Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, one of East Africa’s most celebrated authors and a towering figure in African literature, passed away on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at the age of 87 in a hospital in Buford, Georgia, USA.
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His daughter, Wanjiku Wa Ngugi, announced his death on Facebook, stating, “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our dad, Ngugi wa Thiong’o this Wednesday morning.
He lived a full life, fought a good fight.” Ngũgĩ was reportedly undergoing kidney dialysis treatments, though the immediate cause of death remains undisclosed.
Born James Ngugi on January 5, 1938, in Limuru, Kenya, Ngũgĩ emerged as a literary giant whose works critiqued both British colonialism and the inequalities of post-independence Kenyan society.
His debut novel, Weep Not, Child (1964), the first major novel in English by an East African, chronicled the Mau Mau struggle against British rule. Other notable works include The River Between, A Grain of Wheat, and Petals of Blood, which solidified his reputation as a voice for the marginalized.
Ngũgĩ’s activism and writings often put him at odds with Kenyan authorities. In 1977, his play Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want), co-authored with Ngũgĩ wa Mirii, led to his arrest and year-long detention without charge in Kamiti Maximum Security Prison.
During this time, he wrote Devil on the Cross on toilet paper, a novel that became a landmark in African literature for its bold critique of post-colonial elites.
His decision to abandon English in favor of writing in his native Gikuyu and Swahili was a revolutionary act of decolonization, challenging the dominance of colonial languages in African literature.
Forced into exile in 1982 under the Daniel arap Moi regime, Ngũgĩ lived in Britain and later the United States, where he continued to write and teach.
His return to Kenya in 2004 was marred by a violent attack on him and his wife, Njeeri, in what was believed to be a politically motivated assault.
Despite personal and political challenges, Ngũgĩ remained a prolific writer, producing essays, memoirs, and novels, including Decolonizing the Mind, which argued for reclaiming African languages and cultures.
Tributes have poured in from across the globe. Kenya’s opposition leader Martha Karua wrote on X, “My condolences to the family and friends of Professor Ngugi wa Thiong’o, a renowned literary giant and scholar, a son of the soil and great patriot whose footprints are indelible.”
Amnesty International’s Kenya branch honored him, stating, “Thank you Mwalimu (teacher) for your freedom writing.” Posts on X reflected widespread grief, with users calling him a “titan of modern African literature” whose legacy in resistance and storytelling will endure.
Ngũgĩ’s work, spanning six decades, reshaped African literature by centering indigenous voices and exposing the “death of hopes, dreams, and beauty” under oppressive systems.
His family has urged Kenyans to celebrate his life and work, with details of a memorial to be announced by his son, Nducu Wa Ngugi.
As Kenya and the world mourn, Ngũgĩ’s writings remain a beacon for linguistic and cultural liberation, ensuring his influence endures for generations.
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