On May 28, 2025, Kenya lost a literary giant. The death of Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, as confirmed by his family, marked the end of an era, but not the end of his voice.
He may have stopped breathing, but his words are still marching and whispering to us, ‘The struggle continues’.
In this moment, when Africa is asking hard questions about leadership, betrayal, freedom, and power, Ngũgĩ’s books are like a wise elder’s voice. He showed us that language is power, that colonialism still lives in boardrooms and classrooms, and that a leader who forgets their people’s roots is just a leaf floating on hot wind.
In honour of his legacy, here are 11 powerful books by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o that will shake up how you think about leadership, resistance, and the systems that still choke our people.
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Decolonising the Mind (1986)
This is arguably Ngũgĩ’s most quoted work.
He slams the use of English in African schools and declares he will only write in Gikuyu moving forward. For him, language is more than grammar, it’s identity, spirituality, and truth.
Ngũgĩ argues that language is not neutral. That when you abandon your mother tongue, you’re not just switching words, you’re switching your soul.
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Petals of Blood (1977)
Set in the post-independence era, the book exposes how capitalism and greed took over the freedom fighters’ dream.
Ngũgĩ tears into the idea that African leadership became just a copy of colonial greed. It’s a slap to politicians wearing independence like a title, but still exploiting their own.
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Matigari (1987)
Matigari (Kikuyu for “the one who survived bullets”) comes home hoping to enjoy peace, only to find oppression still rules, just with different faces.
Matigari is a man who buries his gun after killing his oppressor, and picks up the constitution, believing justice will come. But reality slaps him back.
This allegorical novel exposes how systems are designed to protect the oppressor, not the people. A timely read when many Africans are wondering, Do elections still matter?
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A Grain of Wheat (1967)
Set right before Kenya’s independence, this novel centres on Mugo, a man hailed as a hero, who hides a dark secret
Here, Ngũgĩ explores the internal wars of freedom fighters. Guilt. Betrayal. Broken promises. It’s a mirror to our modern leadership—those who fought for liberation but now dine with the elite while the people starve.
“Revolution without integrity is just another form of oppression,” he says in the book.
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Weep Not, Child (1964)
His first novel, and the first English novel published by an East African. It’s about Njoroge, a young boy caught in the crossfire of colonialism and resistance. Through him, we see the dream of education crash against the hard wall of the Mau Mau uprising.
This book is a soft entry into the harder truths Ngũgĩ would later tackle.
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Devil on the Cross (1980)
This was the first modern novel written in Kikuyu. Ngũgĩ wrote this in Kamiti Maximum Prison after being jailed for putting on a politically charged play.
It tells the story of Wariinga, a woman returning to her hometown to confront corruption and self-hate.
It is one long call-out, targeting corrupt leaders and exploitative elites who wear suits while draining communities dry.
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The Trial of Dedan Kimathi (1976) (with Micere Mugo)
The story follows the struggles of Dedan Kimathi, a celebrated Kenyan freedom fighter, as he stands firm against colonial oppression and refuses to betray his comrades despite intense pressure from the colonial regime.
It challenges the sanitised versions of history taught in schools and questions why true heroes are always painted as villains.
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Ngaahika Ndeenda / I Will Marry When I Want (1977)
This bold play, co-written with Ngũgĩ wa Mirii, got Ngũgĩ thrown into prison because it dared to expose class struggles and how independence never really reached those with low income. It’s a lesson in grassroots leadership, and a warning about how power fears truth.
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In the House of the Interpreter (2012)
A memoir of his high school days, this book unpacks how colonial education shaped (and tried to shrink) African minds.
But even then, Ngũgĩ rebelled. It’s a quiet rebellion, but potent. To lead Africa right, we must rethink what we teach our kids.
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Something Torn and New: An African Renaissance (2009)
Here, Ngũgĩ dreams. He envisions an Africa that heals itself through memory, language, and story. It’s a visionary blueprint for a new kind of African leadership—one rooted in culture, not mimicry.
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The River Between
Set in the Kikuyu highlands during the early colonial era, this book follows Waiyaki, a young leader trying to bridge two ridges—one Christian, the other traditional.
“A leader who stands on both sides of the river might drown.” And drown Waiyaki does, not just in politics, but in the confusion of trying to please everyone.
The Legacy
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o believed leadership is not about suits or titles. It’s about standing firm, even when the river is pulling you both ways.
His books teach us that resistance is not a moment—it’s a mindset. That true freedom is not given, it is reclaimed.
