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Is Ngugi Wa Thiong’o Lonely And Ailing In The US?

Kenya’s Literature giant Ngugi wa Thiong’o is reportedly ailing in the United States following his divorce from his second wife Njeri. Ms Njeeri is the director of Human Resource Faculty and Staff Conflict Resolution Services at the University of California, Irvine. Prof Ngugi is a Distinguished Professor, at the Comparative Literature School of Humanities. It is alleged that Ngugi has already left the house they shared with Njeeri in California and is presently living alone and unable to take care of himself. A report in the Guardian stipulates that Ngugi is currently dependent on caregivers in order to get by.

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News that the Literature giant is lonely and divorced was brought to light by a story published by the Guardian, following an interview that Carey Baraka of the Guardian conducted during a visit to the US. Baraka reports that Ngugi claimed that he may appear single but he is no longer married.

 

One of Ngugi’s children, Muukoma Ngugi has dismissed the contents of the article. In a statement, Mukoma said, “Am I the only one finding this story (well-written as it is) also unethical? In terms of journalistic standards and what matters and what details are necessary to tell a compelling story? Anything that is gratuitous is unnecessary and gossipy excess,”

Ngugi had a traditional wedding with his first wife the late Nyambura. The two had six children namely Kimunya, Thiong’o, Nduchu, Wanjiku, Mukoma, and Njoki. His children are working in the US and in different African countries. His second wife Njeeri, has a 24-year-old daughter from a previous relationship. They have two children: 9-year-old Thiong’o and 10-year-old Mumbi Wanjiku. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o is an academic and Kenyan author who writes primarily in the Gikuyu language and formerly wrote in English. Ngugi was Thiong’o has been considered “East Africa’s leading novelist”. He is famous for his debut novel dubbed ‘Weep Not Child’ and has also written other books namely, A Grain of Wheat, The River Between and Petals of Blood among others.

 

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