- The First Woman, Winner 2021 Jhalak Prize – Book of the Year by a Writer of Colour
- Recipient of the 2018 Windham-Campbell Prize for Fiction
- Global Winner, 2014 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Lets Tell This Story Properly
- Winner, Kwani Manuscript Project in 2013 for Kintu
Nominations
- Franke Fellow, Yale University September 2024 – May 2025
- STIAS Artist in Residence July – December 2023
- DAAD Artist-in-Berlin Residence 2022-2023
- The First Woman shortlisted for The Diversity Book Awards
- The First Woman shortlisted for Encore Prize 2021
- The First woman shortlisted for James Tait Black Prize 2021
- A Girl is a Body of Water longlisted for Aspen Words Literary Prize 2021
- The NAIS-KNAW writer’s residence 2021
- Kintu shortlisted for Prix Les Afriques 2020
- Manchester Happened longlisted for Edge Hill Prize (2020)
- The Alan Chuese Fellowship (2019)
- Kintu Longlisted for The Prix Du Medicis 2019
- Manchester Happened Shortlisted for Big Book Award (Harper’s Bazaar) 2019
- Kintu Winner Prix Transfuge Du Meilluer Premier Roman Francais 2019
- Kintu Shortlisted for Edward Stanford Awards (2019)
- Grants of Art: The Arts council 2015
- Kintu longlisted for the Etisalat Prize 2015
- STIAS Artist in Residence July – December 2023