Book Bunk and Hay Festival Global have concluded the 2026 edition of Nairobi Litfest, held in Nairobi from May 8 to May 10 across McMillan Memorial Library, Kaloleni Library and Eastlands Library, according to a statement dated May 25, 2026. The organisers said the festival’s fifth edition brought together writers, artists, educators and audiences for more than 25 sessions over three days.

The event took place inside public libraries that Book Bunk has been restoring through a partnership with Nairobi City County, positioning the festival within a broader push to revive public cultural infrastructure. In its programme summary, the organisers cited masterclasses, panel discussions, performances and a children’s festival among the key formats used to engage audiences.

Organisers said highlights included a screening of the documentary How to Build a Library, which they said follows Book Bunk’s work in restoring public libraries, and a live performance by Kenyan artist Mutoriah on the second day of the festival.

The festival’s 2026 theme focused on “speculative cartography and South-to-South connections,” which the organisers said was intended to encourage audiences to rethink boundaries, imagine alternative futures and engage across disciplines and geographies.

Wanjiru Koinange, Book Bunk Co-Founder and Nairobi Litfest Co-Director, said the festival depends on collaborative effort and sustained participation. “Nairobi Litfest is a festival built by many hands and sustained by a shared belief in the power of sharing ideas. Each successful edition is a result of our guests, audiences and partners showing up for each other, for their communities and for storytelling,” Koinange said.

The organisers said Book Bunk and Hay Festival Global have partnered since 2024 to co-present Nairobi Litfest. Over the past three editions, the partners said they have hosted more than 120 writers and artists across 75 events, reaching an audience of more than 3,000 in person and online.

Julie Finch, CEO of Hay Festival Global, said the organisation intends to continue the partnership. “We are delighted with the success of Nairobi Litfest 2026 and proud to continue our partnership with Book Bunk. Together, we are creating meaningful spaces for dialogue, imagination and exchange for audiences in Nairobi and around the world,” Finch said.

Angela Wachuka, Book Bunk Co-Founder and Nairobi Litfest Co-Director, said the festival’s positioning in public libraries remains central to its identity. “Five editions in, Nairobi Litfest continues to be a place where urgent conversations about literature, art and ideas find a home inside public libraries that belong to everyone,” Wachuka said.

In its programme recap, the organisers said the 2026 edition included masterclasses in fiction writing, autobiography, poetry, curatorial practice and indie publishing led by Lina Meruane, Dr. Nick Makoha, Ellah Wakatama OBE, Ciku Kimeria, Richard Oduor Oduku and Dr. Portia Malatjie. They also cited children’s sessions featuring storytelling, music and movement, chess, puppetry and painting with Muthoni Maina, Orpah Agunda, Tunde Onakoya, Michael Mutahi and Prisca Ojwang.

The organisers said panel discussions addressed imagination, identity and social change, featuring speakers including Alain Mabanckou, Yvonne Owuor, Natasha Brown, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Safiya Sinclair, Inua Ellams and Nanjala Nyabola, alongside film and curatorial conversations with Moussa Sene Absa, Maia Lekow, Chris King, Dr. Portia Malatjie and Lola Shoneyin.

Cristina Fuentes La Roche, International Director at Hay Festival Global, said the partners view the festival as a platform connecting local and international voices. “Nairobi Litfest continues to celebrate the best of local and global literature, bringing together artists, writers and audiences in meaningful exchange,” Fuentes La Roche said.

For Kenya’s cultural and creative economy, the festival’s continued use of public libraries as venues underscores a growing business and policy conversation about investing in community-based cultural infrastructure, programming and skills development. Book Bunk’s model links restoration to programming and digitisation, which can expand access to content and create new opportunities for creators, educators and cultural organisations.

In “notes to editors,” the organisers said the 2026 collaboration between Hay Festival Global and Book Bunk was supported by the British Council as part of the UK/Kenya Season 2025, with additional main support from Open Society Foundations and Hawthornden Foundation. They also cited programming partnerships with Amnesty International Kenya, The Caine Prize for African Writing, Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), the Ramón Llull Institut and Indus Conclave.

