Kenyan author Troy Onyango nominated for international prize – KBC

The AKO Caine Prize is celebrating 21 years of highlighting literary talent across Africa.

Troy Onyango, a Kenyan author, has been shortlisted for the AKO Caine prize for African writing. The AKO Caine Prize for African Writing is a literature prize awarded to an African writer of a short story published in English. The prize was launched in the year 2000 to encourage and highlight the richness and diversity of African writing by bringing it to a wider audience internationally.

Only five writers have made it to the 2021 shortlist. They are: Rémy Ngamije from Namibia, Doreen Baingana from Uganda, Troy Onyango from Kenya, Iryn Tushabe from Uganda and Meron Hadero from Ethiopia. Troy is a 28 year old writer, editor and lawyer. ^{His work has appeared in journals and magazines including Prairie Schooner, Wasafiri, Caine Prize Anthology, Brittle Paper, and Transition Magazine. His short stories have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and his short story For What Are Butterflies Without Their Wings won the fiction prize for the inaugural Nyanza Literary Festival (NALIF) Prize. His story, This Little Light of Mine which was published in 2020 is what has landed him the AKO Caine nomination.}

The Little Light of Mine is a story about how people navigate dating apps in the 21st century, and the kind of loneliness that comes with that exploration, especially in a city like Nairobi.

Winner of the prize is set to be announced later in the year