The 5th Edition of Nairobi Litfest 2026 By Book Bunk and Hay Festival Global Successfully Concludes in Nairobi

Book Bunk and Hay Festival Global successfully concluded the 2026 edition of Nairobi Litfest successfully held in Nairobi across three historic public libraries: McMillan Memorial Library, Kaloleni Library and Eastlands Library (8 – 10 May, 2026). Over 3 days, audiences gathered to celebrate literature, exchange ideas, and experience performance in a shared space of creativity and connection. 

The festival, now in its fifth iteration, united book lovers, literature enthusiasts, poets, artists, thinkers and educators from Kenya and beyond, across more than 25 sessions. A special highlight of the festival was the screening of ‘How to Build a Library’ documentary that follows Book Bunk’s work in restoring public libraries and a live performance by Kenyan artist Mutoriah on day 2 of the festival.

This year’s theme explored how speculative cartography and South-to-South connections make visible new worlds, inviting audiences to rethink boundaries, imagine alternative futures and engage with ideas that traverse geographies, disciplines and perspectives. Across the programme, participants reflected on how storytelling, art and dialogue can reconfigure reality through bold imagination and collective engagement.

Book Bunk Co-Founder and Nairobi Litfest Co-Director Wanjiru Koinange shares, “Nairobi Litfest is a festival built by many hands and sustained by a shared belief in the power of sharing ideas. Each successful edition is a result of our guests, audiences and partners showing up for each other, for their communities and for storytelling. It is a true labour of love and this year’s edition once again affirmed that spirit.”

Since 2024, Book Bunk and Hay Festival Global have partnered to co-present Nairobi Litfest, creating a new chapter in the festival’s journey. Over the past three editions, the partnership has brought together more than 120 writers and artists across 75 events, reaching an audience of over 3,000 both in person and online. This collaboration continues to expand the festival’s international presence, connecting Nairobi audiences to global conversations and ideas.

Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch shares, “We are delighted with the success of Nairobi Litfest 2026 and proud to continue our partnership with Book Bunk. Together, we are creating meaningful spaces for dialogue, imagination and exchange for audiences in Nairobi and around the world”.

Book Bunk Co-Founder and Nairobi Litfest Co-Director Angela Wachuka also shares, “Five editions in, Nairobi Litfest continues to be a place where urgent conversations about literature, art and ideas find a home inside public libraries that belong to everyone. This year’s programme reminded us what becomes possible when we look beyond inherited maps and turn toward one another across the Global South”.

The 2026 programme featured successful masterclasses, panel discussions, performances and a dedicated children’s festival. Highlights included:

• Masterclasses spanning fiction writing, autobiography, poetry, curatorial practice and indie publishing, led by Lina Meruane, Dr. Nick Makoha, Ellah Wakatama OBE, Ciku Kimeria, Richard Oduor Oduku and Dr. Portia Malatjie.
• Children’s sessions that took place on Friday 8th May which offered storytelling, music and movement, chess, puppetry and painting, with Muthoni Maina, Orpah Agunda, Tunde Onakoya, Michael Mutahi and Prisca Ojwang, creating playful and interactive learning experiences for young audiences.
• Panel discussions interrogating imagination, identity and social change with leading voices including Alain Mabanckou, Yvonne Owuor, Natasha Brown, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Safiya Sinclair, Inua Ellams, Nanjala Nyabola and others, exploring speculative futures, political thought, ecological crisis and the intersections of literature, technology and activism.
• Film and curatorial conversations with Moussa Sene Absa, Maia Lekow, Chris King, Dr. Portia Malatjie and Lola Shoneyin, highlighting how creative practice remaps knowledge, culture and possibility across borders.

Hay Festival Global International Director Cristina Fuentes La Roche asserted that “Nairobi Litfest continues to celebrate the best of local and global literature, bringing together artists, writers and audiences in meaningful exchange. This year’s edition reflects the strength of our growing collaboration and the importance of these spaces for shared imagination.”

The post The 5th Edition of Nairobi Litfest 2026 By Book Bunk and Hay Festival Global Successfully Concludes in Nairobi appeared first on Capital Lifestyle.