How Nick Rambo told stories of the unheard through bold films

Independent filmmaker Nick Wambugu died after battling a rare blood disorder. [Courtesy]

Independent filmmaker Nick Wambugu, 34, took his final bow this week after battling a rare blood disorder. As the Kenyan film industry prepares its tributes, Nick’s passing deserves wider acknowledgement by the Kenyan public and international community.

Unlike many, Nick filmed not only to explain our world but to offer the silenced a voice and to protect the truth. Largely still informal and without a national registry of filmmakers, it is difficult to measure the size of the sector.

However, KNBS and Kenya Film Commission Film Industry Satellite Account (2023) report shows film production is growing rapidly. Roughly 42,000 actors, crew, production assistants, writers, editors, directors, producers and distributors work across 419 registered film, television and broadcasting companies.

Nick belonged to a population of 8,000 writer-directors and producers working on documentaries, movies, digital advertising and public information. Fewer than 40 per cent are women.

Although Kenya is recognised by UNESCO as one of Africa’s leading film-producing countries, most filmmakers receive little private or public investment. Many are forced to do multiple jobs and work with minimal public support — or even basic health insurance.

Affectionally nicknamed “Rambo” by friends and professional colleagues, Nick balanced an astute ear and eye for vivid storytelling with a self-effacing character. Whether stranded adventurously filming in Italy or on the Kenya border, Nick could tell some of the most incredible of stories. Barely two months ago, Nick was celebrated among the Business Daily Top 40 men under 40. 

Nick believed in filmmaking as a way for citizens to record truth during public protest. In “The People Shall “ (2025), which he co‑directs with Mark Maina, he captured the voices of leading digital and street activists during the 2024–2025 Gen‑Z‑led the Finance Bill protests and subsequent state repression.

His hands‑on approach echoed his earlier BBC Africa Eye “Street Dreams” documentary, where he lived among Nairobi’s street dancers to tell their stories from their perspectives. In May 2025, Nick was arrested with Chris Wamae, Brian Adagala and MarkDenver Karubiu and charged with “publishing false information”.

Their detention, subsequent release under a court order and legal fight for the return of their filming equipment is an iconic case in filming while being hunted. Their courage to sue the state for downloading spyware on their digital equipment remains one of the strongest indictments of the use of mass surveillance technology against state critics.

It is now clear that the four were pre‑emptively arrested to stop the finalisation, launch, and public debate of “The People Shall”, and to disrupt the impact of the BBC “Blood Parliament” documentary. The two documentaries remain among the best ways to understand what it took for a generation to remind a nation and an elected state that it had lost its way.

Despite this hostility, it is worth noting that Nick remained disinterested in his own voice. Shot across our streets and through tear gas and batons, “The People Shall” deliberately centres the authentic voices of protesters over narration. The film situates protest within the diversity of a youth movement united by their cries for accountable governance and human rights.

While journalists captured violations for headlines and human rights advocates documented evidence for court, Nick and others brought the passion and purpose of one of Kenya’s most significant uprisings in two decades to our screens.

Nick died as his colleagues attended yet another court hearing. One might wonder whether the case against them should now be reviewed, not because Nick died, but because the charges are patently weak, as the packed film houses watching The People Shall can attest.

In his words, Nick lived to “tell stories of the mavericks, misfits and the people who never get the spotlight but form the backbone of who we are.” Our condolences to his parents, family and the filmmaking community. Rest in Power Nick. May your work continue to influence generations of activist filmmakers across the world.