The winners of the Maisha Yetu Awards 2023 were announced in Nairobi, Kenya on Friday, December 29, 2023.
Maisha Yetu, Kiswahili for “our life,” is an initiative aimed at shining a light on the Kenyan art community founded by legendary arts journalist and writer Mbugua Ngunjiri in 2007. He is the author of Henry Wanyoike: Victory Despite Blindness the book about Kenya’s multiple award-winning blind athlete. It features a hugely popular Facebook community and a website. If you wish to follow what is happening in the Kenyan art scene, especially where the literary is concerned then look no further than Maisha Yetu.
On the last week of December, Maisha Yetu announced the recipients of their awards, the second year in a row, with a focus on the literary. Those who were celebrated for their work over the last year were:
- Best Body Corporate: The Kenya Publishers Association
- Maisha Yetu Young Writer of the Year (Male): Peter Ngila
- Maisha Yetu Young Writer of the Year (Female): Eunniah Mbabazi
- Maisha Yetu CEO of the Year Award: Will Clurman, eKitabu
- Maisha Yetu Foreign Cultural Organisation of the Year: Alliance Française Nairobi
- Maisha Yetu Bookseller of the Year Award: Nuria Books
- Maisha Yetu Award for the Most Creative, Most Sustained, and Most Effective Marketing Campaign for a Book: Rough Silk: A Memoir by Deborah Auko Tendo
- Maisha Yetu Corporate Social Responsibility Award: The Kenya Publishers Association
- Maisha Yetu Lifetime Achievement Award: Edward Mburu Gachina.
- Maisha Yetu Personality of the Year: John Kiriamiti
- Social Awareness Campaign through books: Silas Nyanchwani and Jacob Aliet.
- Maisha Yetu Children’s Category Award: Brian Wairegi as well as the triplets Julie, Jeremy, and Jason Mugo.
- Maisha Yetu Award for Publisher of the Year Award: eKitabu
- Maisha Yetu Literary Show of the Year: Author’s Feet (check out the channel)
- Maisha Yetu Blogger of the Year: James Murua (Writing Africa)
For all the citations on how the winners were selected, please click here.
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