Stories Trusted by People across Christian ministry
Read how CLC Kenya’s work in publishing, mentorship, discipleship, children’s programmes and partnerships is touching lives, raising African Christian voices and strengthening families.
Building literary partnerships across Africa
Through ACABA, CLC Kenya continues to nurture partnerships that recognise African Christian authors, strengthen writing and publishing communities, and create cross-border spaces for collaboration, mentorship, awards, reading culture and literary growth across the continent.
Strengthening reading cultures across Anglophone Africa
The impact of ACABA across the region has been both profound and far-reaching. My own journey reflects the transformative opportunities that the initiative creates. From being recognised as an ACABA award recipient in 2021 to later being entrusted with the responsibility of serving on the judging panel and serving as Secretary General for ACABA in Uganda, it has significantly shaped my growth as a literacy advocate and literary leader.
The opportunity to review and assess books submitted by authors from across Africa was both an exciting and enriching experience. It provided invaluable exposure to the depth of talent, creativity and diverse storytelling emerging from the continent, while deepening my appreciation for the important role authors play in shaping culture, inspiring readers and preserving our shared narratives.
Through the partnership between ACABA and CLC Kenya, new doors were opened for Uganda’s reading and writing communities, creating opportunities for meaningful cross-border engagement, collaboration and learning. This momentum has continued to expand through initiatives in Kabubbu and other communities, where books, storytelling and literacy programmes are helping children and families discover the transformative power of reading.
The vision for the Read With Me programme reaches far beyond local communities. We envision it growing into a vibrant continental reading club that connects children, families, schools, churches, authors, publishers and reading communities across Anglophone Africa.
Through this network, young readers will have opportunities to engage with stories from different cultures, interact with authors, participate in reading challenges and develop lifelong reading habits. By creating these connections, we can build a generation of confident readers, critical thinkers and future leaders who are inspired by the richness of African literature and the power of shared stories.
The ACABA event held in Uganda on 30 November 2024 at Hotel Africana brought together writers, publishers, literacy advocates and reading champions from across Africa. It created a dynamic platform for networking, collaboration, the exchange of ideas and the strengthening of literary relationships.
Thank you for your unwavering support, partnership and continued encouragement. Your commitment has helped spark opportunities, build connections and inspire initiatives that are transforming lives through literacy. Together, we are laying the foundation for a stronger reading culture and a thriving literary community that will impact generations across Africa.
Raising Kingdom voices across Southern Africa
On behalf of Arise and Shine Heirs, we are honoured to share this testimony on the impact that the SADC Christian Authors BookFests have had on our organisation, our authors and the wider Southern African region.
Our journey began through our connection with the African Christian Authors Book Award, where my book, His Story My Life, was awarded Book Program of the Year 2024. This recognition opened a meaningful relationship rooted in Kingdom purpose, literature, healing and transformation.
What started as an award connection grew into a powerful partnership with Christian Literature Communications Kenya. Through this relationship, we began facilitating writing classes for emerging Christian authors, with CLC Kenya providing guidance, training and support. These writing classes have become a birthing place for many stories, testimonies, manuscripts and books that carry messages of faith, hope, healing, restoration and transformation.
As the writing classes grew, so did the vision. This led us to establish the SADC Christian Authors BookFests as a platform to bring together authors, aspiring writers, publishers, ministries, bookstores, literary organisations, partners, sponsors and communities across the region.
The BookFests have become more than literary gatherings; they are platforms of empowerment, discipleship, collaboration and regional Kingdom impact. For Arise and Shine Heirs, this work is deeply evangelical and discipleship-focused. We see Christian literature as a powerful tool in fulfilling the Great Commission.
Through books, testimonies, teaching materials, devotionals and faith-based resources, the Gospel can reach homes, schools, churches, prisons, hospitals, communities and nations. Literature can outlive the author, cross borders, speak to generations and continue ministering long after a single event has ended.
