Inheritance by David Mulwa Setbook Guide and Summary Analysis

This is a summary and a guide of the secondary school set-book Inheritance by David Kakuta Mulwa.

Inheritance Author Background info

David KakutaMulwa was born on 9th April 1945 in the plains of Mukaa in Makueni County. His writing was influenced by his father, Pastor John Mulwa, and his teachers from primary school to the university.

David Mulwa went to Machakos Boys High School, then to Alliance High School for his A- levels. He joined the University of Nairobi where he studied Literature instructed by Taban Lo Liyong’ and Okot P ‘Bitek. He proceeded to the University of California in Los Angeles under a scholarship where he studied Masters in Arts.

Mulwa has also written other books including ‘Redemption’ (1989), ‘Master and Servant’ (1979), ‘We Come in Peace’, ‘Glass Houses among others books.

David is currently a writer, lecturer, actor and the director of Kenya Performing Arts in Nairobi.

The Setting of the setbook Inheritance by David Mulwa

The story is set in colonial Africa in the Kutula colony under the British rule. The colonial masters live lavishly at the expense of the poor natives who serve as their slaves.

The traditional ruler of the natives is King Kutula XV. The king is bent on overthrowing the British leadership by all means. He leads his people in a national uprising against the white settlers and out rightly tells the white governor that “…your people will continue to die. Everyone of them … Governor Macay and no one’ll help you … I have spoken. ” (Pg 13).

After the exit of the British, Kutula becomes a republic under the leadership of Lacuna Kasoo after the death of his (Lacuna’s) father, King Kutula XV.

Lacuna Kasoo’s leadership turns out to be worse than the leadership of the colonial masters. It is marred with greed, corruption, incompetence and assassinations. His dictatorial regime triggers a peaceful civil revolution that successfully overthrows his leadership.

The Title (Inheritance)

The play ‘Inheritance’ revolves around a conflict between the African natives and the white settlers over the inheritance of land, its resources and leadership.

The British invasion in African is motivated by the desire to tap resources from Africa through their colonial rule under the guise of bringing civilization in form of education, infrastructure, and hospital to the “primitive” Africans. Once settled, the colonial masters gradually grabbed vast areas of land from the natives for agriculture, mining and settlement thereby displacing and enslaving the natives. The British Empire depended on Africa for survival, hence the desire to rule and control Africa with their resources.

The natives, through their King Kutula, realize the urgent need to inherit what the white settlers have robbed them. “We want to build and run our home in our own way . This land is our mother. We want our children to live and share equally what she gives us … all that you take from her. ” (p. 12). A countrywide uprising begins and the White man’s rule ends.

King Kutula XV inherits the leadership from the British masters.

King Kutula’s leadership is later inherited by his son, Lacuna Kasoo.  Lacuna is manipulated and deceived by the imperialists to kill his own  father. …… (Buy for more details)

Details of Order

Format: pdf
Number of pages: 65
Size: 1.1 mb