Mathai’s book useful insights in curbing poverty What if the problem is that poverty is profitable to some? This seems to be the thrust of Mwangi Mathai book ‘Beyond Poverty and Vulnerability in Kenya’. The book rejects the notion that poor people should be passive recipients of charity from the government and non-governmental organisations. The author asserts that priority should be given to helping poor people build up their power, whereby exercising their full range of political, civil and social rights, they can bring about genuine human development. “The idea that the government has to do something for you” he writes, “and your only job is to wait for help is a mistaken and unhelpful approach to poverty eradication.” The author contends that successive Kenya governments since independence have been the main culprits creating, maintaining and enhancing the culture of destructive dependency of citizens on the government. In order to address this social malaise, Mathai proposes that the government (both national and county) help facilitate private sector corporations and private individuals to “create a favourable environment where they can thrive and enlarge the employment space through free enterprise. The book gives a comprehensive account of such issues as education, harambee, ethnicity, poverty and devolution, culture gender, religion, microfinance, Saccos and corruption and how they hamper or enhance the anti-poverty war. To curb runaway corruption, the author proposes a combination of legislative, executive and judicial reforms. To get a copy contact University of Nairobi Press Mobile: 0726 610 570 E-mail: nup@uonbi.ac.ke