Former Nairobi Town Clerk Philip Kisia has strongly criticised Kenyan leaders for what he termed as shedding crocodile tears in ourning the late literary icon, Prof. Ngugi wa Thiong’o.
According to Kisia, Ngugi wa Thiong’o suffered under successive regimes, yet the same leaders who are now mourning him were either part of or supported those regimes.
These leaders, he noted, never once came out to apologise to Ngugi for the injustices meted out on him throughout his life, actions that forced the acclaimed writer into exile to escape political persecution.
“What disturbed me is the fact that I saw some people shedding crocodile tears. This man has suffered under successive regimes. No regime has apologised to him for humiliating Ngugi wa Thiong’o until he had to run away from this country. He has been here, and he has not been honoured,” Kisia said on a popular podcast on Friday, May 30, 2025, .
Kisia argued further that Ngugi was never given his flowers while he was alive.
Despite being a literary titan recognised all over the world, he was never awarded state honours such as the Elder of the Burning Spear (EBS) or Elder of the Golden Heart (EGH).
Instead, he pointed out, the government has often honoured individuals who, in a civilised society, would not even qualify for such recognition.
“Even Ngugi was never honoured in his lifetime. He was not given his roses when he could smell them. Even state recommendations like EBS and EGH were not awarded to him. Yet some people, had it been a civilised society, would not have received such awards. But despite Ngugi wa Thiong’o being a literary titan, he was never honoured,” Kisia noted.
He continued:
“If you look at the list of people who have been honoured with state awards, some of those fellows in a civilised society would not qualify. The least is head of state commendations; they would not be getting them. But in Kenya, you can get anything. You find a buffoon holding an EGH. It only happens in Kenya.” Kisia added.
According to Kisia, the tears being shed by Kenyan leaders are not genuine.
He insisted that there was so much they could have done to appreciate the professor while he was still alive, but they failed to do so.
Ngugi’s demise
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o passed away on May 28, 2025, at the age of 87 in Buford, Georgia, USA.
The news of his passing was announced by his daughter, Wanjiku wa Ngũgĩ, through a heartfelt message on Facebook:
“He lived a full life and fought a good fight.”
His son, Nducu wa Ngũgĩ, later confirmed that the renowned writer died in a hospital.
While the exact cause of death was not immediately disclosed, it was noted that Ngũgĩ had been undergoing kidney dialysis.
He had faced several health challenges over the years, including surviving prostate cancer in 1995 and undergoing triple bypass heart surgery in 2019.