We have witnessed authors grow in confidence, complete manuscripts, publish books, share their testimonies publicly, connect with other writers, and understand that their stories can become instruments of ministry.
We are grateful for the partnership with Christian Literature Communications Kenya, the relationship with ACABA, and the growing movement of Christian authors across Southern Africa. We believe that this work will continue to impact generations, raise Kingdom voices and spread the Gospel through literature across the continent and beyond.
Going far together through writing, awards and collaboration
Having grown up hearing and learning many African proverbs, my encounter with CLC Kenya, the brains behind ACABA, has made some of them become a reality.
Truly, I have come to realise that no one exists in a vacuum. If maximum impact is to be achieved, the route that CLC Kenya is taking in helping and building others up through writing classes cannot be underplayed or downsized. The depth and knowledge being passed on through these classes is highly appreciated, and personally, I would encourage authors to be part of it.
If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.
When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.
Hands wash each other — izandla ziyagezana in isiZulu.
Another aspect I would like to highlight is the networking and collaboration being formed among authors who met as a result of CLC. In May 2025, we collaborated with Arise and Shine Heirs SA to start the Men to Men International Mentorship Programme. It has grown in attendance and impact, reaching men from Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and Saudi Arabia. If not for ACABA, this would not have become a reality.
Last but not least is the inspiration and impact that came as a result of receiving the Ken and Bassie Legacy Award for Overall Content of the Year 2024. The award became a source of inspiration to many in Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the extent that some authors submitted for ACABA 2025. The recognition has also created many opportunities for me personally, including being featured in national newspapers in Malawi and Uganda.
From a broader perspective, when we consider the proverb about spider webs uniting to tie up a lion, we see that when our individual and tiny efforts are joined with others, more can be achieved. This is what CLC Kenya and ACABA are doing. It deserves support, as it takes individual effort and weaves it into a reinforced net for the greater good, consequently making great strides across the continent.
From recognition to national literary momentum
My journey with CLC Kenya started with the nomination of my book, Redefine Your Worth, for ACABA 2025. That nomination alone changed the trajectory of my journey as an author; it validated my work and significantly boosted sales.
Winning the Christian Living category and being named runner-up for Book Content of the Year was something beyond my imagination. It was not only a personal victory, but it also put Eswatini Christian authorship on the African map.
The real turning point was meeting the CLC Kenya leadership when they visited Eswatini in October 2025. That meeting expanded my perspective and challenged me to contribute to the development of Christian literature in my country.
This led directly to our first concrete initiative: the launch of the Eswatini Writing Class, facilitated by CLC Kenya, which has just recently celebrated its first graduating group.
This partnership is poised to change the landscape of Christian publishing in Eswatini more than we can imagine. The industry here is still in its infancy, yet we are seeing a surge of new authors emerge.
I regularly interact with local writers who have completed manuscripts but absolutely no guidance on how to get published, which points to a major, systemic gap in our publishing ecosystem.
With the planned Bookfest in October 2026, we are set to scale this impact even further. The event will strengthen the publishing ecosystem at a national level and provide a platform for local authors in Eswatini to grow, publish and thrive.
Raising young readers, writers and storytellers
Through Mama Africa Book Box, CLC Kenya works with partners to place books, writing opportunities and reading experiences in the hands of children. These partnerships nurture confidence, creativity, literacy, cultural identity and faith, helping young voices discover that their stories are gifts worth stewarding and sharing.
From village stories to published young voices
It is indeed exciting to hear of the hope for the Kabubbu children visiting Kenya. The Mama Africa Book Box has given the children of Kabubbu an opportunity to share their stories with other children of the world.
The opportunity for children to publish a book was once one of the wildest dreams they could imagine. However, CLC has helped make this dream a reality. There is now great excitement among the children of Kabubbu at the possibility of publishing books again.
The programme has ignited a reading culture among some children in Kabubbu, and it is now common to see children running to the library to read a book. Confidence has also been built among the children who took part in the story-writing programme.
