Veteran publisher Henry Chakava dies at 77

Veteran publisher Henry Chakava has died, his family has confirmed.

Dr Chakava died at 5am Friday at a hospital in Nairobi.

Dr Chakava is widely regarded as the father of publishing in Kenya and Africa as a whole, having pioneered a publishing industry that was dominated by foreigners.

He is associated with the publishing of iconic literary luminaries in Africa such as Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Grace Ogot, Francis Imbuga, John Kiriamiti, Meja Mwangi, Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye (all from Kenya), Chinua Achebe and Cyprian Ekwensi (Nigeria), Taban lo Liyong (South Sudan), Okot P’Bitek and John Ruganda (Uganda), David Rubadiri (Malawi), Peter Abrahams (South Africa), and many others.

They were published under the Africa Writers Series, which remains unrivalled for the quality of its literature and the many classics it has produced.

“It is with deep shock and sadness that the board and management of East African Educational Publishers Limited, in consultation with the family, wishes to announce the passing of its founder and chairman, Dr Henry Chakava,” EAEP managing director Kiarie Kamau said in a statement.

“Dr Chakava passed away this morning, 8th March 2024, at 5.00am while receiving treatment at Nairobi Hospital,” he added.

Among his greatest achievements was presiding over the acquisition of the British multinational Heinemann (East Africa) and changing its name to East African Educational Publishers.

Read: EAEP backbone as book publisher of five decades