Kenyan writer and editor Troy Onyango has been appointed to the judging panel for the 2026 International Booker Prize, marking a significant moment for African literature on the global stage.
Best known as the founder of Lolwe, a Pan-African literary magazine and bookshop with bases in Kenya and the UK, Onyango is a celebrated voice in contemporary African writing. His short story collection, For What Are Butterflies Without Their Wings, was published in 2022 to critical acclaim, and his work has been featured in international literary journals including Prairie Schooner, Doek!, Wasafiri, and Transition.
He was a finalist for the Caine Prize for African Writing, nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and winner of the inaugural Nyanza Literary Festival Prize. With a background in law from the University of Nairobi and advanced degrees in Creative Writing (UEA) and African Studies (SOAS), Onyango brings a multidisciplinary depth to his reading and editorial work.
Announcing his participation, Onyango reflected on how his own relationship with language shapes his literary values:
“As someone who grew up speaking what is called ‘mother tongue’ before arriving into English, reading has always been an act of translation for me.”
Onyango joins a panel led by acclaimed British novelist Natasha Brown, author of Assembly and Universality, who chairs the jury. Other members include Oxford mathematician and science communicator Marcus du Sautoy, International Booker-shortlisted translator Sophie Hughes, and Indian novelist and Financial Times columnist Nilanjana S. Roy. Together, they are tasked with selecting the best works of fiction translated into English and published in the UK and Ireland between May 2025 and April 2026.
In her words, Natasha Brown says:
“Fiction in translation allows us to reach past borders and language barriers to encounter new stories, experiences and ideas. Over the years, the International Booker Prize’s shortlists, longlists and winners have amounted to an impressively varied (and consistently impressive) collection of literature. As a reader, this prize has broadened my literary horizons and introduced me to some of my all-time favourite books — so it’s an enormous honour and privilege to chair this year’s judging panel.
During our first meeting, one of my fellow judges described the coming months of reading together as a quest. I think that’s a perfect description. We’re about to embark on an epic journey across the world’s fiction, travelling paths forged by the magic of translation. I can’t wait to share the treasures we discover with readers.”
Congratulations, Troy Onyango!
Bakare Oluwatobiloba
I write to educate, motivate and define history with literature. Just being me!
