Kenyan author, LGBT activist Binyavanga Wainaina dies at 48

A colleague and friend of Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina says he has died at age 48.

Tom Maliti, the chairman of the Kwani Trust which Wainaina founded, says the author died Tuesday night in Nairobi after an illness.

Wainaina was one of Africa’s best-known authors and will be remembered as a key figure in the artistic community. He won the 2002 Caine Prize for African Writing. His trust has helped produce literary works and promote local writers.

Wainaina also helped to create tolerance for the LGBT community by coming out publicly as gay in a country where laws still criminalize homosexual behavior. He also revealed he was HIV-positive.