His early works focused on Malawi's rural life, while his later writings satirised the Hastings Banda regime.
When he reached Kampala in Uganda he saw the name of Skagit Valley College, Washington state, in a US Information service directory, so he applied and was awarded a place and a scholarship.
[5] Kayira then embarked on a journey of more than 3000 kilometres and walked to Khartoum, Sudan, where he obtained a visa, and people from Skagit Valley raised the money to bring him over to Washington.
[3] In October, 2014, an American charitable organization called "Youth of Malawi" built a primary school in the rural Malawian village of Chimphamba and named it after Legson Kayira.
The Legson Kayira Primary School and Community Center is solar-powered, rainwater harvesting, and boasts an outdoor movie projector.