Looking ahead, the partners indicated the collaboration will continue, building on the past three editions’ scale and international mix of participants. The organisers did not announce dates for the next edition in the statement.

Book Bunk and Hay Festival Global on Thursday, April 2, 2026 announced the return of Nairobi Litfest 2026, set to run from May 8 to May 10 across three public libraries—McMillan Memorial Library, Kaloleni Library and Eastlands Library—with selected sessions held online.

According to the organisers’ press release, the festival—now in its fifth edition—will feature “over 25 sessions” and bring together “more than 45 thinkers, writers, poets, artists and educators from across Africa and the globe.” The 2026 theme is “speculative cartography and South-to-South connections,” which the organisers said will frame discussions about boundaries, alternative futures and cross-disciplinary ideas.

The announcement reinforces the growing role of cultural and creative events in Nairobi’s urban economy, particularly those anchored in public infrastructure such as libraries. Nairobi Litfest’s venue choices also align with Book Bunk’s library restoration work in partnership with Nairobi City County, which positions libraries as civic spaces for education, programming and community participation.

Book Bunk Co-Founder and Nairobi Litfest Co-Director Wanjiru Koinange said the festival’s continuity is tied to collaboration among stakeholders. “Nairobi Litfest is a festival built by many hands and sustained by a shared belief in the power of sharing ideas,” Ms Koinange said. “Each successful edition is a result of our guests, audiences and partners showing up for each other, for their communities and for storytelling.”

Hay Festival Global CEO Julie Finch said the organisation would continue co-hosting the Nairobi event. “We are delighted to partner with Book Bunk as co-hosts of this year’s Nairobi Litfest,” Ms Finch said, adding that the partnership would continue to engage audiences in Nairobi and globally.

Book Bunk Co-Founder and Nairobi Litfest Co-Director Angela Wachuka said the 2026 edition will remain anchored in public libraries and will emphasise Global South perspectives. “Five editions in, Nairobi Litfest has become a place where the most urgent conversations about literature, art and ideas find a home inside public libraries that belong to everyone,” Ms Wachuka said. She added that the programme asks “what becomes possible when we look beyond inherited maps and turn toward one another across the Global South.”

The press release stated that Book Bunk and Hay Festival Global have partnered to co-present Nairobi Litfest since 2024. Over the past two editions, the organisers said the partnership brought together “more than 120 writers and artists across 75 events,” reaching “an audience of over 3,000 both in person and online.”

For 2026, organisers said the programme will include masterclasses, panel discussions, performances and a dedicated children’s festival. Named contributors include writers and thinkers such as Alain Mabanckou (Congo), Yvonne Owuor (Kenya), Nanjala Nyabola (Kenya), and others listed in the press release, alongside sessions touching on topics including speculative futures, political thought, ecological crisis and the intersections of literature, technology and activism.

Hay Festival Global International Director Cristina Fuentes La Roche said the collaboration in Kenya remains a strategic priority for the organisation. “Nairobi Litfest celebrates the best of local and global literature,” Ms Fuentes La Roche said, adding that the collaboration between the teams “continues an exciting new chapter for us in Kenya and around the world.”

In the Kenyan and East African context, the festival’s scale and international line-up underscore Nairobi’s position as a regional hub for cultural convenings, with potential spillovers for hospitality, venues, publishing, and the wider creative economy. Its emphasis on public libraries also signals a model where cultural programming is linked to the rehabilitation and utilisation of civic assets, which can influence future public-private collaborations in education and cultural infrastructure.

Organisers said the full programme is available on the festival website. They also listed support partners for the 2026 collaboration, including The British Council as part of the UK/Kenya Season 2025, Open Society Foundations and Hawthornden Foundation, with venues provided through Book Bunk’s partnership with Nairobi City County. Additional programming partnerships named in the press release include Amnesty International Kenya, The Caine Prize for African Writing, Acción Cultural Española (AC/E), the Ramón Llull Institut and Indus Conclave.