James Kang’aru Mwangi selected for ‘Forbes Africa 30 under 30 for 2021’
James Kang’aru Mwangi from Kenya has made headlines after being inducted into the prestigious ‘Forbes Africa 30 under 30 for 2021‘.
The historic announcement made on 31st May 2021 was a bolt from the blue for James Kang’aru Mwangi! He won the Sports Category, making him the first chess player ever on the African continent to receive the Forbes award.
The 28-year-old James Kang’aru Mwangi learnt the game of chess while he was a student in Njiiri School. He is a graduate of the Technical University of Kenya (TUK) and CEO of Epitome School of Chess. James honed his chess skills at TUK, which has produced several top players through his university chess club participation.
James Kang’aru Mwangi was the Elimu House School coach from 2015 to 2017 when the school won several national titles. He was also the coach to the Kenya U16 team that won the Zone 4.2 Chess Championship in Mombasa in 2017. The team later represented Zone 4.2 in the FIDE World Youth Chess Olympiad held in December 2017 in India.
The Forbes 30 Under 30
Forbes 30 Under 30 lists people under 30 years old issued annually by Forbes magazine and some of its regional editions.
Forbes launched its ‘30 Under 30‘ list in 2011 under the direction of Randall Lane. By 2016, the nominations for the list had reached more than 15,000, with Forbes editors selecting 30 winners for each of 20 categories.
Other Kenyan chess players who have received recognition
Sasha Mongeli won the Star Times Award in December 2018 after her impressive performance at the just concluded Batumi Olympiad.
Sharanya Iyengar the ten old chess star who represented Kenya at the 2012 Istanbul Olympiad was nominated for the 2012 Sportsmen Of Year Award (SOYA).
In 2016 the Ramgarhia Youth Association surprised yours truly with a sports administration award!
