The Wahome Mutahi Literary Prize 2016 shortlists were announced on 11th August 2016.
The Wahome Mutahi Literary Prize was set up in honour of late great Kenyan satirist and author Wahome Mutahi who passed on in 2003. The Kenyan Publishers Association set up the award to works that explore human rights, governance, etiquette and other social issues using humour and satire like the great man himself did. The first edition of the prize was given out in 2006.
The full list of those in the running for the prize this year, which is given out in both English and Swahili are the following writers and their novels and publishers;
English Category
- Komu Fights for Change by Peter Kareithi – Publisher – Longhorn
- Ask the Stars by Anthony Mugo – Publisher- Longhorn Publishers
- Angels of the Wild by Ng’ang’a Mbugua – Publisher- One Planet
Kiswahili Category
- Mashetani wa Alepo by Tom Olali – Publisher- Jomo Kenyatta Foundation
- Kovu Moyoni by John Habwe – Publisher- BookMark Africa
- Narejea Nyumbani by Jeff Mandila – Publisher- Jomo Kenyatta Foundation
Previous winners of the prize include Onduko bw’ Atebe (2006), Okiya Omtata (2008), Ng’ang’a Mbugua (2010, 2012) and Yusuf Dawood (2014). As our good friends Kenyan Books say, Ng’ang’a Mbugua is getting into the Lionel Messi/Christiano Ronald habit of being shortlisted and winning or coming first runner up.
Also in the running is Antony Mugo who has won the Burt Award for African Literature (Kenya edition) and also come runner up. We here consider Mugo to be Ng’ang’a Mbugua is to the Wahome Mutahi Prize.
The winners will be announced at the Nairobi International Book Fair 2016 which will be happening from 21-25 September 2016. It will be the headline event at the festival which was started in 1996.
In previous years, the prize winners went home with Kshs50,000 as their bounty.
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