Veteran sports journalist Richard Mwangi died on Tuesday in Nairobi after nearly eight months battle with Pneumonia, Nation Media Group has confirmed.
Mr Mwangi build his career around sports reporting and socialised on Boxing and Cricket. He was among journalist who covered Cricket when Kenya excelled in 2003.
Nation Media Group Sports Editor Elias Makori described him as a special reporter who has no record on being involved in conflicts with colleagues.
“Richard was one of the gentlest souls you would ever come across. For the 27 years I’ve known him as a colleague in sports journalism, I never saw or heard of him get into any conflict with anyone.
"He would debate on sporting issues, especially boxing and cricket, from an informed point of view, and was always ready to help upcoming journalists follow and report cricket competently. My condolences to his family and friends. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” he said.
Those who knew him will describe him as a boxing writer, but those who knew him well will say he was a fighter.
In his early days, he was a pugilist of the Welterweight division, and nothing brought as much laughter in his eyes as when he spoke about his boxing exploits of his youth.
He was passionate about restoring Kenya’s pride in cricket, and had a gift of innovative thinking, a visionary spirit, and the tenacious patience required to successfully lead meaningful reform.
Tributes continued to poor from his colleagues, with some describing him as a writer who was always ready and willing ti help young and upcoming colleagues.
“Calm. Mature. Energetic. It's sad the Boxing and Cricket guru is no more. Quiet, but entertaining whenever need be, Richard always stressed the need for me to understand a sport in detail before covering it. He taught me boxing lingual. That persistent and uncomfortable signature cough marked his last days on earth. RIP champ!” said David Kwalimwa, a football writer.
“A fine gentleman, who was dedicated and passionate about what he did. The fact that he still loved writing about his favourite sports – boxing and cricket at his age, just shows how much he valued the trade. His great insights shall be missed,” said Brian Yonga, online sub editor at the sports desk.