Renowned Kenyan Author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o dies at 87

Atlanta, USA: Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, the globally acclaimed Kenyan writer, scholar, and fierce advocate for African languages, has died at the age of 87 in Atlanta, United States.

His passing was confirmed on Wednesday morning, May 28, by his daughter Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ in a social media post: “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, this Wednesday morning. He lived a full life, fought a good fight.”

Ngũgĩ, born in 1938 in Kamĩrĩthũ village during British colonial rule, rose to become one of Africa’s most revered literary figures, with a body of work spanning over six decades.

His seminal novels, including Weep Not, Child (1964), The River Between (1965), Petals of Blood (1977), and the satirical Wizard of the Crow (2006), dissected the injustices of colonialism, corruption, and neocolonial politics in post-independence Africa.

Ngugi began his literary journey in English but later made a radical shift to write exclusively in his native Gikuyu, arguing that language was the vessel of true liberation. This linguistic turn, combined with his political theatre, such as the 1977 play Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want), landed him in prison under President Daniel Arap Moi’s regime.

After his release from detention without trial, Ngũgĩ went into exile, first in Britain, then the United States, where he continued teaching at universities including Yale and the University of California, Irvine.

His life in exile was not without danger. In 2004, he survived an armed attack at a Nairobi hotel, which he later attributed to political enemies who saw his work as subversive.

Ngũgĩ is survived by his wife, Njeeri wa Ngũgĩ, and nine children, among them Tee Ngũgĩ and Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, both respected writers in their own right. His death marks the end of an era for African literature, though his legacy of resistance, cultural pride, and intellectual courage will endure.