By Geoffrey Otieno
Not every hero stands before a crowd. Not every legacy is built with a microphone in hand. Some heroes work quietly behind the scenes, making it possible for others to be heard, for lives to be transformed and for a mission to move forward.
Every year on Mashujaa Day on 20th October, Kenya honors the men and women whose courage, sacrifice and dedication have shaped our nation. Yet, not every hero makes it into the history books. Some serve quietly, away from the spotlight, leaving a legacy through their faithfulness and the difference they make in the lives of others.
At Trans World Radio (TWR) Kenya, one such hero was Boaz Olewe. A humble servant whose 31 years of dedication helped build a ministry that continues to touch lives across Kenya.
Boaz served as a driver, caretaker and maintenance worker, helping keep the ministry moving while the Gospel reached homes and hearts across Kenya. He passed away on 4 February 2020, but his story remains an important part of TWR Kenya’s 50-year journey.
A humble beginning and a difficult childhood
Born in 1958 in Kanyalenge village, on the shores of Lake Victoria in present-day Kisumu County, Boaz was the ninth and last-born child in the Olewe family. His life began with loss. His father died when he was only two months old, leaving his mother to raise nine children. Despite the challenges, she did her best to provide for her family.
Growing up without the support of a father and amid financial difficulties was not easy. Boaz’s education was cut short, limiting the employment opportunities available to him. Nevertheless, he remained determined to find a way to provide for himself.
Around 1978, he began earning a living by harvesting sand along the lakeshore and selling it to builders. He later ventured into selling concrete stones before moving to Kisumu town in search of employment. Like many job seekers of his time, he registered with the Labour Office and reported regularly, hoping that an employer would select him for a job. Each day presented another opportunity to hope, wait and try again.
In 1979, an opportunity arose when a sisal farm in Murang’a recruited workers. Boaz joined the group traveling from western Kenya towards Nairobi before proceeding to Murang’a, accompanied by his friend Julius Angudi.
The work, however, was much harder than they had anticipated. Sisal harvesting began as early as four in the morning, sometimes in heavy rain, and the conditions proved difficult and dangerous. After two days, Boaz and his friend decided they could not continue.
They left the farm and moved to Murang’a town, where they sought employment with a construction company called Danish Constructors. Neither man could have imagined where that decision would eventually lead Boaz.
An unexpected encounter with TWR Kenya
In 1984, Trans World Radio Kenya was preparing to move its offices from Ufanisi House to the present offices along Kamburu Drive, off Ngong Road.
The ministry’s founder, the late Rev. Stephen Boakye Yiadom, together with his office assistant, Pastor David Mungai, had identified and secured a building that needed renovation to accommodate the ministry’s offices and studios. (read more https://twr.co.ke/a-ministry-born-behind-closed-doors/)
Danish Constructors was awarded the construction and renovation work, and Boaz was among the people assigned to the project. Serving as a foreman, he helped oversee the work that would prepare the premises for the ministry’s operations. At that point, Boaz was simply doing his job. He had no idea that the construction site would become the doorway to a relationship with TWR Kenya that would last more than three decades.
After construction was completed, he was the only worker who remained behind to carry out the curing process. This gave him another opportunity to interact with TWR Kenya staff and build closer relationships with them. The Danish contractors later transferred him to another construction site. When work eventually slowed down at the company, he ventured into business, selling maize. Among his customers was Mr. Daniel Ngotho, who was then the Head of Maintenance at TWR Kenya.
During one of his visits, Mr. Ngotho informed Boaz that the ministry needed someone to help construct its studios. He believed Boaz had the experience and skills required for the job. The proposal surprised him. He had never imagined working fully in a Christian broadcasting ministry.
The late Rev. Stephen Yiadom, TWR Kenya’s founder, Pastor David Mungai and Daniel Ngotho saw potential in Boaz and gave him an opportunity to join the ministry. Even when he initially struggled to settle into the new task, they did not readily give up on him.
Their willingness to give him another chance became a turning point in his life.
From builder to driver and caretaker
Boaz’s responsibilities at TWR Kenya grew with time. He became involved in maintenance and caretaking, ensuring that the premises remained functional and supporting the ministry’s daily administrative operations.
An additional responsibility emerged when the ministry needed a driver to cover for Mr Fanuel Angonte, who was preparing to go on leave. Remembering that Boaz held a driving license, Fanuel suggested that he takes him to road test.
Boaz passed and Fanuel was impressed, and another chapter of service began.
He became both a driver and caretaker, taking on responsibilities that supported the ministry’s work behind the scenes. Though he did not present programs or speak to listeners through a microphone, his contribution helped create the conditions in which others could share the Gospel.
His story reminds us that that the skills and experiences gathered along life’s winding paths can become useful in unexpected ways and that broadcasting is not sustained by presenters alone. It also depends on the people who maintain facilities, transport staff and keep everyday operations running.
When the Gospel Transformed the Servant
Boaz’s years at TWR Kenya were about more than work; they became a defining chapter in his spiritual journey. While serving in a ministry dedicated to sharing the Gospel, he experienced its transforming power in his own life.
As his faith grew, so did his commitment to living out the message of Christ. His spiritual growth reached a point where he began leading a home fellowship in the community where he lived in Kibra, sharing God’s Word and helping others grow in faith.
It was a remarkable transformation. The man who had joined TWR Kenya through a construction assignment had become a spiritual influence in his community. The Gospel he helped make accessible to others through his work had taken root in his own heart and overflowed into the lives of those around him.
Boaz’s story reminds us that the true impact of ministry is not measured only by the programmes broadcast or the number of people reached, but also by the lives transformed by the very message being shared. For Boaz, the mission was no longer simply what he helped TWR Kenya accomplish; it had become part of who he was and how he lived.
