Leonard Kibera
Leonard Kibera (8 October 1942 – 19 July 1983) was a Kenyan novelist and short-story writer. He is known for Voices in the Dark (1970) and Potent Ash (1968). In 1967, he won third prize in an African drama contest run by the BBC.
Kibera was born in Embu, Kenya, to Elizabeth Nduta and James Kibera, with three siblings. He finished high school in Embu and studied in the United States at the University of California and at Stanford University. From 1976 he taught at the University of Zambia and Kenyatta University in Kenya until his death.
As a student at the University of Nairobi, he was mentored by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, whose ideas about relationships and the tension between modern life and cultural traditions influenced Kibera. Unlike Ngũgĩ’s protagonists, Kibera’s characters are often rebels or misfits.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 15:25 (CET).