Kenyan literary icon Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has died at the age of 87.
His daughter, Wanjiku wa Ngugi, confirmed his passing in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
She said, “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o this Wednesday morning, 28th May 2025. He lived a full life, and fought a good fight. As was his last wish, let’s celebrate his life and work. Rîa ratha na rîa thŭa. Tŭrî aira!
“The family’s spokesperson Nducu Wa Ngugi will announce details of his celebration of life soon.”
Ngũgĩ was born James Thiong’o Ngũgĩ in 1938, during the British rule in Kenya and grew up in the town of Limuru among a large family of low-income agricultural workers.
Ngugi’s literary works document Kenya’s transformation from a colonial subject to a democracy.
His criticism of government oppression led to his imprisonment without trial in 1977.
After his release, he went into self-imposed exile and continued his literary and academic work abroad.
Ngugi’s literary works are:
Weep Not, Child (1964) — the first English-language novel by a Kenyan author.
The River Between (1965) — a tale of tradition versus change.
A Grain of Wheat (1967) — a powerful novel set during Kenya’s independence movement.
Petals of Blood (1977) — a fierce critique of corruption in post-independence Kenya.
Devil on the Cross (1980) — originally written in Kikuyu as a political act of resistance.
