NGUGI WA THIONG’O TO BE INDUCTED INTO KENYA PUBLISHERS HALL OF FAME

The late Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o will be inducted into the Kenya Publishers Association Hall of Fame on Wednesday, September 24, at the Sarit Expo Center in Westlands, Nairobi.

Mary Maina, the head of the book fair, shared that Ngũgĩ is being honoured for his role in Kenyan writing and education. Professor Ngũgĩ, who died on May 28 in Atlanta at the age of 87, was one of Africa’s most important authors. He spent many years teaching outside Kenya and encouraged African writers to use local languages. He believed that language is key to cultural freedom.

Kiarie Kamau, the chairperson of the Kenya Publishers Association, spoke about some problems publishers are facing. He said the government owes publishers 3 billion shillings for books provided for Grade 9 this year. So far, publishers have supplied 200 million shillings worth of books, making sure every student has at least one textbook. More books are planned to be delivered to high schools between October and December.