Category: Kenya
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Mahmood Mamdani Launches New Book To Full Houses in Nairobi
Mahmood Mamdani launched his latest book, Slow Poison: Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and the Making of the Ugandan State, in Nairobi on January 23 and 24, 2026. The work challenges the simplistic narrative that Uganda’s troubles began solely with Idi Amin. Drawing on five decades of archival research, courtroom testimony, and firsthand interviews, Mamdani argues…
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Jahazi Press Acquires Mahmood Mamdani’s New Essay Collection
Nairobi-based independent publisher Jahazi Press has announced the acquisition of the East African publication rights for Mahmood Mamdani’s latest work, Slow Poison: Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and the Making of the Ugandan State. The book, originally published by Harvard University Press’s Belknap Press in October 2025, challenges the simplistic narrative that Uganda’s troubles originated solely…
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Book Digest: Chika Unigwe, Netonon Noel Ndjékéry, Kagiso Lesego Molope, Mordecai O. Ogada
Our regular Book Digest segment spotlights new books by Chika Unigwe, Netonon Noel Ndjékéry, Kagiso Lesego Molope, and Mordecai O. Ogada. Grace by Chika Unigwe Publisher: Canongate BooksPublication Date: January 15, 2025Genre: FictionLanguage: English Where to find it: Canongate Books Chika Unigwe Chika Unigwe is Professor of Creative Writing at Georgia College and the author…
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Kenyan Author Meja Mwangi Has Passed Away
Kenyan author Meja Mwangi passed away in Malindi on Thursday, December 11, 2025. He was 76. Born David Dominic Mwangi in Nanyuki on December 27, 1948, Mwangi was educated at Nanyuki Secondary School and Kenyatta College, followed by brief studies at the University of Leeds. He began his career working for the French Broadcasting Corporation…
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Kenyan Author and Academic David Mulwa Has Passed Away
Kenyan novelist, playwright, actor, and academic David Mulwa passed away on Friday, December 5, 2025, while receiving treatment for cardiac arrest in Nairobi. Born on April 9, 1950, in Mukaa, Machakos County, Mulwa built a distinguished career across education and the arts. He studied at the University of Nairobi, UCLA, and Ohio University. After teaching…
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Wangari The Storyteller Announces “Hadithi on the Move Tour 2026”
Storyteller Wangari The Storyteller (real name Grace Wangari) will mark her 20th anniversary in 2026 with the “Hadithi on the Move Tour,” a storytelling journey across 20 counties in Kenya. Since beginning her career as an actor in 2006, Wangari has become a leading figure in performance storytelling, known for creating intimate, dynamic shows that…
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Morland Writing Scholarships 2025 Winners Announced.
The four recipients of the Morland Writing Scholarships 2025 were announced in London, UK, on Saturday, November 22, 2025. The Morland Writing Scholarships for African Writers, popularly referred to as the Morland Writing Scholarship, provides financial support so writers can finish a manuscript. In the past, the scholarship has been accorded to writers from across…
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Book Digest: Muthoni Muchemi, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Kemi Ashing-Giwa, Isis Asare
Our regular Book Digest segment spotlights new books by Muthoni Muchemi, Maxine Beneba Clarke, Kemi Ashing-Giwa, and Isis Asare. Hadaa Na Hadithi Nyingine by Muthoni Muchemi Publisher: Storymoja PublishersGenre: Fiction Language: Kiswahili Where to find it: Storymoja Publishers Muthoni Muchemi Muthoni Muchemi has published over forty books for children. Muthoni is also a storyteller and…
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Book Digest: Stephanie Wambugu, Tigest Girma, Sarah Uheida, I.S. Jones
Our regular Book Digest segment spotlights new books by Stephanie Wambugu, Tigest Girma, Sarah Uheida, and I.S. Jones. Lonely Crowds by Stephanie Wambugu Publisher: Little, Brown and CompanyPublication Date: July 29, 2025Genre: Fiction Language: English Where to find it: Little, Brown and Company Stephanie Wambugu Stephanie Wambugu was born in Mombasa, Kenya in 1998 and…
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PEN International Suspends Kenya and Senegal Centres at 2025 Congress
The PEN International Congress 2025, held in Kraków, Poland, from September 2 – 5, saw the suspension of the Kenyan and Senegalese centres and the declaration of PEN Ghana as dormant. PEN International is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921, dedicated to promoting literature, linguistic rights and defending freedom of expression.…
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Future Awards Africa Prize 2025 finalists announced.
Here are the literature finalists of the Future Awards Africa Prize 2025 announced in Lagos, Nigeria, on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. The Future Awards Africa, also known as The Future Awards, are a set of awards given by The Future Project, a social enterprise set up with a commitment to human and capital development in…
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Ignyte Awards 2025 winners announced
The Ignyte Awards 2025 winners, the fifth edition of the award scheme, were announced on Sunday, October 12, 2025. Fiyah is a quarterly speculative fiction magazine featuring stories by and about Black people of the African Diaspora based in the USA, founded in 2016. In 2021, they hosted FIYAHCON for Black, Indigenous, and People of…
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Morland Writing Scholarships 2025 shortlist announced.
The Morland Writing Scholarships 2025 shortlists were announced in London, UK, today, Friday, October 17, 2025. The Morland Writing Scholarships for African Writers, popularly referred to as the Morland Writing Scholarship, is an opportunity to allow writers to finish a manuscript. In the past, the scholarship has been accorded to writers from across the continent,…
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Kistrech International Poetry Festival 2025 starts October 17
The Kistrech International Poetry Festival 2025, with the theme “Poetry and Performance,” will be held in Kisii, Kenya, from October 17 – 23, 2025. The Kistrech International Poetry Festival was founded to promote poetry and cultural exchange between local and foreign artists by Dr Christopher Okemwa in 2013. The annual festival features spoken-word, rap, song,…
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Peter Kimani is Nanyuki Book Festival keynote speaker
Peter Kimani and Anne Miltenburg are the keynote speakers for the Nanyuki Book Festival, which will be held in the Kenyan town from October 10 – 11, 2025. The Nanyuki Book Festival is a new literary festival dedicated to bringing together authors, publishers, booksellers, educators, and readers from across Kenya and beyond, creating a vibrant…