appointed by Boss as an official because he is his cousin and has promised him acres of land and cattle if he remains loyal.

This makes him discharge his duties in the most unrealistic and unreasonable manner. He denies the old couple the right to perform a harmless ceremony and refuses to reason with Jere.

It is ridiculous that he is a top government official yet he cannot express himself in English and his ideas are retrogressive.

He betrays fellow officers like Kabito and uses his relationship with Boss to oppress and intimidate them.

He uses Boss to snatch the milk tender from Kabito and later kills him while Jere is imprisoned because of him. His callous, insensitive, vengeful and sycophantic nature is humorously brought out through his broken English.

Tumbo is another government official whose weaknesses are exposed in a laughable manner.

He is corrupt, hypocritical, ignorant and cowardly.

He criticises the students but when Jusper goes out to get the drinks, he admits to Regina that Jusper and the students are right but he cannot dare confront Boss and tell him the truth.

His ignorance is seen when he says that Soyinka is a Prime Minister of a certain country he can’t remember.

He pretends to be a socialist when he offers Jusper the chance to write the play but he does it to keep the money meant for competition.

This shows his hypocritical and corrupt nature.

The Askari is also satirised. He misuses his position to terrorise the political prisoners and ensure that they toe the line.

He tells Jere that he is there to ensure that he asks no questions and he even brags of having killed a prisoner for a minor offence.

His hypocrisy is seen when he pretends that he is doing Jere a favour by telling him to fill forms for his rehabilitation.

It is evident that Francis Imbuga has effectively exposed leaders’ weaknesses by criticising them humorously.

Students are encouraged to explore the other styles and their effectiveness and attempt the essay questions to better their analytical skills.