Parliament to eulogise Prof Ngugi wa Thiong’o on June 3

Parliament will on Tuesday dedicate 30 minutes to eulogise the late literary icon Prof Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has announced.

Addressing the National Assembly on Thursday, Speaker Wetang’ula described Prof Ngugi as one of Kenya’s greatest sons in the world of literature and called on the House to formally honour his memory next week.

“Next week on Tuesday, I shall allocate 30 minutes for this House to formally eulogise Prof Ngugi,” the Speaker said. 

“But for now, as a patriotic and conscious House, we must recognize this great son of Kenya.”

The Speaker led MPs in observing a minute of silence in honour of the renowned writer, hailing his role in shaping Kenya’s literary tradition and elevating African storytelling to global heights.

“A prolific writer of global repute, Prof Ngugi stood in the league of African literary giants such as Chinua Achebe, Elechi Amadi, and Flora Nwapa, who helped illuminate the African narrative through literature,” he said.

Mr Wetang’ula further praised Prof Ngugi’s academic legacy, particularly his role in founding and developing the Department of Literature at the University of Nairobi (UoN), where he worked alongside fellow intellectuals such as Okot p’Bitek, Micere Githae Mugo, Chris Wanjala, Francis Imbuga, and John Ruganda.

But the Speaker also took issue with the Kenyan media for what he termed inadequate coverage of Prof Ngugi’s passing.

“I had expected to see Prof Ngugi’s image gracing the front pages of every newspaper in this country just as we do when other global figures such as the Pope or Chinua Achebe pass on,” he said. 

“Sadly, that was not the case today.”

“Prof Ngugi wa Thiong’o should have been the national headline today,” he added, urging MPs to record their collective disappointment and call for Ngugi as a “towering intellectual”, “a patriot”, and a “teacher of nations”, whose writings shaped minds and stirred the conscience of the African continent.