17/01/2026
KEN WALIBORA: A Life, a Controversy in the US and an Unresolved Death
EARLY LIFE AND RISE IN LITERATURE
Ken Waliaula Walibora was born on January 6, 1965, in Baraki, Bungoma County, western Kenya, as Kennedy Waliaula. He later shortened his first name to Ken and adopted Walibora, a Swahili word meaning “better”—a name that symbolized self-improvement and aspiration.
He attended St. Joseph Primary School, Teremi and Suremi Secondary Schools, Ole Kajiado High School, and later the University of Nairobi, where he graduated with first-class honours in Literature and Swahili Studies. He earned a Master’s degree from Ohio University in the United States.
Before becoming a full-time writer and academic, Walibora worked as a teacher and a probation officer, experiences that deeply informed his understanding of social injustice, crime, and human vulnerability—themes that would later dominate his writing.
LITERARY FAME AND ACADEMIC CAREER
Walibora rose to national prominence in 1996 with the publication of his debut novel Siku Njema, which later became a Kenyan secondary school set book between 1997 and 2003. The novel inspired a generation of students to appreciate Kiswahili literature.
He went on to author over 40 books,
His works explored tribalism (ukabila), cruelty (ukatili), selfishness (ubinafsi), crime (uhalifu), and moral decay—often balanced with humour, empathy, and romance.
Alongside writing, Walibora worked as a Swahili news anchor and editor at the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) and Nation Media Group (NMG). He later became a professor of Kiswahili and African Studies, lecturing in Kenya and at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the United States.
His books were translated into English, French, German, and Chinese, and he won the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for Literature twice.
THE WISCONSIN CRIMINAL ACCUSATIONS (2012)
In 2012, while serving as an assistant professor of African Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Walibora was arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behaviour, a Class A misdemeanor under Wisconsin law.
According to a police complaint, he was accused of exposing his ge****ls in public to several women, including a former student. One complainant was described as “truthful and reliable” in the police report.
Walibora initially denied intentional exposure but later admitted to the conduct in police statements, according to the complaint.
The case attracted significant media attention in both the United States and Kenya and resulted in:
His temporary removal from campus
Placement on paid administrative leave
Damage to his professional reputation
However, Walibora consistently maintained his innocence and later issued a public statement clarifying the legal outcome.
OUTCOME OF THE CASE
On September 7, 2012, the criminal charges were dropped by the court. Walibora was not convicted of any criminal offence.
In his public response, he criticized what he described as:One-sided media reportingTrial by public opinion AND Failure by the press to report the dismissal of charges
He stated that the allegations caused deep harm to his family and career but said he harboured no bitterness toward those who believed or spread the claims.
Following the controversy, Walibora returned to Kenya, where he resumed teaching, writing, and journalism, though colleagues later noted that the episode had profoundly affected him.
FINAL YEARS
By the late 2010s, Walibora remained an influential literary figure, frequently speaking out against:
Neo-colonialism,Marginalization of Kiswahili,Social inequalityAnd Moral decay in public institutions
In 2018, he publicly criticized Kenyan schools that banned students from speaking Kiswahili, calling it a form of cultural brainwashing. At the time of his death, he had at least one unpublished manuscript, later slated for posthumous release.
THE DAY OF HIS DEATH – APRIL 10, 2020
On Good Friday, April 10, 2020, between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m., Walibora was in downtown Nairobi along Landhies Road.
Eyewitness accounts and forensic findings later suggested that:
He was chased by muggers armed with knives He attempted to block a knife attack, sustaining a defensive wound between his right thumb and index fingerWhile fleeing, he was struck by a moving vehicle, likely a matatu.He was thrown onto the tarmac, unconscious, with severe injuries
HOSPITAL NEGLIGENCE AND DEATH
An ambulance was called, and Walibora was taken to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) around 10:30 a.m. Despite the severity of his condition, he reportedly:
Remained in the Accident and Emergency unit for nearly 18 hoursDid not receive timely definitive treatment ,Had no family member notified, Bled internally and externally while awaiting care He died shortly after midnight.
His body remained unidentified at the KNH mortuary for five days.
Postmortem Findings and Criminal Investigation
Government pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor concluded that:
Walibora had injuries consistent with a traffic accident But also had a sharp-force injury inconsistent with a vehicle impact
“This one was sharp. When someone is hit by a vehicle, injuries are usually blunt.”
As a result, the homicide department took over investigations, and his death was classified as suspicious and unresolved.
BURIAL AND AFTERMATH
Walibora was buried on April 21, 2020, at his home in western Kenya. Due to COVID-19 restrictions:Fewer than 15 people attended. His widow and two children, based in the US, were unable to attend Security restricted public access to the burial
An Unfinished Story
Years later, no arrests have been made, and no conclusive explanation has been given for the events leading to his death.
Ken Walibora—a man who spent his life writing about injustice—died amid violence, neglect, and unanswered questions. Yet through his literature, language advocacy, and teaching, he continues to speak.
