The Life and Times of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o

Celebrated Kenyan writer and Nobel Prize contender Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o died on Wednesday, May 28th, at the age of 87 in Atlanta, United States.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, this Wednesday morning,” wrote his daughter Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ on Facebook. “He lived a full life and fought a good fight.

His son Mukoma Wa Ngũgĩ wrote on X, “I am me because of him in so many ways, as his child, scholar, and writer. I love him – I am not sure what tomorrow will bring without him here. I think that is all I have to say for now.”

Born in colonial Kenya (1938) into a large polygamous Gikuyu family, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o witnessed the brutal suppression of the Mau Mau uprising during his teens. This conflict saw tens and hundreds of thousands imprisoned and abused, directly impacting his life: his father was dispossessed of land, and his two brothers were killed. These formative experiences of colonial violence became the foundation for his seminal debut novel, Weep Not, Child (1964). Published just after Kenyan independence, it chronicles the upheaval experienced by Njoroge, the first in his family to attend school.

A towering figure in modern African literature and a perennial Nobel Prize contender, Ngũgĩ uniquely champions writing in indigenous African languages, primarily Gikuyu. His prolific output, including novels, essays, and plays like Weep Not, Child, Devil on the Cross (1980), and Wizard of the Crow (2006), consistently interrogates colonialism’s troubled legacy. Long considered a Nobel Prize favourite, he responded to losing the 2010 prize to Mario Vargas Llosa with characteristic wit, remarking he was less disappointed than the waiting photographers.

After joining Nairobi University’s English department as a lecturer, Ngũgĩ advocated for decolonizing the curriculum, proposing its renaming and a shift towards global literature. His politically charged work intensified with his fourth novel, Petals of Blood (1977), and the play The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, both addressing the Mau Mau’s aftermath. However, it was co-authoring the Gikuyu play Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want) that led to his 1977 imprisonment without trial in Kamiti Maximum Security Prison. Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want) was controversial because it boldly criticized the injustices of post-independence Kenyan society, particularly the exploitation of the poor by the wealthy elite and the lingering effects of colonialism. Co-authored by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o and Ngũgĩ wa Mĩriĩ, the play was performed in the Gikuyu language and staged in a rural community center, making radical political ideas accessible to ordinary Kenyans. The government viewed this as a threat to its authority and stability, especially because it empowered the marginalized to question the status quo. As a result, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o was imprisoned without trial in 1977.

Following his 1978 release, Ngũgĩ went into exile in 1982 after uncovering a plot to assassinate him upon his return from promoting Caitani Mutharabaini (Devil on the Cross) in Britain. He settled first in the UK, then the US, becoming a professor at the University of California, Irvine, and directing its International Centre for Writing and Translation.

Despite the estrangement evident when Kenya banned his 1986 novel Matigari and issued an arrest warrant for its fictional protagonist, Ngũgĩ persisted in writing in Gikuyu. His 2004 return to Nairobi with his wife, Njeeri, after Daniel arap Moi’s fall from power began triumphantly with airport crowds. Tragically, their visit turned violent when armed assailants broke into their apartment, raping Njeeri and assaulting Ngũgĩ when he intervened.

His monumental satire Wizard of the Crow (2006, self-translated from Gikuyu) critiqued African kleptocracy through the fictional dictatorship of Aburiria. Ngũgĩ continued self-translating his work, achieving a historic milestone in 2021: becoming the first writer in an indigenous African language nominated for the International Booker Prize, and the first author nominated for translating their work (The Perfect Nine).

Ngũgĩ faced significant health challenges, including prostate cancer (diagnosed in 1995) and a triple heart bypass surgery (2019). In 2024, his legacy was further complicated when his son, Mukoma Wa Ngugi, publicly accused him of physically abusing and silencing his late mother (Nyambura), lamenting her systematic erasure from Ngũgĩ’s narrative.

 “We literally (of course) and figuratively would not be here if it was not for her keeping us glued together through the political persecutions,” he wrote on X.

Ngũgĩ had nine children, four of whom are authors: Tee Ngũgĩ, Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, Nducu wa Ngũgĩ, and Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ.

His daughter said more details about his burial would be announced soon.