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"content": "CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF PROFESSOR NGŨGĨ WA THIONG'O"
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"id": 1623643,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. Mungatana, MGH",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to move this Motion on Celebrating the Life of Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. This Motion is sponsored jointly by Hon. Sen. Veronica Maina and I. THAT AWARE THAT Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, a prominent author, academician and human rights defender, globally recognised for his foundational contributions to literature and good governance passed away on 28th May, 2025 at the age of 87; COGNIZANT THAT the late Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o had an illustrious career in writing and teaching literature spanning over 6 decades where he authored landmark novels, plays and poems that shaped postcolonial studies, contributed to social justice and inspired generations of writers and thinkers across the world; APPRECIATING THAT the late Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o advocated for indigenous languages and indeed took up writing in his mother tongue, at a time when it was not fashionable to do so; FURTHER COGNIZANT THAT his legacy in inspiring many generations towards cultural sovereignty and the power of indigenous languages in literature and thought, led to numerous international awards being bestowed upon him; NOW THEREFORE the Senate expresses its deep sadness at the death of Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, records its celebration and appreciation of his remarkable life, and extends its heartfelt sympathy and condolences to his family, friends and the nation. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, many of us who grew up in the shadows of this great man during the days when we studied literature in life and school remember him as a man who fought both the colonial regime and resisted dictatorial tendencies of post-colonial Kenya without fear or favour. This great African literature giant died on the Wednesday of 28th May, 2025, aged 87 years. He was born under British colonial rule in 1938. He was anti-colonialist, he was anti-dictatorial and he was also a militant proponent of the use of African languages. He wrote many celebrated plays, including Devil on the Cross and The Wizard of the Crow. He lived through the Mau Mau uprising as a teenager. During that time, he saw hundreds of our people abused, imprisoned and tortured. During this conflict, Professor's father was forced to sell off his land and he also witnessed the death of his two brothers during this struggle. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
},
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"id": 1623644,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. Mungatana, MGH",
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"content": "The struggle and his experiences formed the backdrop to the novel that made his name, Weep Not, Child, which was published in 1964, just a year after Kenya gained its Independence. Many of us will remember studying literature and talking and reading about this Weep Not, Child and Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o when we were younger. Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o grew up in the shadow of the violent war for independence in Kenya. He went to university in Uganda at a time of political and literary ferment across Africa. He came of age first in Uganda and then in Kenya after it gained its independence. Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o was thrown into jail by the Kenya Government. After his release, he continued his writing and political activism, first in Kenya, then he went to exile in London and, finally, in the U.S., where he was a professor of Literature for over 30 years. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, alongside writers such as Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, he was part of a literary scene that flourished in the 1950s and 1960s during the last years of colonialism in the Continent of Africa. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, unlike maybe the literary geniuses of that time like Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, he was a militant because he wrote with a feeling. His books were cutting. It was like a panga against colonial and post-independence dictatorship and against the ruling elite at that time. We celebrate his works and continue to read them to date. His first book of essays, Homecoming is at once engaging very polemic. I have mentioned his early novels like Weep Not, Child and A Grain of Wheat, which had huge impact against the colonial government. He wrote a series of novels, short stories and plays as he became a lecturer in English Literature at the University of Nairobi. He argued that the department of English should be renamed and its focus should shift to literature around the world. He also asked why African literature cannot be at the centre, so that we can have a comparison between the cultures, the African culture, the English culture and the relationship between the two. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in 1977, he published his fourth novel, Petals of Blood, then the play, The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, which dealt with the troubled legacy of the Mau Mau uprising. It was his co-authoring of a play written in Gikuyu which led to his arrest and imprisonment in Kamiti Maximum Security Prison. He was jailed not for thundering political context, but for the play in Kikuyu called Ngaahika Ndeenda, which means, “I will marry when I want.” Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o even in prison continued to write. He wrote his memoir on toilet paper in prison. When he was released in 1978, he was exiled in 1982, when he learned of a plot to kill him upon his return from a trip from Britain to promote his novel, Caitani Mutharaba-ini, translated to mean, “The Devil on the Cross.” He later on moved to the UK and to the US, where he worked as a professor of English and comparative literature in the University of California. We are looking at a giant who never stopped thinking and who did a lot of political thinking and continued to dream, even in his old age. He wanted us to use more The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
},
{
"id": 1623645,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Mungatana, MGH",
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"speaker": null,
