By Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, the renowned Kenyan novelist, playwright, and outspoken critic of colonialism, has died at the age of 87. His passing was announced on Wednesday morning, May 28, 2025, by his daughter, Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ, who described him as having “lived a full life” and “fought a good fight.” He passed away in Atlanta, USA.
A towering figure in African literature, Ngũgĩ was celebrated not only for his novels and plays but also for his bold shift to writing in Gikuyu, his native language—a decision that led to state censorship, imprisonment, and decades in exile. He was widely seen as a leading candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature for many years.
Born in 1938 during British colonial rule in Kenya, Ngũgĩ was one of 28 children in a polygamous household. His early life was shaped by the Mau Mau rebellion, during which his family suffered great losses. His literary debut, Weep Not, Child (1964), written while Kenya was still grappling with the aftermath of independence, made him one of the first East African writers to gain international recognition.
Ngũgĩ’s career was marked by fearless critique of both colonial and post-independence African governments. In 1977, his Gikuyu-language play I Will Marry When I Want was deemed subversive, leading to his imprisonment. While in detention, he famously wrote the novel Devil on the Cross on prison-issued toilet paper.
After his release in 1978, Ngũgĩ went into self-imposed exile in 1982, fearing for his life under Daniel arap Moi’s regime. He continued to write and teach abroad, eventually settling in the United States, where he became a professor of literature at the University of California, Irvine.
Despite returning to Kenya in 2004 to a hero’s welcome, his homecoming was marred by a violent attack that left his wife sexually assaulted and him injured. The trauma deepened his resolve to continue fighting against oppression through his work.
Ngũgĩ’s later works, including the epic novel Wizard of the Crow (2006) and the verse novel The Perfect Nine, cemented his legacy as a writer deeply committed to linguistic decolonization and the power of storytelling rooted in African culture.
A father of nine, four of whom became writers, Ngũgĩ had previously battled prostate cancer and underwent major heart surgery in 2019. Remembering his father, his son Mukoma wa Ngũgĩ said: “I love him – I am not sure what tomorrow will bring without him here.”
Ngũgĩ once said, “Resistance is the best way of keeping alive… If you really think you’re right, you stick to your beliefs, and they help you to survive.” Those words now resonate as a powerful tribute to a man who gave African literature a global voice and never stopped fighting for cultural dignity.
