Salim Hussein Ng’anzi’s novel Mwanamkasi Ndio Basi (Mwanamkasi, That’s It!) and Ali Hilal Ali’s poetry collection Diwani ya Vizikwa Vya Kale (The Anthology of the Ancient Ruins) have won the Fiction and Poetry categories, respectively in the 2025 Safal Kiswahili Prize for African Literature.
Each winner received $5,000.
The winners were presented with their awards by guest of honour Paul C. Makonda, Tanzania’s Minister of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, at the University of Dar es Salaam on July 24, during the prize’s 10th-anniversary celebrations.
The 2025 judging panel comprised Prof. Rayya Timammy of the University of Nairobi, Dr. Masoud Mohammed of the State University of Zanzibar, and Prof. Austin Bukenya, formerly of Makerere University.
Ali Hilal Ali previously won the Fiction category in 2017. His award-winning manuscript, Mmeza Fupa, has since been translated into English by Meg Arenberg after receiving a PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant. It will be published by the University of Georgia Press in 2027 as The Swallower of Secrets.
In his speech, Makonda congratulated the winners and praised the prize’s management, board and sponsors, led by Safal Group, for their role in promoting literature in African languages, particularly Kiswahili.
Safal Group chairman Sarit Shah said the company believes in the power of partnerships and has, over the past decade, reached thousands of writers, scholars and Kiswahili stakeholders.
‘As we mark 10 years since the inception of the Safal Kiswahili Prize, I congratulate the winners and challenge them to inspire younger generations to rise,’ Shah said.
He added: ‘We take pride in the remarkable achievements of the prize and look forward to expanding our partnerships and, in turn, expanding our reach and making our mark in changing many lives for the better for many years to come.’
A total of 230 manuscripts were submitted for this year’s awards from seven countries.
On behalf of the judges, Prof Timammy commended the 2025 entrants for the quality of their writing, saying it demonstrated that ‘literary talent in Kiswahili continues to grow and flourish at a remarkable pace.’
Other winners and shortlisted authors
Dickson Damas Mtalaze of Tanzania was the runner-up in the Fiction category with his manuscript Shamba la Mawe (Stone Farm), while Lenard Barnaba Mtesigwa of Tanzania took second place in Poetry with Rima la Miiko na Balaa (The Pit of Taboos and Calamities).
Each received $2,500. Mtesigwa was previously shortlisted in 2022 and 2023.
The Short Story Collection category was won by Kenya’s Dominic Maina Oigo for Mbunge Mtarajiwa na Hadithi Nyingine (The Member of Parliament Elect and Other Stories). He received $2,500.
The other shortlisted works were Ziaka Imetoboka (The Quiver Has a Hole) by Mathew Theuri Maina of Kenya; Zigo la Kichwa (Carrying Heavy Thoughts on the Head) by Maimuna Hashim Maalim of Tanzania; Koti la Karani na Hadithi Nyingine (The Clerk’s Coat and Other Stories) by Stallone Joyfully of Tanzania; and Siri ya Mama na HadithiNyingine (The Mother’s Secret and Other Stories) by Sophia Said Puta of Tanzania.
Maina, Hilal Ali, Mtesigwa and Joyfully have either won or been shortlisted in previous editions of the prize.
The winners and shortlisted authors attended the awards ceremony in Dar es Salaam. The 2025 edition also marked the first time a woman had been shortlisted in the Short Story Collection category.
The winning entries will be considered for publication in Kiswahili by Tanzania-based Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, while the winning poetry collection will be translated into English and published by the African Poetry Book Fund. To date, Mkuki na Nyota has published more than 25 books.
To mark the prize’s 10th anniversary, Mkuki na Nyota has also published two special editions of poetry and prose featuring works by all previous first-prize winners. Tunu Mpya and Hazina Mpya are available from TPH Bookshop.
Celebrating a decade of African-language literature
The Safal Kiswahili Prize for African Literature was founded in 2014 by Dr. Lizzy Attree and Dr Mukoma wa Ngugi to recognise writing in African languages and encourage translation from, between and into African languages.
