Latest News & Announcements

The Chair of the Department of Literature at the University of Nairobi, Dr. Miriam Wangu Maranga Musonye, recently visited Soka University in Japan as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions. This strategic visit marks a significant step in deepening academic collaboration, cultural exchange, and research partnership between the University of Nairobi and Soka University. During her visit, Dr. Musonye delivered a distinguished lecture under the Soka University Global Perspectives Special Lecture Series #15.

The Department of Literature recently held a colourful day to honour the life and writings of Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, a former lecturer and Head of Department, and one the most celebrated writers and thinkers from Africa. In collaboration with the East African Educational Publishers, the company that circulated Ngugi's works worldwide, the Department showcased Ngugi's novels, short stories and essays, and convened panel discussions on his works and ideas.

The 20th Triennial Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies Conference 2025 was hosted by the Department of Literature, University of Nairobi, from 1st to 5th July, 2025. The conference, whose theme was "Transcultural Englishes in a Multipolar World", attracted world renowned keynote speakers.

The Department of Literature played host to the 50th African Literature Association Conference, from 25th to 28th June, 2025. The hugely successful conference brought together scholars from all over the world to confer on various subjects under the broad theme of "Ecologies of Transition: Spaces and Mobilities in African Literatures and Cultures."

Keynote speakers at the conference include Kenyan novelist and academic, Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, who spoke on "Re-Worlding Africa: Imagination, Time and the Craft of the Futures," and award-winning film maker Wanuri Kahiu. 

On Friday, June 20, 2025, the University of Nairobi’s Taifa Hall reverberated with a vibrant tribute to the late Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o.

I had the rare privilege of talking with Ngúgi wa Thiong'o twice this year.

The Department of Literature, in partnership with the Literature Students Association and AMKA, is currently hosting a Collaborative Literature Forum today, Saturday, April 26th, 2025, at UoN Towers, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Today, French students from the University of Nairobi joined other students from various institutions, teachers, and diplomats from the Francophone world at the UN office in Gigiri, Nairobi, to mark the International Day of the Francophonie. The theme of the event was "Je m'éduque donc j'agis" (I educate myself, therefore I act).