"content": "of African languages because he believed that our culture as Africans is superior, if not better, than the culture of the Europeans. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, allow me to share with this Senate one of his most memorable quotes in his book, Decolonizing the Mind, written in 1986. He said the following about colonialism- “Colonialism normalizes the abnormal. The present predicaments of Africa are often not a matter of personal choice. They arise from our historical situations. Their solutions are not so much a matter of personal decision as that of a fundamental social transformation of the structures of our societies, starting with a real break with imperialism and its internal ruling allies. Imperialism and its comprado alliances in Africa can never develop the continent.” Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we mourn the passing away of this literary giant. We mourn the long-gone days of men who stood for what they believed in. Men who did not falter; did not think twice. Once they follow a path, they never backed off from what they believed. They never gave statements today, tomorrow, to deny them before this very same press where they gave those statements. Men who pricked our conscience as a nation. Men who developed a certain resistance that said, “we can be better.” We can be better. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, to his credit, although he talked a lot and fought so much for indigenous languages, one of the things we remember about Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o in the Pan-African Parliament is that he talked about the African and the fact that his civilization is just as good, if not better, than the European civilization. We celebrate him. In fact, when we talk about Kiswahili in the Pan-African Parliament, we also associate this with him. His works transversed Kenya, Uganda and the entire East Africa. His works went to the rest of Africa, the continent and the world. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we have a lot to say about this man. It was a great pleasure as a nation to host this man as one of our sons and to be proud that we gave birth to such a man who gave to this country the spirit of fighting on, the spirit against colonization, and the spirit against post-colonial dictators who came after and tried to return this country back to where the colonial administrators had left it. We pray for his soul to rest in good peace. Our prayer is that Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o fought his battle. The Second Liberation, they fought their battle. For the young people who are in this country now, it is also your time to fight your own battle. As we plan our exit outside this time, when the sun finally sets like it did for him, we want to see another fire burning outside, coming to take over from where we left it. This country can and would be better than it is now if we continue with the spirit of those who believed in this country, made this country happen and to be what it is. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, so much can be said about Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. We were outside town in Kisumu with the Energy Committee. Hon. Veronica and I were engaged in very animated discussions about him, together with other Senators. The people that we interacted with, as young as they are, they still gave reference and deference to him. If you look at the internet, even our social media, it was awash with the news of the passing away of this great man and what he meant to this country. This Senate today honours this man. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
},
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"id": 1623646,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623646/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Mungatana, MGH",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "This Senate today says thank you to the family for giving us this man. This Senate today honours the great son of this country. May his spirit of fighting to make our country better continue. May that renewal always be within us. May the fires of revolution and making this country better continue burning with the people who will come after us. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those so many words, I beg to move and request Sen. Tobiko to second this Motion. I thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir."
},
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"id": 1623647,
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"text_counter": 141,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Kathuri",
"speaker_title": "The Deputy Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Sen. Peris Tobiko."
},
{
"id": 1623648,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623648/?format=api",
"text_counter": 142,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Tobiko",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Let me thank Sen. Mungatana for giving me the opportunity to second and say one thing or two about Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. We mourn his demise as we celebrate his life. He was a Kenyan author and academician who has been described as East African leading novelist and an important figure in modern African literature. As has been aptly said by Sen. Mungatana, he wrote very many books. He was able to capture the undiluted African society and set up through his books. The Guardian one time wrote that in his company you could not afford to be lazy. Al Jazeera said Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o was not just a writer, he was a militant. As has already been detailed, he wrote very many books that are still used in our literature classes today. His life will live on through his books. It is ironical that Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o who completely was against colonialism and wrote a lot about colonialism, was forced by circumstances, to leave his homeland, to live and stay in the land of the colonizers. It is unfortunate that one time when he was in Kenya, the insecurity situation in our country--- I do not know whether you remember when his wife was raped, violated and harassed in his own country. It is unfortunate that we did not get to appreciate what we had in Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o until now. A lot of his writings are admired across the world. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I second the Motion by Sen. Mungatana. May the soul of Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o rest in peace. Thank you."
},
{
"id": 1623649,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623649/?format=api",
"text_counter": 143,
"type": "scene",
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"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "(Question proposed)"
},
{
"id": 1623650,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623650/?format=api",
"text_counter": 144,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Kathuri",
"speaker_title": "The Deputy Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Now, I invite the Senators to make their contributions. We will start with Sen. Wambua Enoch."
},
{
"id": 1623651,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1623651/?format=api",
"text_counter": 145,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Wambua",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to eulogize Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. I am a student of literature and I have studied a number of works by Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. I stand here today to pass my condolences, as well as the condolences of the people of Kitui County, to the family of Professor Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, the people of Kamirithu and indeed, the entire literary world for the loss of this literary icon. It shall be remembered that at the peak of his career, there was extensive conversation in the literary world about the place of language in communicating literary The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}
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