THE body of renowned playwright and social commentator Ngugi wa Mirii was flown to Kenya yesterday for burial in his home town of Limuru next Wednesday.

The body was accompanied by his widow Wairimu and other family members.

Friends, relatives and Government officials thronged the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Harare on Wednesday to attend a memorial service for the late Ngugi who died in a road accident in Harare last Friday.

One of the speakers at the memorial service, the Minister of Information and Publicity, Cde Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, described him as a rare breed Pan-African whose prolific and illustrious works would be greatly missed in Zimbabwe, Kenya and on the continent as a whole.

Cde Ndlovu said Ngugi was a fighter for the total liberation of Africans who refused to be sucked in by neo-liberal ideologies.

"I am saddened by the untimely passing of Ngugi. He was a Pan-Africanist, a brother and a colleague in the theatre industry. I felt happy to appoint him as a commissioner of the Media and Information Commission because he was fair-minded, tolerant and accommodating to divergent views.

"Ngugi is not dead for his ideas and philosophies will remain with us and on behalf of President Mugabe, I commend Ngugi for his unwavering support of the fight against imperialism," he said.

His deputy Cde Bright Matonga described Ngugi as dynamic and credited him for his contribution to the Zimbabwean media.

Government ministers, diplomats, MIC commissioners, artistes, family, friends, representatives from non-governmental organisations and the general public, converged at the cathedral to pay their last respects to the literature luminary.

Father Fidelis Mukonori, who conducted the mass, said Ngugi was a genuine Christian who at one time seriously considered becoming a priest.

"Besides Ngugi's intellectual wealth, he was a strong Christian who has died with his boots on, for he was a soldier. He would not teach, walk or preach vengeance, but showed his abundant love through his natural smile and determination to positively change the lives of the people," he said.

In a condolence message, the Minister of Water Resources and Infrastructural Development, Cde Munacho Mutezo, said Ngugi would be remembered for his contribution and humanity in championing the cause of the voiceless, the poor and the downtrodden.

Cde Mutezo and Ngugi once served together on the New Ziana board.