What comes to your mind when you hear the name ‘rocky?’ For most millennials, you probably flash back to the Rocky movie franchise featuring Sylvester Stallone. (If you’re a Gen-Z) Rocky is a film about boxing, resilience, and the rise of the dark horse. It was also the trailblazer for all your favorite sports films.
Today we’re telling our own ‘Rocky’ story, featuring Shadrack Wambui, aka ‘Rocky.’ Shadrack Wambui is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and the founder and Chairperson of Sheria Mtaani na Shadrack Wambui, an NGO focused on empowerment and enhanced access to justice for disenfranchised communities. Shadrack and Sheria Mtaani are the brains behind the ‘Law of The Ring’ charity tournament, one of Sheria Mtaani’s community empowerment programs that includes, you guessed it, boxing.
The inaugural Law of the Ring event took place in December 2023, with a bout between Shadrack Wambui and his fellow Advocate of the High Court, Benjamin Njeru, as its climax. Sheria Mtaani is hosting the second edition of Law of the Ring on 23rd November 2024 at Charter Hall at City Hall, Opposite the KICC building, from 6.00 pm to midnight. Law of the Ring is a Charity event to empower boxing clubs across disenfranchised urban dwellings, including Mathari, Mukuru Kwa Njenga, and Githurai 44. Keep reading to establish how you can attend or support this thrilling event.
The Inspiration Behind the Law Of The Ring Boxing Tournament
As cliche as this sounds, Shadrack Wambui joined human rights to fight for justice for the downtrodden. Before he became the award-winning lawyer he is today (he won Young Lawyer of the Year in 2019), Shadrack was known as “Rocky” in Mathare, where he grew up.
While he acquired the nickname from his boxing skills, his style of boxing did not involve boxing clubs, rings, or any structure for that matter; Rocky from Mathare gained notoriety for street fighting.
“I grew up in an environment where we faced a lot of social injustice. We were victims of police brutality and all manner of ills arising from social injustices. Therefore, I knew that I had to do something that would empower me to fight for justice for myself and the entire community.”
Rocky’s first thought was to become a street vigilante, hence the fights that led to the nickname from the boxing-themed movie. He also pondered being an armed robber because they were the only people with the guts to fight the police; it was all he was exposed to.
Thankfully, a talk with one of his teachers at Maseno School enlightened him that by becoming a lawyer, he could use his skills and knowledge to keep the police in check and fight all other forms of injustices his community in Mathare faced. Also, legal battles with the law as a weapon are way more sustainable and less hazardous than fists.
His other saving grace, besides his teacher, was the boxing club that emerged in his area. These clubs served as positive avenues for him to channel his frustrations with the state of injustice in his community without getting into trouble.
“I had a near-death experience while engaging in street fights between 2009 and 2010.” The near-death experience prompted Shadrack to find more suitable ways of channeling his agitation. Therefore, in 2014, he started boxing professionally as an amateur boxer.
“Boxing is an art; it’s a tool that you can use to express your inner feelings, frustrations, joy, and hope for tomorrow. Shadrack recounts that life growing up in Mathari had plenty of inner frustrations. “Sometimes you may not get what you desire unless you fight for it.”
Shadrack is still an amateur boxer, and he practices at Kayole Wings Miller Boxing Club. Besides the opportunity to rejuvenate and escape the monotony of legal work, boxing empowers Shadrack to be a mentor to the younger boxers as living proof that things can get better.
Wambui’s description of boxing as an art speaks of his creative mind. As highlighted above, the Law of the Ring boxing tournament is his brainchild. The charity tournament is one of three projects under Sheria Mtaani, established to meet the NGO’s sustainability goal.
“We want to help everyone, or as many people as we can. However, securing the funding to run Sheria Mtaani has been challenging. We have applied for funding from numerous donors? without any success.”
Wambui and his directors remain undeterred despite the lack of donor funding. Although they began by using personal resources to fund Sheria Mtaani, they changed tactics and established ventures that would engage community members and raise profits. The first venture is a car wash that exclusively hires wrongfully incarcerated youths after release from prison. The car wash also hosts a halfway house where ex-convicts can stay and save money while figuring out their next move.
Law of the Ring is Sheria Mtaani’s second creative venture. For one, it embodies Wambui and his directors’ duality as agents of the law and amateur boxers; it allows them to heed both callings. However, the tournament’s primary goal is to proactively keep more youth out of trouble by empowering boxing clubs to buy more equipment, accommodate more young people, and participate in more boxing tournaments.
A Bigger and Better Tournament
The Inaugural Law of the Ring charity tournament yielded approximately KES 220,000 for each of the top 3 winning teams. Moreover, the event included a legal clinic where community members approached lawyers with legal queries. Also, Wambui confirms that the success stories derived from the proceeds raised during the tournament transcended boxing activities.
“We’ve taken some young boxers to school by clearing fee arrears and acquiring school uniforms for those who couldn’t afford them. Also, some of the boxers who had completed secondary school were empowered to attend tertiary skill-based programs, including driving schools. Boxers had been robbed of their dignity for a long time because they constantly had to borrow money to attend tournaments. Thankfully, the proceeds from the first Law of the Ring edition complemented their savings and helped facilitate travel within and beyond Nairobi County.”
While the goal last year was to engage the community, this year’s event targets the legal fraternity. November is men’s wellness month, so besides watching the fights, Wambui and his committee invite lawyers to attend the event and learn more about mental health.
Second, the tournament’s committee hopes to sponsor four teams (one more than last year) with the proceeds from this year’s tournament. They also hope to increase each team’s share of the proceeds beyond last year’s KES 220000 per team.
Third, the event will include 13 bouts from men’s and women’s boxing clubs drawn from Mathari, Githurai 44, Mukuru, Kayole, and Kajiado. The bouts will be precursors for the main bout between Shadrack Wambui, representing Kayole Wings Miller Boxing Club, and Benjamin Njeru of G44 Boxing Club.
“Expect a spectacular show; you will see the art of boxing on display.”
How to Participate
According to Wambui, the fight is but one piece of the Law of the Ring Tournament. The true measure of the day’s success will be in meeting the set financial goals to maximize social impact. So, below is an overview of how you can support the tournament.
You can purchase a regular ticket for KES 1000, a VIP ticket for KES 3500, and a VVIP/ Philanthropy ticket for KES 8000. Wambui encourages you to bring a friend along because the best things in life are enjoyed in good company. Therefore, regular group tickets for a group of five people cost a discounted KES 4000 each, while VIP tickets for two cost KES 6000.
Also, if you cannot make it to the venue, you can support the charity tournament by purchasing swanky Law-of-the-Ring-branded merchandise from KES 450. Details on the merchandise and the tickets are available here.
Bottom Line
The Law of the Ring Charity tournament is a unique opportunity to support a worthy cause, network with individuals within and outside the legal space, and perhaps change a juvenile’s life by mentoring them. So, remember, 23rd November 2023 at Charter Hall at City Hall Opposite the KICC building from 6.00 pm to midnight. Save the date, come one, come all.
Lastly, if you want to partner with Sheria Mtaani as a volunteer, handle a few briefs, mentor a juvenile, or join their Public Interest Litigation (PIL) cases, you can contact them here.