The prize has been awarded annually since 2015, except in 2020, when the awards were paused because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
It recognises the best unpublished manuscript or a book published within two years of the award year across the categories of fiction, including novels and short story collections, poetry, memoir and graphic novels.
The prize is supported by Safal Group through its subsidiaries Mabati Rolling Mills of Kenya and ALAF Tanzania.
Ali Hilal Ali also won the Prize for Fiction in 2017. His award-winning manuscript, Mmeza Fupa has since been translated into English by Meg Arenberg, winning a PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant, and will be published by University of Georgia Press in 2027 as The Swallower of Secrets. In his speech, the minister congratulated the winners and praised the management of the prize, its board, and the sponsors, led by Safal Group, for their important work in promoting literature in African languages, particularly Kiswahili.
The Safal Group chairman Sarit Shah said: ‘At Safal Group we believe in the power of partnerships, for the past 10 years we have reached thousands of writers, scholars and Kiswahili stakeholders. Today, as we mark 10 years since the inception of the Safal Kiswahili Prize, I congratulate the winners and challenge them to inspire younger generations to rise.’
He further added, ‘We take pride in the remarkable achievements of the prize and look forward to expanding our partnerships and in turn expand our reach and make our mark in changing many lives for the better and for many years to come.’
This year, 230 manuscripts were submitted for the awards from seven countries.
On behalf of the judges, Prof Timammy, commended the 2025 entrants for the outstanding quality of their writing ‘This undoubtedly demonstrates that literary talent in Kiswahili continues to grow and flourish at a remarkable pace.’
The second-place winner in the Fiction category was Dickson Damas Mtalaze (Tanzania) for his manuscript, Shamba la Mawe (Stone Farm), and in the Poetry category was Lenard Barnaba Mtesigwa (Tanzania) for his manuscript Rima la Miiko na Balaa (The Pit of Taboos and Calamities). Each received $2,500. Mtesigwa was previously shortlisted in 2022 and 2023.
The winner in the Short Story Collection category is Dominic Maina Oigo (Kenya) for Mbunge Mtarajiwa na Hadithi Nyingine (The Member of Parliament Elect and Other Stories) who received $2,500. The other shortlisted works and authors were: Ziaka Imetoboka (The Quiver Has a Hole) by Mathew Theuri Maina (Kenya); Zigo la Kichwa (Carrying Heavy Thoughts on the Head) by Maimuna Hashim Maalim (Tanzania); Koti la Karani na Hadithi Nyingine (The Clerk’s Coat and Other Stories) by Stallone Joyfully (Tanzania); and Siri ya Mama na Hadithi Nyingine (The Mother’s Secret and Other Stories) by Sophia Said Puta (Tanzania).
Maina, Hilal Ali, Mtesigwa and Joyfully have either won or been shortlisted for previous editions of the prize.
The winners and their fellow shortlistees were in attendance during the award-giving ceremony in Dar es Salaam. It is the first time a woman has been shortlisted for a short story collection.
The winning entries will also be considered for publication in Kiswahili by Mkuki na Nyota Publishers in Tanzania while the winning poetry will be translated into English and published by the African Poetry Book Fund. So far, Mkuki na Nyota have published more than 25 books.
This year, to mark the 10th Anniversary of the prize, Mkuki na Nyota have published two special editions of Poetry and Prose, containing work from all the former first Prize winners: Tunu Mpya and Hazina Mpya, available from TPH Bookshop.
The Safal Kiswahili Prize for African Literature was founded in 2014 by Dr Lizzy Attree and Dr Mukoma wa Ngugi to recognise writing in African languages and encourage translation from, between, and into African languages. This year’s awards mark the prize’s 10th anniversary; it has been awarded every year since 2015, except in 2020, when the awards were paused due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
The prize is awarded to the best unpublished manuscript or book published within two years of the award year across the categories of fiction (novels and short story collections), poetry, memoir, and graphic novels.
The prize is supported by Safal Group, through its subsidiaries Mabati Rolling Mills of Kenya and ALAF Tanzania.