Renowned Kenyan author and academic Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has died aged 87 after a long battle with health complications, his family has announced.
Ngũgĩ, who faced kidney issues and limited mobility in recent years, died on the morning of Wednesday, May 28.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, this Wednesday morning, May 28 2025. He lived a full life, fought a good fight. As was his last wish, let’s celebrate his life and his work. Rîa ratha na rîa thŭa. Tŭrî aira,” said his daughter Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ in a social media post.
The family said Ngũgĩ’s final wish was that his life be celebrated rather than mourned.
A spokesperson, Nducu wa Ngũgĩ, is expected to release details of his celebration of life soon.
Ngũgĩ, born James Ngugi in 1938, was a towering figure in African literature, widely considered East Africa’s leading novelist.
He was known for writing in both English and Gikuyu, and for promoting indigenous languages through literature.
His works include novels, essays, plays and short stories, often focusing on colonialism, cultural identity and the struggle for justice.
His short story The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright has been translated into more than 100 languages.
In 1977, Ngũgĩ and fellow writer Ngũgĩ wa Mirii co-authored the play Ngaahika Ndeenda, which challenged Kenya’s ruling elite and was shut down by the state just six weeks after its debut.
He was later detained without trial for over a year. Amnesty International adopted him as a prisoner of conscience.
“Ngũgĩ was never afraid to confront power using the written and spoken word,” said Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, one of his sons and also a writer.
He later shared his own grief on social media, saying, “It tears my heart to say that my father, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, passed away earlier today. 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.”
After his release, Ngũgĩ went into exile and later taught in the United States, holding academic positions at Northwestern University, Yale University and New York University.
He eventually became Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature and English at the University of California, Irvine.
Throughout his life, Ngũgĩ remained committed to decolonising literature and education in Africa.
He founded the Gikuyu-language journal Mũtĩiri and continued writing well into his eighties, despite recurring health challenges.
Ngũgĩ was long considered a leading candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, receiving several awards, including the 2001 International Nonino Prize and the 2016 Park Kyong-ni Prize.
He is survived by his children, among them authors Mũkoma and Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ.
Renowned Kenyan author and academic Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o has died aged 87 after a long battle with health complications, his family has announced.
Ngũgĩ, who faced kidney issues and limited mobility in recent years, died on the morning of Wednesday, May 28.
“It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, this Wednesday morning, May 28 2025. He lived a full life, fought a good fight. As was his last wish, let’s celebrate his life and his work. Rîa ratha na rîa thŭa. Tŭrî aira,” said his daughter Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ in a social media post.
The family said Ngũgĩ’s final wish was that his life be celebrated rather than mourned.
A spokesperson, Nducu wa Ngũgĩ, is expected to release details of his celebration of life soon.
Ngũgĩ, born James Ngugi in 1938, was a towering figure in African literature, widely considered East Africa’s leading novelist.
He was known for writing in both English and Gikuyu, and for promoting indigenous languages through literature.
His works include novels, essays, plays and short stories, often focusing on colonialism, cultural identity and the struggle for justice.
His short story The Upright Revolution: Or Why Humans Walk Upright has been translated into more than 100 languages.
In 1977, Ngũgĩ and fellow writer Ngũgĩ wa Mirii co-authored the play Ngaahika Ndeenda, which challenged Kenya’s ruling elite and was shut down by the state just six weeks after its debut.
He was later detained without trial for over a year. Amnesty International adopted him as a prisoner of conscience.
“Ngũgĩ was never afraid to confront power using the written and spoken word,” said Mũkoma wa Ngũgĩ, one of his sons and also a writer.
He later shared his own grief on social media, saying, “It tears my heart to say that my father, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, passed away earlier today. 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.”
After his release, Ngũgĩ went into exile and later taught in the United States, holding academic positions at Northwestern University, Yale University and New York University.
He eventually became Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature and English at the University of California, Irvine.
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Throughout his life, Ngũgĩ remained committed to decolonising literature and education in Africa.
He founded the Gikuyu-language journal Mũtĩiri and continued writing well into his eighties, despite recurring health challenges.
Ngũgĩ was long considered a leading candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, receiving several awards, including the 2001 International Nonino Prize and the 2016 Park Kyong-ni Prize.
He is survived by his children, among them authors Mũkoma and Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ.
By David Njaaga