eKitabu uses Kampala literary gathering to push debate on books, markets, distribution

• eKitabu hosted writers and publishing figures at Onomo Hotel on August 29, 2026, during Kampala Writes LitFest.

• The gathering focused on African publishing, regional distribution, digital formats and sustainable book markets.

• Mvua Press has expanded its catalogue with poetry, crime fiction, historical fiction and literary prose from African writers.

• The reception highlighted growing efforts to build stronger publishing networks beyond festival stages and book launches.

eKitabu used an invitation-only reception in Kampala to deepen conversations on African publishing, regional distribution and the future of literary work as the third Kampala Writes LitFest unfolded in the city.

The Nairobi-based publisher hosted writers, editors and cultural figures at Onomo Hotel in Nakasero on August 29, 2026, while the main festival continued at the Uganda National Cultural Centre.

The reception ran alongside the August 28-30 festival and gave participants a smaller setting to discuss publishing deals, distribution, digital formats and the commercial challenges facing African writers.

Kampala Writes LitFest was founded in 2024 by Goethe-Zentrum Kampala/Uganda German Cultural Society. Writer Goretti Kyomuhendo curated this year’s edition under the theme, “Where Stories Begin: The Imaginary and the Art of Possibility”.

The festival brought together more than 50 speakers for discussions, workshops and book-focused sessions. Nigerian novelist Chika Unigwe was among the headline guests. Other conversations explored speculative fiction, audio publishing and the links between writing, visual art and fashion.

Onomo Hotel also carried some history for the festival. The venue hosted the first edition in 2024 before the event moved to Makerere University’s Yusuf Lule Auditorium in 2025 and later to the National Theatre in 2026.

The change in setting on August 29 gave writers a chance to move from public festival sessions into direct conversations with publishers and industry professionals.

eKitabu, founded in Nairobi in 2012, first built much of its work around digital education, accessible publishing and mobile distribution.

Through its adult trade imprint, Mvua Press, launched in late 2024, and its children’s imprint, Maua Books, the house has expanded aggressively into contemporary fiction, poetry, and narrative non-fiction.

Mvua Press has since built a varied list of African writers. Scholastica Moraa’s When Love Says Goodbye marked her debut poetry collection and formed part of the imprint’s early releases. Empress Ciku Kimani-Mwaniki brought crime fiction to the catalogue with NaiRobbery Cocktail, one of the publisher’s key commercial titles.

Donica Merhazion’s Born at the End of the World widened the list into historical fiction. The novel, co-published with US-based Catalyst Press, explores survival against the political upheavals that shaped Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Ugandan writer Deborah Auko Tendo added Rough Silk, a novel centred on the difficult relationship between a father and daughter. Betty Kilonzo’s Househelp Manual blends practical observation with literary prose, further broadening the imprint’s range.

The reception also brought together writers at different stages of their careers.

Merhazion, an Eritrean-Ethiopian author and educator, discussed Born at the End of the World, which was published in February 2026.

Kampala-born poet Tramaine Suubi also attended. Her poetry collections phases and stages have carried her work into the international publishing market while retaining influences from Luganda language and structure.

Kilonzo, who has written books including Closure and Jerusalem, also works as a consulting editor at eKitabu. Her publishing journey has included both self-publishing and formal trade distribution.

Unigwe, the festival’s keynote guest and winner of the Nigeria Prize for Literature for On Black Sisters’ Street, stressed the value of African literary spaces where writers can exchange ideas and build networks across borders.

Goethe-Zentrum Kampala director Sheila Akwany also placed emphasis on building lasting networks for Ugandan and African writers rather than treating literary festivals as isolated annual events.

The discussions also reflected a larger problem facing African publishers. Educational books still account for much of the continent’s book market, while fiction, poetry and narrative non-fiction face weaker distribution networks and smaller retail footprints.

Cross-border movement of books can also increase costs and complicate access to regional markets.

eKitabu is trying to respond through a model that combines digital publishing, rights licensing, audio production and physical book distribution.

The Kampala reception therefore served a purpose beyond networking. It connected writers to the commercial systems that determine whether books move beyond launches and festivals into shops, schools, digital platforms and international markets.

As Kampala Writes LitFest closed, the gathering at Onomo offered another view of East Africa’s literary industry. Writers are still discussing craft, identity and imagination, but publishers are also pushing harder on distribution, accessibility and long-term commercial survival.