Professor Mukoma wa Ngũgĩ has opened up about the emotional fallout from a 2024 tweet in which he alleged witnessing his father, celebrated author Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, physically abuse his mother during his childhood.

In a candid interview with TV47, Mukoma revealed that the tweet, which quickly went viral, created a “fracture” in their relationship.

“At some point I sent out a tweet saying that he was physically abusive to my mother, and that one sought of created a fracture between us, so I can say frankly that our last conversation were contentious, but that is not how I remember him,” Prof. Mukoma said.

“All of us who are here we have our contradictions, it wasn’t the most amicable of partying ways. I am in pain and I loved him very dearly. I wouldn’t be me if it wasn’t for him,” he added.

He described their final conversation as “contentious and not amicable,” showing how deeply the public revelation affected their bond.

The tweet was not only a personal account of childhood trauma but also a reflection on the lasting emotional scars it left.

Mukoma, born in 1971 as the fourth of ten siblings, shared that despite the tension, he still loved his father and was mourning his death.

Mukoma also reflected on his father’s political struggles. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o was detained without trial in 1977 under President Jomo Kenyatta’s regime and later forced into exile by President Moi’s government in 1982.

“I was born in 1971, he was detained by the Kenyatta government in 1977 and then was exiled by the Moi government in 1982. From 1982 to 1990, we didn’t meet at all.”

These experiences, he said, shaped their family’s life profoundly. Interestingly, Mukoma revealed that he has met the children of both Kenyatta and Moi, leaders who persecuted his father.

“I’m grateful because I’ve met Kenyatta’s children or Moi’s children or people who were part of the dictatorship and they carry the guilt with them. I don’t have the guilt of having a father who is part of the problem, he was part of the solution,” he said, noting that while they were not responsible for their fathers’ actions, they are still burdened by the legacy.

As the family mourns Ngũgĩ’s passing, Mukoma admitted they are all struggling to process the loss.

“We’re trying, because he was our father, struggling through pain of the loss it’s not easy.” Mukoma stated.