Stephen Mukangai: From Kibera Slums to Being Kenya’s Most-Loved Sports Journalist
It is common to hear tales of those who overcame hardship to succeed in life.
The struggles that certain individuals, notably in Kenya, have faced in order to reach amazing milestones, however, are not only motivating but also eye-opening.
One such tale is that of Radio Maisha sportscaster Stephen Mukangai.
Mukangai was born in the Namshiya community in Western Kenya’s Malava Constituency.
He began his elementary education at Namshiya Primary School before moving on to Navakholo, Kakamega County’s Ingotse High School.
The jovial sports commentator enrolled in the Kenya College of Communication Technology (KCCT), the modern Multimedia University of Kenya, where he developed his journalism abilities after completing his post-primary schooling.
Mukangai described his challenges since moving to the nation’s capital, Nairobi, in 2008 to pursue his aspirations in a recent interview.
Life back then, according to the Swahili pundit, was challenging because he was a newcomer to the city and had no one to rely on.
Mukangai admitted that in order to make ends meet and pay rent for a room in the Mashimoni slum of Kibera, he had to work menial tasks like cleaning toilets.
“At first the job was easy, I was tasked with cleaning the washrooms. Later it became quite difficult since we started to lift bags of cement and bricks. I did the mjengo job for around 5 to 6 months.
“I used to walk from Kibera all the way to Gachie, Kiambu County. Usually, I would leave my house at around 3am in the morning,” he told Ronny TV.
Mukangai, who revealed that he sometimes went to bed on an empty stomach, would relocate to Mlango Kubwa, after making a few coins.
It was while at Mlango Kubwa that he decided to try his luck and went to the Standard Media Group headquarters, located along Mombasa road, uninvited, to meet veteran sports presenter Hassan Mwana wa Ali.
His first attempt was fruitless, however, while he was in deep thoughts in his house on one particular day, he received a call from Hassan who asked for another meeting at the Standard Group.
The meeting went on successfully, and soon after he was invited to co-host a radio show with a man who he credits for the success in his career.
“Hassan told me to be at Standard by 7am the next day. He added that he will do the Nuru ya Lugha Show with me. So, I was over excited. I was so happy, it was my first day to go live on air,” he divulged.
Mukangai’s breakthrough came weeks later when he impressed during a live football commentary involving Kenyan clubs.
“It was in 2010, a match between Red Berets vs Ulinzi Stars. After five minutes into the match, Ali switched off the mic and told me that I was so lively. He promised to vouch for me to his boss. That is how I got my job at Standard group,” he stated.
His advice to anyone who is experiencing hardship in life, is to have faith in God.
“In life, you have to trust God and everything will fall into place. In whatever you do, put God forward and you will make it,” ended Mukangai.
