Africa’s Foremost Writer & Weep Not My Child Author Ngugi wa Thong is dead. ..He was aged 87 years
Kenyan author one of Africa ‘s Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’ has died .
He died on May 28, 2025, at the age of 87.
He was a renowned author and academic, known as “East Africa’s leading novelist”.
In a publication made by one of his children Wanjiku states:
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, fought a good fight. As was his last wish, let’s celebrate his life and his work. Rîa ratha na rîa thŭa. Tŭrî aira!
The family’s spokesperson Nducu Wa Ngugi will announce details of his celebration of life soon.
One of his best selling and popular books Weep Not My Child made great impact as a literature textbook in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o was a titan of modern African literature – a storyteller who refused to be bound by jail, exile and illness.
His work spanned roughly six decades, primarily documenting the transformation of his country – Kenya – from a colonial subject to a democracy.
Ngũgĩ was tipped to win the Nobel Prize for Literature countless times, leaving fans dismayed each time the medal slipped through his fingers.
He will be remembered not only as a Nobel-worthy writer, but also as a fierce proponent of literature written in native African languages.
