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Former NMG sports journalist Steve Ongaro to be buried on Saturday
Former Nation Media Group sports journalist Stephen Ongaro.
What you need to know:
- His former colleague at Nation Media Group, Nicholas Okeya, offered a heartfelt tribute, reflecting on their friendship spanning over five decades.
- “I wish to send my sincerest heartfelt condolences to the family, relatives, and friends of my departed dear friend and one-time colleague, Stephen Kiwanuka Ongaro. Besides being a friend and colleague, Steve was indeed a brother.
Veteran sports writer Stephen Joseph Ongaro will be laid to rest on Saturday in Oseno village, Alego Usonga Sub-County in Siaya County.
Ongaro, who covered sports events for Nation Media Group platforms from 1977 till his retirement in 2008, died on Thursday while being rushed to Siaya County Referral Hospital from his home in Ndere, Alego Usonga Sub-County in Siaya County. The family said he has been battling a lung disease.
Ongaro is survived by his widow, Elizabeth, and five children: Berverline, a lawyer; Janice, a sociologist; Chantal, a supplier management specialist; Corretta, a sous chef; and Emmanuel, an ICT expert.
Elizabeth confirmed that funeral arrangements are in top gear, noting that a number of prominent administrators, former athletes, and journalists are expected to attend the burial.
Ongaro, a former Kenya Sports Journalist of the Year Award winner, was widely respected in sports media circles for his sharp insight and encyclopedic knowledge of football and boxing.
Reuben Ndolo, President of the Kenya Professional Boxing Commission and Director of the Commonwealth Boxing Council, paid tribute to Ongaro.
“My condolences to the family and the boxing fraternity at large. Steve was a great sports writer and a personal friend. A true trailblazer in sports coverage, especially boxing. He was an accomplished sports writer who gave his life to writing and was an encyclopedia in matters football and boxing. I came to know much about boxing circles in Kenya through him. Go well my friend,” said Ndolo on Wednesday.
Former Standard Group Sports Editor, Isaack Okoth, recalled Ongaro’s unique contributions to football reporting and his unwavering support.
“Steve protected me from those Ingwe and K’Ogalo diehard fans like Ben Amimo, Nyawawa Apingo, DOD Kenyatta who were uncomfortable with my reports a lot. But we also shared something in common — the tiki-taka play of Re Ajwang those days, ‘Vijana chipukizi,’ as he famously characterised this in his Taifa Leo reports. May God rest his soul in peace.”
His former colleague at Nation Media Group, Nicholas Okeya, offered a heartfelt tribute, reflecting on their friendship spanning over five decades.
“I wish to send my sincerest heartfelt condolences to the family, relatives, and friends of my departed dear friend and one-time colleague, Stephen Kiwanuka Ongaro. Besides being a friend and colleague, Steve was indeed a brother.
“I knew Steve in 1972, when we played football and practiced boxing together in Uplands, Limuru. Later we parted ways in search of meaningful lives — Steve pursued freelance writing and broadcasting, while I took another route.
“Fate brought us back together as reporters for Taifa Leo. Steve encouraged me to report on local football, and that’s how I too became a freelance sports writer. We worked together until his retirement in 2008.
“Steve was friendly, kind-hearted, generous, and he brightened the lives of everyone who knew him. His memory will live on in our hearts. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”
