A brief introduction of the Department
The Department of Literature was founded in 1970, the year the University of Nairobi became a fully-fledged university. During the days of University College of East Africa, Nairobi, the entity was called the English Department. In 1986, a unit was established at the Kikuyu Campus of the University of Nairobi to teach literature to the Bed students. This campus introduced the program in Distance Education, in which literature was also taught. In 2004, the two sections of the Department, the one at the Main Campus and the one at Kikuyu Campus, merged into one Department of Literature. Structurally the Department services the School of Education in the teaching of the B.Ed students. In 2013, the Department introduced BA in Performing Arts, MA in Theatre and Film Studies, Certificate courses in Russian, Japanese and Theatre Arts, and Diploma in Theatre Arts.
Programmes and Services offered:
- B.A in Literature
- B.Ed in Literature
- B.A in Performing Arts
- M.A in Literature
- M.A in Theatre and Film Studies
- Ph.D in Literature
- Service courses to School of Journalism and Mass Communication
- Service courses to Department of Linguistics and Languages
Major achievements in the year 2020
• Publication of the Nairobi Journal of Literature Number 9 (Special Issue) December 2020
- Hosting of a Webinar themed “UoN@50:Conversations on Kenyan Literature and our Being” in November 2020
- The Third International Annual Conference on the Role of Literature in a Global World in October 2020
- Nomination and award of honorary degree to Prof. Micere M. Githae Mugo
- Nomination and appointment of Prof. Wanjiku Kabira as Professor Emeritus
- Signing of MoU with Soka University, Japan.
- Graduated 15 M.A students during the 2020 graduation
- Publications by members of staff
- Papers presented at seminars /conferences by staff
Corporate and Community Outreach activities:
- Performing arts students entertained guests during the UoN @50 celebrations
- Members of staff consistently write for the Saturday Nation on pertinent issues related to Literature and the arts
Updated Staff Portfolio:
| S/No | Name | Staff No. | Category | Qualification | ||
| Rank | Under-Graduate | MA | PhD | |||
| 1 | Prof. Henry Indangasi | 4670 | Professor | 1973(UON) | 1975(UON) | 1980 |
| (UC Santa Cruz) | ||||||
| 2 | Prof. Peter Wasamba | 17245 | Professor | 1993(UON) | 1998(UON) | 2002 (UON) |
| 3 | Prof. Ciarunji Chesaina | 15108 | Professor | 1971 | 1972(Leeds)/1978 (Harvard)/ | 1988 (Leeds) |
| (Makerere) | 1998 (USIU) | |||||
| 4 | Prof. Helen Mwanzi | 113140 | Professor | 1972 (UON) | 1984 (UON) | 1995 (UON) |
| 5 | Prof. D.H. Kiiru | 82440 | Associate Professor | 1973 (UON) | 1976 (UON)/ | 1997 (UON) |
| 2001 (Durham) | ||||||
| 6 | Prof. Monicah Mweseli | 12676 | Associate Professor | 1979 (UON) | 1981 (UON) | 1987 (Atlanta) |
| 7 | Prof. Alina Rinkanya | 11413 | Associate Professor | 1978 | 1980 (Leningrad) | 2002 (Moscow) |
| (Leningrad) | ||||||
| 8 | Dr. Masumi H. Odari | 14677 | Senior Lecturer | 1986 (Soka) | 1989 (UON)/ | 2010(UON) |
| 2002 (UON) | ||||||
| 9 | Dr. Joseph Muleka | 18553 | Senior Lecturer | 1996 (CUEA) | 2002 (KU) | 2007 (UON) |
| 10 | Dr. Jeniffer Muchiri | 20026 | Senior Lecturer | 2000 (UON) | 2003 (UON) | 2008 (UON) |
| 11 | Dr. Alex Wanjala | 18837 | Senior Lecturer | 1997 (UON) | 2001 (Paris) | 2009 (Sorbonne) |
| 12 | Dr. Tom Odhiambo | 19925 | Senior Lecturer | 1998 (MOI) | 2001 | 2004 |
| (Witwatersrand) | (Witwatersrand) | |||||
| 13 | Dr. Miriam Musonye | 818595 | Senior Lecturer | 1990 (MOI) | 1992 (MOI) | 2010 (UON) |
| 14 | Dr. Godwin Siundu | 20053 | Senior Lecturer | 1999 (MOI) | 2002 (MOI) | 2004 (Witwatersrand) |
| 15 | Dr. Simon P. Otieno | 20889 | Lecturer | 1998 (CUEA) | 2000 (UON) | 2008 (Leeds) |
| 16 | Dr. Judith Jefwa | 17671 | Lecturer | 1987 (KU) | 1997 (KU) | 2016 (UON) |
| 17 | Dr. Kitata Makau | 18483 | Assistant Lecturer | 1996 (UON) | 2000 (UON) | 2014 (UON) |
| 18 | Dr. Kimingichi Wabende | 18493 | Assistant Lecturer | 1997 (UON) | 1999 (UON) | 2016 (UON) |
| 19 | Mr. Osaaji Mumia | 18550 | Tutorial Fellow | 1996 (UON) | 2000 (UON) | ongoing |
Projections:
- Monthly departmental staff seminars in 2021
- 2 international colloquia
- Graduation of 3 PhDs in 2021
- Nairobi Journal of Literature Number 10
Any other pertinent information/Issue in the 2020:
- Appointment of new head of department
- publications by staff
- staff paper presentations at seminars and conferences
Some Publications by Staff 2020
| NO. | AUTHOR | TITLE |
| 1 | Henry Indangasi | 1. “The Pitfalls of Descriptivism and Relativism in the Study of Language and Literature” Published in The Nairobi Journal of Literature, Number 9, 2020. |
| 2. “Covid- 19 and Our Humanity” in Soaring Above the Pandemic: Poetic Echoes from East Africa. Edited by Peter Amuka et al. Bungoma, Kenya: InterCEN Books, 2020. | ||
| 2 | Masumi Odari, Jennifer Muchiri,Mumia G. Osaaji | The Agile Thinking and Subversion in Chinua Achebe’s The Education of a British-Protected Child |
| 3 | Alina N Rinkanya, Masumi H Odari, Wambua Kawive | Theatre in Kenya and the Construct of Leadership in Francis Imbuga’s Aminata |
| 4 | Alina N Rinkanya, Masumi H Odari, Shadrach Mwanthi | A Critical Thinking Approach to Shakespeare's Tragedies: King Lear And Romeo and Juliet |
| 5 | Henry Indangasi, Ciarunji Chesaina, Joram K. Mbui | Critical Thinking, Moral Integrity, and Citizenship: Lessons from W.E.B. Du Bois’ Academic Career and his Relationship with Africa |
| 6 | D.H. Kiiru | 1. Formal Features in Alex la Guma’s “Come |
| Back to Tashkent,” Asian Journal of African Studies, Vol. 47 February 2020. 99-119 | ||
| 2. Teaching Canadian Literature in the University of Nairobi, Eastern African Literary and Cultural Studies, DOI: 10.1080/23277408.2020.1767985, 12 June 2020. 1-17 |