Author and gay rights activist Binyavanga Wainaina dies at 48

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Kenyan Author and Gay rights activist Binyavanga Wainaina./COURTESY

Author and gay rights activist Kenneth Binyavanga Wainaina is dead.

The 48 year old author, who won Caine Prize for African writing in 2002, died at around 10pm on Tuesday night after suffering a stroke at Aga Khan hospital in Nairobi.

Binyavanga was the founding editor of Kwani magazine, which was established in 2003.

He was best known around the world for his satirical essay ‘How to Write About Africa’.

Wainaina was named among Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2014 for his gay rights activism.

He was among the first Kenyans to come out publicly as gay after publishing an article in 2014 titled “Am a Homosexual, Mum.”

He followed the article with a tweet to clear everyone’s doubts.

I am, for anybody confused or in doubt, a homosexual. Gay, and quite happy,” read the tweet.

He came out as HIV positive on 1st December, World AIDS day in 2016.

The LGBTQ activist proposed to his Nigerian lover last year and were set to wed this year. The two were going to live in South Africa, where his lover study’s.

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