Ngugi wa Thiong’o yabonye izuba ku 5 Mutarama 1938, avukira ahitwa i Kamiriithu muri Kenya ari umwana wa gatanu, avuka ku mugore wa gatatu mu bagore bane ba Se witwaga Thiong’o wa Nducu. Yize amashuri abanza mu ishuri ry’Abamisiyoneri b’Aba-Presbytérienne, yiga mu ishuri ryisumbuye rya Alliance School ryigishaga mu Cyogengereza kuko ryari iry’Abongereza bakolonizaga Kenya muri icyo gihe.

Ngugi yashatse inshuro ebyiri abyara abana icyenda(9) muri rusange, ariko we yavugaga ko umugore we wemewe n’amategeko ari Njeeri wa Thiong’o, uwo bakaba barahuriye mu buhungiro muri Amerika ndetse banakorana kuri Kaminuza ya California.

Muri abo bana ba Ngugi, harimo na bamwe muri bo babaye abanditsi kimwe na se, harimo uwitwa Tee Ngugi, Mukoma wa Ngugi, Nducu wa Ngugi ndetse na Wanjiku wa Ngugi.

Mu gihe ibibazo bya politiki muri Kenya byari bitangiye kumera nabi, kubera ko amajwi menshi y’abarwanya ubukoloni muri Kenya yari atangiye kuzamuka mu mwaka wa 1962, Ngugi wa Thiong’o yahise ajya muri Uganda, atangira kwiga muri Kaminuza ya Makerere kuko ari yo yonyine yari ihari muri Afurika y’Iburasirazuba, yagenzurwaga cyane na Kaminuza ya Londres mu Bwongereza.

Muri uwo mwaka wa 1962, nibwo yanditse igitabo cye cya mbere cyamenyekanye cyane yise ‘Weep not Child’, mbere gato y’uko Kenya ibona ubwigenge yibohoye ku bukoloni bw’Abongereza.

Ngugi wa Thiong’o agarutse muri Kenya avuye muri Uganda, yabaye umunyamakuru akajya yandikira ikinyamakuru cyo muri Kenya cyitwa The Nation, muri icyo gihe yandika igitabo yise ‘The River Between’ cyasohotse mu 1964, nyuma yaho ajya kwiga muri Kaminuza ya Leeds mu Bwongereza. Muri icyo gihe yanditse ikindi gitabo yise ‘A Grain of Wheat’ cyasohotse mu 1965, gituma amenyekana cyane ku rwego mpuzamahanga, nk’uko bisobanurwa ku rubuga rwa Wikipedia.

Guhera muri uwo mwaka wa 1967, Ngugi yabaye umwalimu yigisha muri Kenya no muri Uganda. Mu 1971 yasohoye ikindi gitabo gikubiyemo inyandiko zitandukanye yise ‘Homecoming’, nyuma asohora ikindi yise ‘Petals of Blood’ cyasohotse mu 1977.

Uwo mwanditsi yaje kujya no mu kwandika ikinamico (théâtre) harimo iyiswe ‘The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, 1976’ n’indi yise ‘Ngaahika Ndeenda 1977’ (Nzarongora nimbishaka).

Muri uwo mwaka wa 1977 mu kwezi k’Ukuboza, Ngugi yarafashwe arafungwa amara umwaka muri gereza, muri icyo gihe arushaho kuzamura ijwi ryo kunenga Guverinoma, aho yanditse mu rurimi rwa Kikuyu icyo yise ‘Caithani Matharaba-ini’ (Le diable sur la croix). Uretse ibyo, Ngugi yanditse n’ibindi bitabo n’ikinamico bitandukanye.

Mu 1982 ni bwo Ngugi yahunze igihugu cye cya Kenya, atinya kongera gufungwa kuko Guverinoma ya Kenya icyo gihe yari iyobowe na Perezida Daniel Arap Moi, itishimiraga uko ayinenga abinyujije mu buvanganzo bwe, abanza guhungira mu Bwongereza nyuma ajya muri Amerika.

Muri Amerika, Ngugi yabaye umwarimu wigisha Icyongereza n’ibijyanye n’ubuvanganzo muri Kaminuza ya California-Irvine, nyuma yo kuba umwarimu no ku zindi kaminuza harimo Northwestern University, Yale University ndetse na New York University.