Ibua Novel Manuscript Project Winners

The winners of the 2024 Ibua Novel Manuscript Project has been announced. Doreen Anyango (Uganda) won for Belongers and Gladwell Pamba (Kenya) won for Next of Kin. The two are joint winners of this year’s prize. Muthoni wa Gichuru (Kenya) is a runner-up for her novel The Oath. The selection followed the review of 37 submissions from across the region.

All three books are set to be published by Ibua Publishing in 2026. The winners will get help publishing and distributing their books through Ibua’s network.

Pamba’s Next of Kin is set in Nairobi and weaves personal grief into a layered story about the city’s social tensions. Judge Vimbai Shire said she was “immersed from the first line” and that the novel “held my attention throughout.” Anyango’s Belongers was praised by lead judge Billy Kahora as “the contemporary Ugandan epic novel that East Africa needs.” Judge Stacy Hardy called it “an emotionally intricate, lyrical exploration” with themes that resonate far beyond its setting. Wa Gichuru’s The Oath, a historical novel rooted in spiritual and cultural ritual, was noted for its “rich world-building” and its thoughtful engagement with colonial trauma.

The Ibua Novel Manuscript Project was launched in 2023. It is a Uganda-based initiative that invests in literary talent from East Africa. It gives writers access to workshops and editorial feedback to help them refine full-length manuscripts for potential publication.

Congratulations to Anyango, Pamba, and wa Gichuru on their remarkable achievement.