NAIROBI, Kenya – Renowned Kenyan author, scholar, and activist Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has died at the age of 87, his family confirmed on Wednesday evening.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o,” his daughter, Wanjiku wa Ngugi, posted on Facebook. “As was his last wish, let’s celebrate his life and his work. Rîa ratha na rîa thŭa. Tŭrî aira!” — a Gikuyu phrase loosely translating to “With joy and sorrow. We are proud.”
The family said memorial and tribute details would be announced in the coming days by family spokesperson Nducu wa Ngugi.
Ngũgĩ’s death marks the end of an era for African literature. A towering figure whose words reshaped how the continent was read and represented, he was widely regarded as one of Africa’s greatest literary minds and fiercest cultural critics.
Born in 1937 in Kamiriithu, Limuru, Ngũgĩ emerged in the 1960s as part of a bold generation of post-independence African writers.
His novels Weep Not, Child, A Grain of Wheat, Petals of Blood, and Devil on the Cross examined colonialism, resistance, and the betrayal of the liberation dream. But it was his decision to abandon English and embrace Gikuyu that set him apart.
In 1977, Ngũgĩ’s Gikuyu-language play Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want), co-written with Ngũgĩ wa Mĩriĩ and performed by peasants in his hometown, led to his detention without trial by the Moi regime.
The state saw the play’s sharp critique of inequality and corruption as subversive.
That imprisonment would mark a turning point. Upon his release, Ngũgĩ committed to writing exclusively in African languages—a decision that became central to his political and literary identity.
He would later write Caitaani Mũtharaba-Inĩ (Devil on the Cross) on prison toilet paper.
Forced into exile, Ngũgĩ spent decades teaching in the United States, holding academic positions at institutions such as Yale and the University of California, Irvine.
But he remained firmly rooted in Kenya’s intellectual and political life, often weighing in on national debates and championing freedom of expression, decolonization, and cultural self-determination.
His 2006 memoir Dreams in a Time of War and later works like In the House of the Interpreter and Birth of a Dream Weaver solidified his reputation not just as a novelist but also as a chronicler of the African condition.
Tributes poured in from around the world on Wednesday night.
“Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s works challenged oppression and celebrated the power of indigenous voices,” said Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga. “Though he has left us, his legacy lives on in every story, every struggle, and every dream of a just world.”
Activist movement Kong’amano la Mapinduzi described him as “a comrade who gave voice to the oppressed… His stories live on in books, classrooms, and in the hearts of generations.”
Dr. Ezekiel Mutua called him “a literary legend and one of Africa’s greatest voices.”
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o is survived by his children and grandchildren, many of whom are writers, academics, and artists in their own right.
