His political views, as well as his outspoken disapproval of the post-colonial system of education in East Africa, have inspired both further criticism as well as controversy since the late 1960s.
[3] Based on this article, which inspired postcolonial students of English in Africa to question the practices of their discipline, Liyong, Owuor-Anyumba and wa Thiong'o were criticized for advocating cultural or even racial purity within academia.
This philosophy was also politically significant at a time when East African governing bodies were struggling against the influence of post-colonial powers, such as the US and Great Britain.
[6] According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, "Liyong wrote highly imaginative short narratives, such as Fixions (1969), and unorthodox free verse,( ...) His nonfiction output consists of argumentative and amusing personal essays and bold literary criticism (...), presenting challenging new ideas in an original manner.
"[2] Liyong has published over twenty books, including Carrying Knowledge Up a Palm Tree (1998), an anthology of poetry that addresses various contemporary issues and follows African progress in recent history.