Boxing legend Peter Mwarangu to be laid to rest at Lang'ata Cemetery

Legendary boxing tactician Peter Mwarangu will be laid to rest on Tuesday at the Lang’ata Cemetery in Nairobi.

Mwarangu led Kenya to four Olympic medals guiding the late Philip Waruinge to win Bronze and the best player award in 1968, Seif Bilali in 1984 and in 1988 when Robert Wangila and Chris Sunday won Gold and Bronze medals respectively plus the Kings Cup in Bangkok.

The procession left Ndenderu, Kiambu County early Tuesday morning to Montezuma Mortuary where family and friends viewed the body before heading to ACK St. Augustine for the funeral service.

Duncan ‘Sugar Ray’ Kuria was his former captain and player of the national team and is now the media officer of the Boxing Federation in Kenya.

“When Africa won its first Olympic Gold medal in Seoul 1988 through Robert Wangila Mwarangu was the head coach, when Philip Waruinge became the first and only African to win the best boxer award at the Olympic games in 1968 in Mexico City Mwarangu was the coach, In 1978 when Stephen Muchoki won the only Gold medal by Kenya to date at the world championship in Belgrade, again Mwarangu was the coach,” Duncan told Citizen Digital.

Mwarangu was born in 1942 in Nakuru. He was the son of Charles Ngugi Muiruri and Hannah Wanja Ngugi among eight siblings.

His family moved to Tanganyika now Tanzania and later came back to Kenya in Ndenderu, Kiambu County.

When the state of emergency was declared by the colonial government in 1952 young Mwarangu moved with his family to his paternal aunt’s place in Githunguri. Due to hardship and oppression from the colonial government, young Peter sneaked to Nairobi (in a truck) where he met a pioneer missionary who introduced him to boxing.

He started work in 1958 in Nairobi West at the Prison Training College as a warder. While still at Prisons, he formed Boxing Club. This impressed his supervisors and he was promoted to Prison Officer and later posted to prisons headquarters.

He steered the boxing club and more clubs were opened in other prisons within Nairobi. He initiated and headed a steering committee which promoted boxing activities in other provinces in Kenya. Later on together with the late Stanley Wachanga and David Njenga they formed the Kenya prisons Department sports coordinators.

The Kenya’s renowned coach, having successfully handled the national team in various international tournaments, busted into the limelight as Kenya’s coach in 1968. At the time, Mwarangu was the coach of the dreaded Prisons team which ruled Kenya boxing in the 60s to early 70s.

Suave, street-smart and crafty, Mwarangu impressed the Briton who settled on him to coach Kenya’s team to the 1968 Mexico Olympics. Neil, who was Northern Ireland’s featherweight champion for many years before turning pro, also picked Mwarangu to coach Kenya’s team to take on Uganda in the annual Millington Drake Trophy contest with his former clubmate at Pumwani in the 1950s, Sammy Ouma getting the team manager’s position.

Due to his hard work, dedication and passion for boxing he was appointed as the National boxing head coach of Kenya. During his tenure as the head coach, Kenya shined in East and Central Africa in boxing championships: All African games, Commonwealth, Kings cup, the Olympics and other global tournaments.

It’s also during his time as the Head Coach that Kenya won most boxing medals at local, regional and international tournaments. Due to his hardwork and dedication he was promoted to Superintendent of prisons.

Mwarangu, affectionately known as Orango to the boxers, was in and out of the national team until after 1980 is when he became a regular. He retired in 1996 to found his pet project the Ndenderu Boxing Club.

Overall as a coach, the affable and ever smiling Mwarangu had his highs and lows, and will be remembered as Kenya’s first national team coach to construct his own gym at his home in Ndenderu, founder member of Prisons Boxing Club, guiding Kenya’s team that won eight gold medals in the 1987 African Games in Nairobi, Robert Wangila’s historic gold medal in the Seoul Olympics and at the 1981 King’s Cup in Bangkok, Thailand where Kenya’s team of only five boxers shocked the world to win the prestigious tournament.

For the last four years, Mwarangu had some health issues that resulted in him being in and out of the hospital and home based care. He passed away on 22nd January 2023.

He died at the age of Eighty Two (82) years. He was married to the late Susan Njoki and has left behind his six Children, Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren.

Additional reporting by Mwarangu family and BFK