The work of Sarah Vaughan, who researches and writes about East African countries, may be useful for you. Tthis paper should be a good start: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17531055.2011.642520#.VbzkePnYrMs - its bibliography may help you to find other relevant work.

Dear Mofat Phiri - here are three suggestions, regards, Paul

Adi, Hakim (2012) African Political Thinkers, Pan-Africanism and the Politics of Exile, c.1850–1970,   Immigrants & Minorities, Volume 30, Numbers 2-3, 1 July 2012, pp. 263-291

Eze, Michael Onyebuchi (2013) Pan Africanism: A Brief Intellectual History, History Compass, Volume 11, Number 9, 1 September 2013, pp. 663-674

Napier, C. and and Mtimkulu, P. (2013) The Idea of Africa in South African Political Science, Politikon: South African Journal of Political Studies, Volume 40, Number 3, 1 December 2013, pp. 467-478

Dear, Mofat , the attached paper might be helpful for you.

Dear Mofat, the attached article deals with this question. All the best, Laurie Nathan

Dear Mofat, African politics - as exemplified in words like baraza, gacaca, palambre - has maybe more to teach Europeans than the other way round.

Peter Emerson