Henry Chakava

Kenya

nternationally acclaimed publisher Henry Chakava studied at the University of Nairobi , obtaining a First Class degree in Literature and Philosophy. In 1972, he left his postgraduate studies to work as Editor in the Nairobi office of Heinemann where he developed a thriving local catalogue and contributed to the growth and success of the African Writers Series published in London . In 1976, at the age of 30, he became the youngest Chief Executive at Heinemann, holding the position for a decade, during which he transformed the company from a net distributor of imported books to an indigenous publisher with an impressive catalogue.

He led the successful acquisition of Heinemann in East Africa by a group of Kenyans and subsequently formed the East African Educational Publisher (EA) Ltd. Chakava serves as the Chairman of this, one of the continent's leading indigenous publishing companies, which remains fully African-focused with branches in Uganda and Tanzania . He was also the only publisher to give a voice to the works of Ngugi wa Thiong'o during the 1970s and 1980s.

Between 1982 and 1992, he clashed with the Kenyan government on many issues and remains credited for ending the state monopoly in textbook publishing in Kenya and the East African region. Chakava is a founding member and Chairman of the East African Book Development Association, a founding member of the African Publishers Network and African Books Collective as well as long serving member of the Committee of the International Publishers Association. He has also written or contributed to fifteen books, written more than a hundred papers with over thirty of these published in journals.

Chakava has traveled widely, presenting papers and sharing his wealth of experience in what he calls “a challenging yet rewarding profession”. He comments that he “is happy that African publishers are finally beginning to work together while African governments are starting to appreciate the strategic value of publishing.”

Chakava is currently involved in establishing an international centre for the advancement of African Languages and Literatures in Nairobi .

Selected bibliography

Publishing in Africa : One Man's Perspective , Bellagio Studies in Publishing/EAEP, No.6, 1996

Books and Reading in Kenya , UNESCO, 1982

Notes on Meja Mwangi's Kill Me Quick , East African Educational Publishers (EAEP),1976