A Ministry That Cared Beyond the Workplace
Among Boaz’s cherished memories was an act of kindness that demonstrated how much the ministry cared about him and his family. His son was about to undergo an emergency operation in Kisumu. He wanted to be with his wife and child during the difficult moment.
The then Executive Director, Dr. Bernice Gatere, facilitated his first-ever flight to Kisumu so that he could reach his family.
For Boaz, the journey was memorable not simply because he was traveling by air for the first time. But because it enabled him to be present when his family needed him most. He recalled giving the family a surprise by arriving at the hospital before the doctor and his family. He had traveled more than 300 km, while his family was coming from around 30 km.
Behind this memory was a father concerned about his child, a family facing an anxious moment and an organization willing to help one of its staff members. It was a reminder that TWR Kenya was more than a workplace. It was a community of people whose lives and families mattered to one another.
For Boaz, the kindness remained an important memory of his years at the ministry.
Courage on the road to Lodwar
Boaz’s years of service were not without danger.
One of the most frightening experiences he recalled happened during a journey to Lodwar. He was driving the late Odin van Woerdekom from TWR Netherlands (another hero who did great work in setting up SIFA FM stations) and Carol Kinuthia to set up Maata Radio.
Their team encountered an attack by bandits, and the situation escalated into an exchange of gunfire involving Kenya Army officers. It was by God’s chance that along the way they found an army lorry also heading to Lodwar.
Boaz later described the experience as frightening, like a Hollywood movie. They were ordered to take cover under the vehicle. Bandit snipers were firing, and soldiers were firing back. A fierce exchange of fire lasted nearly 30 minutes before the bandits were finally neutralised.
It was an encounter that could easily have ended their lives. Yet, the team survived, and Boaz believed that God had used the army to protect them. As he remebers the army driver telling to drive at a closer distance as the entered Kainuk.
The experience offered a glimpse into the risks sometimes involved in extending Christian broadcasting to communities far from Nairobi. Establishing a radio ministry required more than equipment, technical expertise and planning. It also called for people willing to travel, work under difficult circumstances and help bring the message to communities that needed it.
Boaz was among those who helped make that mission possible.
His willingness to serve beyond the familiar surroundings of the TWR Kenya compound reflected the commitment he had developed over the years.
Thirty-One Years of Service, Laughter and Memories
On 25 July 2014, Boaz Olewe retired from full-time service at TWR Kenya after approximately 31 years of dedicated service.
His farewell was an emotional occasion, filled with laughter, fond memories and tears. Boaz was more than a driver, caretaker and maintenance worker; to many staff members, he was a father figure. Always ready to offer advice, share a life lesson or speak his mind. He was a jovial man whose loud, hearty laughter could fill a room, and whose storytelling made him a memorable presence. Yet, behind the humour was a man who valued honesty. Boaz would tell you the truth as he saw it, whether you liked hearing it or not.
Over the years, he had driven TWR Kenya and SIFA FM teams to countless destinations across the country and beyond Kenya’s borders. If his journeys were measured in flight hours, he would have earned a place among pilots with more than 15,000 hours in the air! His many miles on the road were a testament to the breadth of his service and his role in supporting the ministry’s work.
Boaz witnessed the growth and changes of both TWR Kenya and SIFA FM, faithfully supporting the teams and daily activities that helped advance the mission. His contribution went beyond the duties assigned to him; he offered companionship, wisdom, humour and the kind of honest counsel that colleagues came to value.
When he retired, his official duties came to an end, but his bond with the ministry remained. He promised to return whenever his services were needed. For those who had worked alongside him, his departure meant saying goodbye not just to a colleague, but to a father figure, a storyteller, a trusted adviser and a friend whose laughter and candid words had become part of their shared history.
Boaz was not simply leaving a job. He was leaving behind years of memories, relationships and a legacy of service that would continue to live in the hearts of those who knew him..
A Hero in TWR Kenya’s 50-Year Story
Boaz Olewe passed away on 4 February 2020, but his contribution remains part of TWR Kenya’s history.
As the ministry celebrates 50 years of reaching the world for Christ through mass media, his story reminds us that lasting legacies are built by people whose service may never be publicly celebrated but whose contribution makes the mission possible.
We also honor the late Rev. Stephen Yiadom, the founder of TWR Kenya, whose leadership and willingness to recognize potential helped shape Boaz’s journey. Together with Pastor David Mungai and Daniel Ngotho, they gave Boaz an opportunity to grow and serve, even when the journey did not begin smoothly.
That decision opened the door to more than three decades of dedicated service and a spiritual journey that saw Boaz grow strong in his faith and lead a home fellowship in his community.
Their story reminds us that building a lasting ministry requires more than vision. It requires leaders who recognize potential, open doors and give people room to grow.
This Mashujaa Day of 2026, as TWR Kenya celebrates its golden jubilee, we honour Boaz Olewe for his dedication, courage and faith. We also remember Rev. Stephen Yiadom for seeing potential in a man whose life became an enduring part of the ministry’s story.
Boaz helped keep the mission moving. Rev. Yiadom helped open the door. Together, their stories remind us that great legacies are built when opportunity meets faithful service.
Continue Resting in Peace , Boaz Olewe. Your service mattered, your faith made a difference, and your legacy lives on.
This article is taken from an interview that the writer -Geoffrey Otieno ( Audience Relations) did with Boaz Olewe 20th July 2014 few days before he retired from TWR Kenya.
Click on this Facebook link to view Boaz’s Memory Photos – https://www.facebook.com/twrkenya1/posts/pfbid02H6QFZ3FdBhq9xvoT5xhxdmCvt6LQ5c18R1Dor1v4oESB2ME1bMe8whYExHNnwHa1l
