Text Book Centre celebrates 60th anniversary with Penmanship Awards

Kenyan bookstore chain Text Book Centre celebrated its 60th anniversary with the inaugural Penmanship Awards on Thursday, April 24, 2025.

In 1964, Mr S V Shah operated a bookshop in Fort Hall, or modern-day Muranga town, while Mr Meneklal Rughani operated a bookshop in Nyeri. A year later, they partnered to start the Text Book Centre, a new venture headquartered on Kijabe Street, Nairobi. Since then, it has become one of the most trusted book suppliers for schools, various smaller bookshops, NGOS, Accelerated Mobile Press (AMP), stationers, supermarkets, higher learning institutions and corporate entities with fourteen branches, including at the Sarit Centre and the Thika Road Mall. They have been integrated into the literary and publishing history of Kenya with their involvement in book fairs, book drives, and being the title sponsor of the Jomo Kenyatta Literary Awards for a long time.

The organisation celebrated its sixtieth anniversary of existence with a ceremony at the Radisson Blu, Upper Hill, Nairobi on Thursday, April 24, 2025. The event included speeches from Text Book Centre staff led by the chief executive officer, Sachin Varma. There were also remarks or panels conducted by, among others, KCA University DVC Academic Affairs Prof Joshua Bagaka, Snapplify Customer Success Director Sharon Lock, and RETRAK CEO Wambui Mbarire.

One of the highlights was the Penmanship Awards, which celebrated some of the best writers to sell at the store in the categories of lifetime achievement, adult, teen, young and children readers. Those feted were;

Lifetime Achievement

• John Kiriamiti
• David Maillu
• Malkiat Singh
• Muthoni Likimani

Adult Readers

• Dr Anuradha Khoda – Winner
• Joan Thatiah – first runner up
• Kenyatta Otieno – second runner up

Teen Readers

• Judy Mzungu – Winner
• Michael Oluoch – first runner up
• Kinyanjui Kombani – second runner up

Young Readers

• Larry Liza – Winner
• Wangari Grace – first runner up
• Yolanda Chakava – second runner up

Children Readers

• Muthoni Thangwa – Winner
• Melissa Wakhu – first runner up
• Hadelite Kwamboka – second runner up
• Bryan Mbugua

Here are images from the event in Nairobi courtesy of organisers;