Kenya's boxing legend Philip Waruinge is dead
Legendary boxer Philip Waruinge at his home in Umoja Estate in Lanet, nakuru County on June 4, 2020. Waruinge died on October 19, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Waruinge, who is the first African boxer to win the coveted Val Barker trophy in the 1968 Olympics Games, died at his Lanet home in the outskirts of Nakuru City on the wee hours of Wednesday.
- His wife, Mary Ndeti, said Waruinge was a” loving and caring husband.”
One of Kenya’s most decorated boxers, Philip Waruinge is dead.
Waruinge, who is the first African boxer to win the coveted Val Barker trophy at the 1968 Olympics Games, died at his Lanet home in the outskirts of Nakuru City on the wee hours of Wednesday.
His wife, Mary Ndeti, said Waruinge, 77, was a” loving and caring husband.”
“He has been sick for quite sometime. I have been taking him to hospital and doctors had not established what was ailing him,” she said.
Ndeti said her husband died at around 2am Wednesday morning after a battling an unknown illness.
Waruinge is survived by four children — Lucy, Nancy, Andrew and Tom - and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.
His son Andrew told Nation Sport said that his father had a nagging hand problem.
“He was supposed to go for an X-ray Wednesday morning, but he passed on before we could take him to the hospital in the morning,” said Andrew.
“One of his hand was completely dead and last week we had taken him to hospital," added Andrew.
His body has been moved to the PN mortuary.
Boxing Federation of Kenya First Vice-chairperson, Isaac Mbote said Waruinge, who started his boxing career in the late 1960s at the historic Madison Square Garden in Nakuru, had been sick.
“He has been in and out of the hospital but his conditioned worsened recently,” said Mbote.
Mbote said Waruinge was one of Kenya’s greatest boxers of all times.
“Waruinge was a legend. He was one of the finest boxers that Kenya has ever produced.”
Retired boxing referee Joseph “Don King” Mwangi Muthoga eulogised Waruinge as a role model.
“Kenya has lost the best boxer in our boxing history. He was a superb boxer who was a shining star. He will be remembered by generations to come,” said Muthoga.
Philip Mainge, who started his boxing career together with Waruinge at Madison Square, said: “It is unfortunate Kenya has a lost a legend who died as a poor man despite the glory he brought to the country."