The idea of the Kabubbu children having the chance to visit Kenya and meet other young writers would be such an adventure for them, especially for some who may never have left their village before. If it comes to pass, it will help them gain a wider understanding of this book-writing project and how much they could benefit from it in the future as they become better and better writers.
Thank you so much for thinking about the children of Kabubbu.
A lasting reminder that their stories matter
The opportunity to publish the children’s books through the Mama Africa Book Box programme would be a deeply meaningful milestone for the children in Chariots for Hope. Many of our children have overcome significant challenges, including poverty, loss, abandonment and difficult life circumstances.
Through writing and storytelling, they are able to express their experiences, hopes, faith, creativity and dreams in ways that help them discover and share their unique voices. Seeing their work published would communicate a powerful message: that their stories matter, their perspectives have value, and they have something important to contribute to the world.
At Chariots for Hope, we believe in nurturing the whole child and helping each child reach their God-given potential through education, character development and opportunities for growth. Publishing these books would do more than create a collection of stories; it would build confidence, encourage literacy and creativity, and give children a lasting sense of accomplishment and pride.
It would also allow them to inspire others by sharing stories of resilience, hope, faith and possibility. For many of the children, holding a published book with their own words inside would be a tangible reminder that their future is not defined by their past circumstances, but by the gifts, talents and purpose God has placed within them. This project would create a lasting legacy that the children, their families and their communities can celebrate for years to come.
Extending books through trusted hands and local networks
Through Book Agents partnerships, CLC Kenya connects books with people, churches, schools, families and communities beyond the walls of a bookshop. These partnerships help Christian literature travel further, reach readers more personally, and place life-giving resources into the hands of those who need them most.
African voices enriching the global Church
In 2025, YouVersion celebrated surpassing one billion installs after 17 years of global impact. Throughout this journey, Kenya has shown an extraordinary hunger for God’s Word, with 20.6 million installs coming from our nation, making Kenya one of the most engaged Bible reading communities worldwide.
The YouVersion Kenya Hub was launched to serve the East Africa Region in localisation and contextualisation of content that amplifies voices from this region that play a role in global discipleship and Bible engagement.
CLC Kenya, ACABA, and Mama Africa Book Box play a strategic role in identifying, equipping, and connecting authors whose unique perspectives enrich the global Church. Their work helps ensure that the growing body of African Christian thought, storytelling, and biblical teaching is represented on a platform that serves people in every nation.
Partnerships such as these are essential in fostering a diverse and vibrant content ecosystem that reflects the breadth of the global Church.
Helping African authors understand the publishing journey
As we have been building out the Author Education component of our Publisoko platform, we needed a publisher that has been working with African authors to help us describe and address the gaps accurately.
We selected CLC Kenya to develop the training content because of their consistent focus on developing local authors. Dr Muthoni and her team freely shared their knowledge, expertise and experience working with local authors.
They gave us comprehensive and contextualised training modules dubbed “The Publishing Guide.” The work of helping local authors get discovered begins with a good understanding of the publishing process, and CLC helped articulate that well to our Africa Speaks community.
Helping children discover the joy of stories and Scripture
CLC Kenya’s children-focused work creates spaces where young readers and writers can grow in confidence, literacy, creativity and faith. Through books, reading programmes, story-writing opportunities and discipleship resources, children are being reminded that they are seen by God, their voices matter, and their lives can carry hope to their families, schools and communities.
Strengthening homes through faith-filled literature
CLC Kenya’s family-focused ministry uses books, discipleship resources and reading programmes to encourage parents, children, marriages and households to grow together in faith. Through Christian literature, families are being equipped with biblical wisdom, practical encouragement and shared reading experiences that help nurture stronger homes and a lasting spiritual legacy.
Our mission statement of purpose is, “to honour God by making Christian literature & resources available & accessible to all nations, to help people come to faith and maturity in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
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