Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Kenyan author and dissident, dies at 87

NAIROBI — Renowned Kenyan author and intellectual Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o passed away at the age of 87 in Bedford, Georgia, his family confirmed on Wednesday.
His death marks the loss of one of Africa’s most influential literary voices and a tireless champion of intellectual freedom and cultural decolonization.
Ngũgĩ’s career spanned decades of literary creation, political activism and academic scholarship. His early works—such as Weep Not, Child (1964) and A Grain of Wheat (1967)—wrestled with Kenya’s colonial legacy and the complexities of independence.
In the 1970s, his use of his native Gikuyu language and co‑authored play I Will Marry When I Want (1977) led to his detention and exile after the government suppressed his critique of post‑colonial Kenya.
In later years, he resided in the United States, serving as a professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Irvine.
The reaction in Kenya and across the literary world has been one of profound respect and grief. President William Ruto paid tribute to Ngũgĩ as a towering giant of Kenyan letters, acknowledging the writer’s relentless pursuit of truth and his influence on generations of thinkers.
Fellow authors, both on the continent and globally, hailed his insistence that African writers write in African languages and reclaim their own cultural narratives.
Looking ahead, Ngũgĩ’s legacy will continue to shape the discourse on language, culture and decolonization in Africa. His body of work inspires scholars, writers and activists who seek to re‑imagine post‑colonial identity. As Kenya grapples with its democratic and cultural trajectory, his voice remains a guiding light for those who believe that storytelling and language are central to social transformation.