Writer and filmmaker Meja Mwangi dies aged 78 in Malindi

Once again, death has visited us. Today, I mourn Meja Mwangi, who has gone to be with his Creator. Kenya has lost one of the finest and most disciplined authors ever to grace our literary landscape. His pen was sharp, his imagination vast, and his commitment to storytelling unwavering.

I grew up on his works. His books shaped my imagination, fed my young curiosity, and opened my mind to the power of narrative. Many of us are who we are today because writers like Meja Mwangi dared to write boldly and truthfully.

He leaves behind a towering legacy of books. Let me dare to say that he was perhaps the most prolific Kenyan writer in our history, Meja Mwangi wrote with depth, courage, and an unyielding devotion to the truth of our reality.

In 2024, he was deservedly declared one of the distinguished writers Kenya has ever produced since God created this world. I am deeply saddened.  Last year, during the 25th edition of the Nairobi International Book Fair at Sarit Centre, the Kenya Publishers Association unveiled Kenya’s 25 Notable Authors, a historic moment of recognition. Meja Mwangi stood tall among these luminaries.

Here is the complete list:
Ngugi wa Thiong’o
Meja Mwangi
David Maillu
Egara Kabaji
Ezekiel Alembi
Charles Mangua
Wahome Mutahi
Francis Imbuga
Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye
Ken Walibora
Henry ole Kulet
Onduko B’wAtebe
Rebecca Nandwa
John Habwe
Binyavanga Wainaina
Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor
Stanley Gazemba
Mwangi Gicheru
Nyambura Mpesha
Kinyanjui Kombani
Ng’ang’a Mbugua
Ngũmi Kibera
Emmanuel Kariuki
Kithaka wa Mberia
Eunniah Mbabazi

Let us lower our heads in grief, but raise our hearts in gratitude for Meja Mwangi’s enduring legacy.