Awards

Our books and literary awards

E.A.E.P.'s literature list is one of the most comprehensive in African publishing. We have published most of the leading names in African literature: Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Cyprian Ekwensi, Sembene Ousmane, Alex la Guma, Peter Abrahams,Taban lo Liyong, Okot p'Bitek, Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye and Grace Ogot, to mention but a few. Our winning streak is attested to by the many feathers we have added to our dazzling literary cap. We continue to outdo ourselves in bagging numerous awards and other forms of accolades year in year out. During the 9 th Nairobi International Book Fair held in Nairobi in September 2005, our titles yet again proved indomitable when Valerie Cuthbert's Wings of the Wind was named the winner of the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature (Adult fiction category). During the same function, Ruth Makotsi's Shida the Street Boy beat all other titles for the children readers' category. The two titles were following the well-beaten path of EAEP success in literary quality. Emmanuel Kariuki's The Salem Mystery won the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature in 2003.

In the year 2001,Meja Mwangi's novel, The Last Plague, which focuses on the Aids scourge, won the prize in the Adult Fiction category.Tobias Otieno's Missing Links has also won the runners-up prize in the same award. It is within this winning streak that Gakaara Wanjau's Mwandiki wa Mau Mau Ithaamirio-ini (later translated from Gikuyu and published under the English title Mau Mau author in Detention ) has in the past won the prestigious Noma Award for Publishing in Africa . Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Devil on the Cross, Wanjiku Mukabi and Karega Mutahi's Gikuyu Oral Literature and David Maillu's children reader, The Poor Child, have also won honourable mention in the award's history. In the same vein, Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye's Coming to Birth won the Sinclair Prize for Fiction.In a word, we have all along been the peak in publishing. And the most important thing to note is that we are keen on keeping the embers of literary success aflame into the distant future.

That is why we also have works by a new and upcoming breed of African authors. They include Njue Kamunde, the author of Kithingichi My Father's Bull, Wanjiru Waithaka, who has written The Unbroken Spirit , Onduko bw'Atebe the author of The Verdict of Death, Kabaru Ndegwa, author of The Wonderful Ball and Okelo Nyandong, the author of The Spurt of Flames. Others include Rebecca Nandwa ( Mnyama Mwenye Huruma ),Njoroge Konye ( Mworia the Warrior ) and Uche Onyebadi ( Death Has Forgotten Him and other Stories), to mention but a few. In Addition to these, we boast a list of soon-to-be-released titles by new authors which are in various stages of publication.The names include Florence Mbaya, Masera Lewela and Mashingaidze Gomo, among others.Apart from works published in English, E.A.E.P. has played a central role in promoting African languages, and has a collection of books published in Kiswahili, Luhya, Gikuyu, Kikamba and Dholuo. To this end, our latest title in Gikuyu ( Murogi wa Kagogo by Ngugi wa Thiong'o) will go down the annals of history as the most voluminous book in an African language in the world. For a complete listing of our literature books, please go to our secondary and tertiary catalogues.

Academic and Scholarly Publishing

These titles range from scientific titles like Flowering Plants of East Africa that received honourable mention by the Noma Award Jury (1995) to the topical and relevant political titles like Peacemaking and Democratisation in Africa . E.A.E.P.'s general and academic publishing is a cocktail of the best in African publishing. It consists of autobiographical/historical texts like Oginga Odinga's Not Yet Uhuru , Tom Mboya's Challenge to Nationhood , Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Detained : A Writer's Prison Diary and Nelson Mandela's No Easy Walk to Freedom. As a vehicle of social dialogue, E.A.E.P. has issued such great works as Ali Mazrui's Nationalism and New States in Africa , Jomo Kenyatta's Facing Mount Kenya and Tom Mboya's Freedom and After. In this category we also publish on policy matters,as evidenced in such texts as the recently released At the Crossroads:ICT Policy Making in East Africa.Other areas that are actively explored are religion, philosophy, political science and government, history, law and economics, all with an African perspective. For a complete listing of our academic and scholarly titles please go to our stock list and tertiary catalogue.

General Readership

E.A.E.P. has a fast growing popular fiction list known as Spear Books. These are titles developed specifically for leisure reading. Other titles include children's readers (Sparrow, SunBird and Junior Readers Series), and general trade books which are published under our subsidiary, Kenway publications. These are books on leisure, travelling, hobbies and the environment.

We have categories on cookery, humour, autobiographies, African heritage among others. Mke Nyumbani: Alice Taabu's Cookery Book won the Gourmand World Cook award in 2002. It was recognised under Books tied to a food television program in English, in the 'Rest of the World' category.

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