Veteran Kenyan thespian and writer David Mulwa has passed away, his family and the literature community has announced.
Mulwa died on December 5 at the age of 80 while receiving treatment for cardiac arrest in a hospital in Nairobi.
He was a prolific playwright, who authored numerous works including titles like Inheritance, Clean Hands, Redemption, Master and Servant, Daraja, Bahati’s Love Nest and We Come in Peace.
Mulwa also authored Buriani, Ukame, Mkimbizi with A. S Yahya. He also published Daraja, Glasshouses, Crocodile’s Jaw, Katende Says “No”, We Come in Peace and Flee, Mama Flee.
He has also performed in film and television, featuring in productions like Eyes of a Witness and Dangerous Affair.
Mulwa was born in 1945 in Mukaa, Machakos County. He studied at the University of Nairobi and later attended UCLA with a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship and earned a Master's degree in theatre.
Mulwa started his teaching career in Mukaa High School and Kangundo High School, Machakos, between 1968 and 1970.
He later joined Ohio University as a teaching assistant before proceeding to Athens between 1979 and 1980.
He later moved to Kenyatta University where he was a central figure at Kenyatta University’s School of Visual and Performing Arts, nurturing generations of theatre practitioners.
Mulwa was also a seasoned adjudicator in the Kenya Drama Festivals since 1978 and served as a member in the governing council at the Kenya Cultural Centre Committee.
He was honoured with the Kalasha Award for Lifetime Achievement and Theatre Lifetime Achievement for his contribution to the arts.
Mulwa was also given a Hero’s award by the Kenyatta University’s governing council.
He celebrated his 80th birthday on April 9, 2025, with friends, family, fans, and former students in a party in Nairobi.
