Viral Tea's Memory Of Renowned Author Ken Walibora 3 Years After Death

On Friday, April 10, 2020, the late renowned author and respected journalist Ken Walibora was involved in a freak accident along Landhies Road in Nairobi.

He was rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) where he was reported to have spent 18 hours at the emergency unit, writhing in pain, before he succumbed.

However, what was initially believed to be a hit-and-run accident better handled by traffic policemen when he was hit by a matatu along Landhies Road manifested to be a murder case as an autopsy revealed that the late Walibora was stabbed before the accident. Government pathologist Johansen Oduor recommended further investigations to establish the cause of his death.

“The wound on the right hand was caused by a sharp trauma. When someone is hit by a vehicle, the wound is usually indicative of being hit by a blunt object. This one was sharp,” Oduor told the Nation on April 18, 2020.

On Saturday, April 8, three days to the third anniversary of his death, writers, journalists, and scholars from East African countries gathered together to honour the memory of the late writer and editor during a memorial event at his home in the Ngozi area.

Viral Tea takes a trip down memory lane to the life and times of the prolific writer who will be remembered for his best-seller Siku Njema (Good Day) set book and many others, whose mystery demise remains unresolved.

Ken Walibora Profile

Walibora was born on January 6, 1965, as Kennedy Waliaula in Baraki, Bungoma county, in western Kenya. He later changed his identity to Walibora, the latter part of his surname which means "better" in Swahili and also shortened his first name to Ken.

He worked as a teacher and a probation officer before he became a journalist. He also served as a professor of the Kiswahili language in the US and Kenya.

Walibora attended several schools, including St. Joseph Primary School, Teremi and Suremi secondary schools, Ole Kajiado High School, and the University of Nairobi, where he graduated with a first-class honours degree in literature and Swahili studies. He also obtained a Master’s degree from Ohio University in the US and worked as a lecturer at Wisconsin Madison University and Riara University.

Walibora was a prolific author with over 40 titles, including the famous Siku Njema, a secondary school set book between 1997 and 2003. Other notable works include Kidagaa Kimemwozea, Kufa Kuzikana, Tuzo, Ndoto ya Almasi, Damu Nyeusi, and Ndoto Ya Amerika, most of the editions which were used as set books in the Kenyan school curriculum for several years.

In addition to his writing career, Walibora worked as a Swahili news anchor and editor at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and Nation Media Group (NMG) as a probation officer and secondary school teacher.

Walibora was a passionate advocate for the Swahili language and literature. He believed the language was a critical component of Kenyan culture and identity and worked tirelessly to promote its use and development.

He was also an active member of the literary community in Kenya and was involved in many initiatives to support and nurture young writers. He mentored and supported numerous up-and-coming writers, and his contributions to the Kenyan literary scene were widely recognized and appreciated.

Walibora's Writing Style

Walibora was a versatile writer and wrote in various genres, including novels, short stories, essays, and poetry. His writing was characterized by a deep empathy for his characters and a keen understanding of the complexities of human relationships and experiences.

Additionally, his writing was widely acclaimed both within and outside Kenya. His works were translated into several languages, including English, French, German, and Chinese, and he was invited to speak and present his work at literary festivals and conferences in many countries.

Cover of the late Ken Walibora's book 'Siku Njema'. /E-MART KENYA

He was awarded the Jomo Kenyatta Literature Prize twice for his works Ndoto ya Amerika in 2003 and Kisasi Hapana in 2009. Additionally, he contributed numerous book chapters and articles to academic journals such as Research in African Literatures (RAL), Swahili Forum, Kiswahili, Journal of the Association of African Literature (JALA), Canadian Journal of African Studies (CJAS), African Quarterly Review (AQR), Journal of the African Language Teachers Association (JALTA), and Curator: The International Museum Journal.

Events Preceding Walibora's Death & Burial

Before Walibora's body was found at the mortuary of KNH, he was reported missing for five days. The events surrounding his death took place at around 9:30 a.m. when an ambulance was called but failed to take him to the hospital upon arrival.

Walibora was buried on April 21, 2020, at his home in western Kenya in a funeral attended by not more than 15 people, due to COVID-19 restrictions on attendees in funerals in the early days of the pandemic ravaging the country.

In addition, his widow and two children did not attend as they could not leave the United States (US), where they live, due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. During that time, the US was one of the most hard-hit countries in the world by the virus.

Walibora’s death was a significant loss to the Kenyan literary community, and his legacy continues to inspire and influence many writers in the country and beyond.

The late Ken Walibora speaking during a past event. /FILE