Listen A Scotswoman set on winning over the hearts of Kenyans to African inspired contemporary trends has become one of the most influential fashion designers in East Africa, a far cry from her days of cleaning toilets; today she enjoys international acclaim on the catwalks of the world. Most fashion enthusiasts know Ann McCreath as […]
Listen Although less than eight per cent of land in Kenya is under cultivation, agriculture remains the country’s most important economic activity. Only about 20 percent of Kenya’s land is suitable for farming, of which just 12 percent is classified as high potential (adequate rainfall) agricultural land and eight percent as having medium potential. The […]
Listen Asenath Bole Odaga is recognised for her contributions to the Africanisation of education in Kenya during the early years after independence. She is credited with highlighting the importance of African oral literature and introducing it to the education system. She also made a name for herself as an author, publishing over 30 titles in […]
Listen Wanjiku Mukabi Kabira is an Associate Professor of Literature at the University of Nairobi, an author and a literary critic. She has published widely in the areas of oral literature, culture, governance, constitution-making and gender issues. She took the first steps towards a literary career in 1965 when she wrote and recited a poem […]
Listen Pat Wambui Ngurukie is an author of fiction novels whose focus is on romance in an urban setting. She has written titles such as I Will Be Your Substitute, Soldier’s Wife, Thorns of a Dead Rose (previously titled Businessman’s Wife), Tough Choices and The CEO’s Wife. She co-authored Our Mother’s Footsteps with Professor Wanjiku […]
Listen The late award-winning author Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye is one of Africa’s most celebrated female writers, having penned numerous compelling novels, short stories, poems and children’s stories depicting the social and ethical evolution of post-colonial Kenya. Forget all the hype about the digital age. At age 87, British-born Marjorie Oludhe MacGoye, who lived in Kenya for […]
Listen Witnessing Kenya’s turbulent transitional period in history that was characterised by a monumental clash between long-held traditional cultures and a Western Christian worldview, shaped the consciousness of this deeply thoughtful woman and emboldened her to become a woman of many firsts. Kahuhia in Murang’a District looked a lot different in 1925 than it does […]
Listen The birth of Storymoja transformed Kenya’s literary scene, empowering established and aspiring writers by providing a platform to hone their skills and tell their stories. Muthoni Garland’s appearance on the literary scene could well be described as an out- of-the-blue affair. Her name is synonymous with Storymoja, a publishing outfit that has revolutionised Kenya’s literary scene. Storymoja dates […]
Listen The prolific doctor-turned-author responsible for giving us The River and the Source, a scintillating novel that leaves readers in awe, left behind a legacy of hope through her compassion- based work to empower women and children. When cancer claimed Dr Margaret Ogola from the earth, a source of inspiration was silenced forever. Her début offering, The River and […]
Listen Barbara Kimenye is remembered as one of East Africa’s most prolific writers, having authored over 50 children’s books whose popularity peaked in the 1980s. She is most well-known for the ‘Moses’ series published between 1968 and 1987, which chronicled the life and adventures of Moses, a schoolboy in a boy’s institution in Uganda. Today her books have sold […]