Waruinge: History maker who paid for his boxing success with a life of penury
Legendary boxer Philip Waruinge pushing a wheelbarrow at his son's home in Umoja Estate in Lanet on the outskirts of Nakuru town on June 4, 2020.
What you need to know:
- Nakuru-trained boxer was the only Kenyan and African to win the coveted Val Barker trophy
One of Kenya's most celebrated and iconic boxers Philip Waruinge got his final call on the eve of Kenya’s 59th Mashujaa Day.
Philip Waruinge, 77, died on Wednesday in Nakuru.
Legendary boxer Philip Waruinge at his home in Umoja Estate in Lanet, nakuru County on June 4, 2020. Waruinge died on October 19, 2022.
He is the only Kenyan boxer to participate in three successive Olympic Games.
His debut Olympics was in Tokyo in 1964, at the age of 19, where he fought in flyweight.
Waruinge went on to win a medal in two Olympic Games – bronze in Mexico 1968 and silver in Munich 1972 in the featherweight category.
He ventured into professional boxing in Japan in 1973 and registered 14 wins, three losses and a draw.
The excellent fighter threw in the towel in 1986.
Legendary boxer Philip Waruinge at a training gym in Japan with officials in the 1970s.
He ended up living a squalid life and was largely neglected by the country and the Boxing Federation of Kenya (BFK).
Waruinge’s life after boxing could be summarised as full of pain and despair. He died a painful death as his family desperately struggled to take him to hospital.
For those who have been following him in his sunset years, it was not a surprise that Waruinge succumbed in such a sorry manner despite his achievements in sports.
“This is the painful cost of being the pioneer of Kenya's boxing. No one bothers to know where I live. Nobody treats you well. You’re viewed as a liability to society. Nobody thinks you deserve respect and honour,” he remarked last year.
He died at a time when Kenya is celebrating its heroes and heroines. It begs the question of who are the true heroes of this country? “Does the government want to recognise me posthumously? Will I go through this untold pain and sorrow until I breathe my last?” he once said in his twilight years.
Waruinge is the man who made Kenya proud by winning seven gold, one silver and two bronze medals together with four best boxer trophies in global competitions. A Kenyan record.
Philip Waruinge, holding the trophy, is joined by his brother, lightweight boxer Sammy Mbogua (far left) and teammates, in a moment of celebration after yet another victory for the national boxing team. Waruinge was the 1966 and 1970 Commonwealth Games gold medalist and 1968 and 1972 Olympic Games bronze and silver medalist. He is the most decorated boxer in Kenya's history.
Not many boxing enthusiasts knew the legendary boxer's left eye was blind after suffering a boxing injury in Japan flying the Kenyan flag.
The legendary boxer spent his sunset years in the backyard garden of his son’s home in Umoja Estate in Lanet in the outskirts of Nakuru.
“I brought medals and glory to Kenya, but look I don't have even land where I can rest and enjoy playing with my grandchildren and great-grandchildren that I'm lucky to see from the blessings of my four children (Lucy, Nancy, Andrew and Tom),” he said in an earlier interview with Nation Sport.
Waruinge wrote history, aged 24, by becoming the first and only African boxer to win the coveted Val Barker trophy after losing to eventual gold medallist, Mexico's Antonio Roldan, in a controversial semi-final bout of the 1968 Mexico Olympics Games.
Legendary boxer Philip Waruinge pushing a wheelbarrow at his son's home in Umoja Estate in Lanet on the outskirts of Nakuru town on June 4, 2020.
Being awarded the trophy is a dream of any boxer at the Olympic Games. The award is named after the Englishman who was president of the International Boxing Association (AIBA).
The trophy has been awarded to boxers who win gold medals at every Olympics since 1938. It goes to the most outstanding boxer “for demonstration of excellence in the ring.”
Waruinge, who is regarded as the best Kenyan boxer of his generation, started his boxing career in 1960 at the cradle of the sport in Kenya, the “Madison Square Garden Gymnasium” at Nakuru Amateur Boxing Club.
His boxing talent was discovered by Irish coach Maxie MacCullough in Nakuru in the 1960s but did not improve his life it seems.
Waruinge depended on the monthly Sh2,000 government stipend to the elderly which sometimes delayed and he failed to meet his medical bills.
"I just think I'm neglected, like really neglected," he said in a past interview with Nation Sport. It was not hard to see his neglect that was reflected in his weather-beaten clothing.
Listening to him talk in the past was like watching a great boxing movie dubbed “The Rise and Fall of Philip Waruinge”.
Legendary boxer Philip Waruinge pushing a wheelbarrow at his son's home in Umoja Estate in Lanet on the outskirts of Nakuru town on June 4, 2020.
The legend has fallen and, sadly, those who run boxing in Kenya never thought of telling his story. He leaves his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and his dear wife Mary Ndeti with nothing to show.
He was born in Kahuhia, Murang'a County and will be remembered as a generous boxer who climbed the ring and fought “like it was his last bout on earth.”
Waruinge started his early schooling at Maziwa Nursery School in Nakuru before proceeding to Manyatta Primary School, now St Paul's Primary School. He later joined St Theresa's Primary.
He went to Uganda for his Form One studies at Namiliango Secondary School.
