Ngugi wa Thiong’o, East Africa’s Iconic Novelist, known for the classic Prose "Weep Not Child" Dies at 87 Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (born January 5, 1938, James Ngugi) passed away today, on May 28, 2025, at the age of 87 in the United States. He is a renowned Kenyan writer who is considered East Africa's leading novelist. His popular Weep Not, Child (1964) was the first major novel in English by an East African. May his soul rest in peace 🙏