John 'Duran' Wanjau, who passed away on Friday in Nairobi, was one of the most revered Kenyan boxers of the golden era. He was a member of the national boxing team, Hit Squad, which was one of the most feared teams on the continent.
Wanjau was with his eldest daughter Monica Njoki when he passed away. He was Kenya’s finest featherweight and a product of the renowned Nakuru Amateur Boxing Club, based at the iconic Madison Square Garden.
Wanjau will be buried on Monday at his farm in Ruai, Kasarani, Nairobi County, following a funeral service at the Winners Chapel.
“My dad had kidney failure and had been undergoing dialysis for the last year. He passed away at home, and we were by his bedside when he died,” said Njoki.
“Despite the pain he was going through, he was jovial and prayerful. He told us that he had finished his journey and was going home…he was ready for the next stage of his journey,” she said.
Wanjau’s first major outing with the Hit Squad was at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia. He was eliminated in the first round by Peter Konyegwachie of Nigeria.
However, Wanjau’s talent in the ring saw him win the Africa featherweight title in Kampala, Uganda, in 1983, where the Hit Squad came second overall behind Zambia. Both Kenya and Zambia won four gold medals, but Zambia won the overall title with two silver medals to Kenya’s one.
The late John 'Duran' Wanjau.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Wanjau defeated Uganda’s Geoffrey Nyeko in the featherweight final, alongside compatriots Ibrahim 'Surf' Bilali (flyweight), Patrick 'Mont' Waweru (lightweight), and the late James 'Demosh' Omondi (heavyweight).
Bilali easily defeated Tanzanian David Mwaba in the flyweight category, while Waweru narrowly beat Joseph Gama of Uganda and Omondi outperformed Luc Tchoula of Gabon.
Wanjau earned his place in the Hit Squad for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where he was given a bye to the second round. There, he outclassed Christian Kpakpo of Ghana and defeated Rajabu Hussen of Tanzania in the third round.
However, Wanjau lost to the USA’s Meldrick Taylor in the quarter-finals, with the American going on to defeat Nigeria’s Peter Konyegwachie to claim gold.
Wanjau then guided the Hit Squad to a sweeping victory at the 1987 All-Africa Games in Nairobi, winning eight out of the 12 gold medals.
Nicknamed Duran after the legendary Panamanian boxer Roberto Carlos Durán Samaniego, who was a world champion in four categories, Wanjau beat Haritora Rapotamanga from Madagascar in the first round to win gold.
Renowned for his timing and powerful punches, Wanjau took his quest to the 1988 Seoul Olympics in South Korea, where he was the deputy captain of the Hit Squad.
He was the first Kenyan boxer to enter the ring and swiftly defeated Hungarian László Szöke in the first round, setting the tone, before losing to Dutchman Regilio Tuur from in the second.
Wanjau’s first-round victory set the momentum for Kenya’s Robert Wangila Napunyi to win Africa’s first gold medal at the Olympics by knocking out the Frenchman Laurent Boudouani in the second round of the welterweight final.
Another Kenyan, Chris Sande, won the bronze medal in the middleweight category.
Following Wanjau's death, president of the Boxing Federation of Kenya (BFK), Anthony ‘Jamal’ Otieno, said that the country has lost a giant in boxing.
“Wanjau represented Kenya gallantly, and his contribution to boxing will forever be etched in the annals of history. What stood out about him was his discipline, dedication, and patriotism,” Otieno said.
Patrick 'Mont' Waweru, who won gold alongside Wanjau at the 1983 Africa Championships and 1987 African Games besides competing together at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, described Wanjau as a hardworking and disciplined boxer.
“He was a good and humble boxer. He never wronged anyone and was a peacemaker,” said Wawerru.
He noted that Wanjau was fished from Nakuru by then FKF chairman Marsden Madoka to join the defunct Kenya Breweries Boxing Club after completing high school in 1977.
Wanjau hung his gloves in 1996 before trying his hand in coaching at Kenya Breweries. He retired from breweries in 2000 before venturing into farming and personal businesses.
