It was a historical moment. On October 31, 2026, the creative community came together to celebrate a monumental achievement in the archiving of an enduring work of art. It was a moment to celebrate the unveiling of the second book, scratch that, a collector’s item that archives over 35 years of It’s a Madd Madd World, the longest-running comic-cartoon column in Kenya, as well as the enduring genius of its creator, Paul Kelemba—universally known as Maddo.

The event, hosted by Zand Press, took place at the Kenya National Library in Upper Hill, Nairobi, and it witnessed a historic gathering that included readers who have followed Maddo’s column for over 30-years to the young Gen Z artists. The young artists ranged from muralists and graphic artists from Dandora and Korogocho social justice centres who sought Maddo’s permission to use some of his work when creating their graffiti.

Zand Press unveiled Maddo’s second anthology, It’s a Madd Madd World covering 2012–2016, subtitled “A World Caged”. The first edition, which was released in 2012, captured the events he chronicled between 2007 and 2011. It was subtitled “The Hot Years,” that “rose out of the electoral violence that shattered Kenya in 2007 and 2008 and its aftermath”.

For more than three and a half decades, It’s a Madd Madd World has kept Kenyans glued to The Standard's Saturday pages. It has served as a weekly national ritual, spanning four presidential regimes, navigating hot-button political divides, and showing the daily rhythm, absurdities, and social evolution of Kenyan life like no other newspaper column. But looking back at Maddo’s longevity reveals something even grander: It’s a Madd Madd World is simply not a column—it is an unbroken, courageous monument of Kenyan socio-political satire and artistic resistance.

“Witty, provocative and incisive, Paul’s work has exceptionally captured daunting subjects in Kenya, East Africa and Africa over the years,” Godfrey Mwampembwa, aka Gado, and a leading African editorial/political cartoonist legend in his own right, noted in his comments on this latest achievement of Maddo.

He observed: “His drawings have uniquely discerned political and social topics with humour and sometimes with justifying annoyance. He has not only informed, educated and entertained us, but has also immensely enriched our understanding of history while reminding us of our shared values and responsibilities as citizens.”

 The Arts as the vanguard of liberation

Delivering a powerful keynote address at the launch, former Chief Justice Dr Willy Mutunga cast Maddo’s satirical legacy against the sacred background of Kenya’s liberation and reform movements. Satire in Kenya has always been a weapon of the weak, a check on absolute power, and a shelter for free expression.

Dr Mutunga evoked the towering spirits of Kenya’s literary pantheon—artists and scholars who turned the written and performed word into weapons against tyranny. He pointed out how Maddo’s pen stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the considerable sacrifices of literary giants such as Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Ngũgĩ wa Mirie, whose radical community theatre collaboration, Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want) at Kamirithu, dismantled elite censorship and brought art directly to the people. He recalled the uncompromising voice of poet and playwright Micere Githae Mugo, co-author of The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, and the searing historical truths brought to life by dramatist John Ruganda and Ugandan master satirist Okot p'Bitek author of Song of Lawino.

These icons forged a culture that recognised the arts as the soul of national conscience. In an article, “The Role of the Artist in the Time of Corona” published in The Elephant in June 2020, that attempted to examine the role of the artists in times of crisis, as the country navigated its way during the Covid 19 disaster, I pointed out that art has repeatedly served as the vehicle through which Kenyans confront national traumas, dismantle stigma, and build a common understanding of justice. Among others, I highlighted that: “Entertainment is the visible contribution the arts make, but recent local history is replete with examples of how music, performance theatre, literature and visual arts have enabled conversations that built a shared understanding of complex problems to enable the people to find solutions.”

 Testing the Waters: Maddo and the courage to caricature

Maddo’s own history is directly embedded into the fabric of this democratic struggle. Maddo broke unprecedented ground during the suffocating single-party Kanu era. When fear gripped the mainstream press, he and editors Mwenda Njoka and Pius Nyamora of Society magazine took a monumental gamble: publishing the first open, full-colour cover caricature of President Daniel arap Moi in 1992, challenging the state's tight grip on information.

That single act tested the waters of impunity and paved the way for a generation of cartoonists to stretch the limits of free expression. It echoes the deep legacy of pioneer artists and writers like Mwalimu Abdilatif Abdalla whose poetry collection Sauti ya Dhiki was written in solitary confinement —showing that no amount of state repression can permanently dampen the fury of a committed pen.

Mwalimu Abdilatif was jailed by the Jomo Kenyatta regime after he wrote a publication titled “Kenya: Twendapi?” (Kenya: Where are we heading to? that questioned the direction Kenyatta was guiding the country. While in prison, he wrote an anthology of poems that ironically won the 1974 edition of the Jomo Kenyatta Award for Literature, an award named after the very man who had imprisoned him.

This historical role of cultural workers in midwifing political transformation has been extensively documented in academic and artistic discourse. Artist and governance expert Kawive Wambua noted in his seminal research paper, “The Artists as the Managers of the Political Transition in Kenya,” categorically stating that “the change of government in 2002 was midwifed by artists—literally.” He highlighted how community theatre and activist performance groups cultivated the language of rights and self-liberation when formal political spaces were heavily policed.

 Breathing life into Article 33

Connecting those historical struggles to the present, Dr Mutunga—who humorously confessed to being a frequent target of Maddo’s "wrath" during his tenure at the Supreme Court—emphasised that Maddo is a true veteran of the trenches. In the foreword to the new anthology, the former CJ writes: “Let us not forget that the artist movement has played a great role in breathing life into Article 33 of the Constitution, and continues to do so. It is one of the sites of transformation in our progressive and transformative Constitution that has achieved great gains that must be glorified. Maddo has been in the trenches of this struggle. Let us honour him always.”

He noted that “whereas politicians draft laws, cartoonists draft the conscience. From managing the high-stakes shadows of the International Criminal Court (ICC) proceedings in The Hague to illustrating the chaotic birth of our devolved governance systems between 2012 and 2016, It’s a Madd Madd World has ensured that power is constantly held accountable through humour.”

Archiving our collective memory: complete your collection

Maddo acts as an important bridge in Kenya’s artistic progress —connecting the pioneering ink-and-paper era of legends such as Terry Hirst to today’s digital-first creators. By compiling these strips into collector's items, initiatives like this anthology safeguard our national memory against digital transience and library dust.

This newly-launched 2012–2016 volume stands proudly alongside the previous 2007–2011 collection. Together, these anthologies are essential, must-have collector's items for every bookshelf, historian, and lover of Kenyan art. If you already treasure the first compilation, getting this second volume is a must to keep your archive up to date. And if you are just starting your collection, now is the perfect time to secure both.

The book launch featured an engaging, multi-disciplinary panel discussion moderated by oraturist and performance scholar MC Mshai Mwangola, alongside Maddo himself, comic artist and animator Felistas Thairu, Inuka CEO John Githongo, and publisher Zahid Rajan of Zand Press.

Get Your Copies

Both the It’s a Madd World (2012–2016) anthology and the preceding 2007–2011 volume are available now. Grab your copies at Book Stop (Yaya Centre), Nuria Bookshop (CBD), or order them online directly at www.zandpress.com.

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Msanii Kimani wa Wanjiru is a seasoned art journalist and a contributor to Books in Africa. kymsnetmedianetwork@gmail.com.