“My father would beat my late mom up” — Mukoma wa Thiongo

Mukoma wa Thiongo, son of the celebrated Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiongo, has brought to light a troubling aspect of his family’s history.

Taking to the social media platform X on Tuesday, March 12, the 53-year-old poet, author, and professor revealed instances of physical abuse inflicted by his father upon his late mother, Nyambura.

“My father @NgugiWaThiongo physically abused my late mother – he would beat her up,” Mukoma wa Thiongo shared, recounting poignant memories of seeking refuge with his mother at his grandmother’s house amidst the turmoil.

He expressed dismay at the erasure of his mother’s narrative, stating; “But with that said it is the silencing of who she was that gets me. Ok- I have said it.”

This revelation marks not the first instance of Mukoma wa Thiongo advocating for the recognition of his mother’s role within the family. In 2022, he took to Twitter to express his anguish, lamenting,

“It hurts to see my late mother, Nyambura…being systemically erased from the @NgugiWaThiongo_ story.”

Ngugi wa Thiongo, hailed as Kenya’s most prominent writer, married Nyambura in 1987, with whom he had six children.

However, their marriage was marred by detentions and exiles amidst political persecution orchestrated by successive Kenyan regimes.

Tragically, Nyambura passed away in 1995, while Ngugi wa Thiongo was in exile in the United States, preventing him from attending her funeral.

Following Nyambura’s death, Ngugi wa Thiongo remarried Njeri, with whom he had two children before their separation last year. Presently, Ngugi, 86, grapples with kidney failure, residing in California, US, under the care of medical professionals.

His ex-wife Njeri serves as the director of Human Resource Faculty and Staff Conflict Resolution Services at the University of California, Irvine, where Ngugi holds the position of Distinguished Professor at the Comparative Literature School of Humanities.