Wanjiku Kabira (born 15 November 1948) is an associate professor of literature at the

University of Nairobi The University of Nairobi (uonbi or UoN; ) is a college, collegiate research university based in Nairobi and is the largest List of universities and colleges in Kenya, university in Kenya. Although its history as an educational institution dat ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. She has specialized in the fields of

Oral literature Oral literature, orature, or folk literature is a genre of literature that is spoken or sung in contrast to that which is written, though much oral literature has been transcribed. There is no standard definition, as anthropologists have used v ...

African-American literature African American literature is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent. Phillis Wheatley was an enslaved African woman who became the first African American to publish a book of poetry, which was publis ...

and Caribbean literature. She has been actively involved in women affairs and in gender issues. Wanjiku has served as in various capacities notably as a. Vice-Chair in the Kenya Constitutional Review Process (2000–2005) b. Chair Person Women Political Alliance (2002–2011) c. Director Collaborative Center for Gender and Development (1995–2009) d. Chair, Department of Literature, University of Nairobi

Early life and education

Prof. Wanjiku Kabira was born in 1948 in the present

Lari Constituency Lari Constituency is an Constituencies of Kenya, electoral constituency in Kenya, located in the northwestern part of Kiambu County. The constituency was established in 1966 from Limuru Constituency. Lari borders Kinangop Constituency, Kinangop ...

. She went to school at Githirioni Primary School and later at Loreto High School, Limuru and Loreto Convent Msongari for her advanced certificate ("A" levels). She studied Literature, History and Scripture and received the "Best Performing Student" prize in Literature.

Work

Kabira is a published author of young adult books. She has published widely on literature, women and on gender issues. One of her most notable books is ''A Letter to Mariama Ba'', which was a response to '' So Long a Letter'', a book written by

Mariama Bâ Mariama Bâ (April 17, 1929 – August 17, 1981) was a Senegalese author and feminist, whose two French-language novels were both translated into more than a dozen languages. Born in Dakar, Senegal, Dakar, Senegal, she was raised a Muslim. Her ...

. Her work with women saw the founding of the African Women Studies Centre at the University of Nairobi in June, 2011. She became the Director of the Centre in 2014 and still serves in that capacity. In her work with the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission she wrote a book, ''A Time for Harvest'', which traces the women's journey in the struggle for a new constitution in the past 20 years, beginning from 1992 to 2012. She reminds the 16 women MPs of 290 that their mere presence in Parliament will be fruitless if it is not properly utilised. Other books she has also published are ''Our Mother's Footsteps'', ''Reclaiming My Dreams: Stories of Wanjiriwa Rukena'' and ''The Beaten Track and other personal stories: A collection of short stories''. Other published credits of Wanjiku Mukabi Kabira include ''

Agikuyu The Kikuyu (also ''Agĩkũyũ/Gĩkũyũ'') are a Bantu ethnic group native to Central Kenya. At a population of 8,148,668 as of 2019, they account for 17.13% of the total population of Kenya, making them Kenya's largest ethnic group. The ...

'' (Heritage Library of African Peoples East Africa). Professor Kabira also has written many books about women and gender issues, among them: ''Our Secret Lives''; ''They Have Destroyed the Temple''; ''Celebrating Women's Resistance''; ''The Oral Artist''.

References

External links

University of Nairobi Staff database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kabira, Wanjiku 1945 births Living people People from Kiambu County Kenyan writers Kenyan women writers Academic staff of the University of Nairobi