Much research has been done on the representation of gender in African literature by male and female authors. The role of literary works is to expose beliefs, values, experiences, traditions, and practices of societies. Scholars have raised some complex issues in the discussion of gender, such as biases, equality, gender roles, inequality, discrimination, and rights. The portrayal of male and female characters in literature has also received considerable attention. Gender in African literature is discussed enthusiastically both in academics and social spaces. This thesis analyzes gender representation in selected works by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o (I Will Marry When I Want) and Buchi Emecheta (The Joys of Motherhood). The study uses feminist theory to analyze and describe the characteristic features of gender found in African literature by observing the background information of these two authors. It provides a comparative analysis of how these authors present gender roles, responsibility, value, identity, motherhood, and the patriarch system similarly and differently. This thesis argues that writers present their characters based on their society’s culture, traditions, and ideologies. Therefore, literary works are a reflection of society’s views on gender, which favors one gender over the other.