Nairobi — Calls of mwizi, mwizi huyo (thief, there's a thief) were often hurled at a lone athlete as he jogged every morning on his daily training schedule that always started at 6am from Eastleigh, taking him on runs along Juja Road through Mathare Valley and Pangani and then to Muthaiga, disappearing later into the Karura Forest.

Knowing what mob justice meant and the dangers he was exposing himself to, the calls had cause for alarm for the athlete who, however, refused to panic and give up.

Philip Ndoo, the athlete in question, survived. But this week he failed to dodge the cruel hand of death.

He succumbed to throat cancer on Wednesday morning, aged just 58.

Born in Machakos District, Eastern Province, in 1946, Ndoo was educated at Machakos High School, Kenyatta University and, later, at Eastern New Mexico State University where he obtained a BSc degree in journalism and economics.

Ndoo made history when he was recruited as the first African sportswriter by the then Nation Group Sports Editor, Brian Marsden, in 1969.

He joined the team of Norman Da Costa, Polly Fernandes and Peter Moll in covering the full range of sports activities around the country, especially in Nairobi, which on Saturday and Sunday - with six blank pages to fill - saw him riding his Vespa scooter all over the town on his daily assignments. "His early copy was on such unfamiliar sports for an African at that time as horse racing, cricket, rugby, car rallies, table tennis - and when Charles Disney needed some back-up - golf as well. These were impossible to sub and mostly needed complete rewrites, but he always got the facts.

"Philip's strength, of course, for his own right he was a long distance and marathon runner of national calibre, was track and field. Here his contacts were impeccable, and his taste too, for his lovely wife, Anne, was at that time a young track walker making her own way in a new sport."

In 1973 Ndoo went to the United States for further education and joined the Eastern New Mexico State University where he majored in journalism and economics. He always told Moll jokingly that he would come back to take over the sports desk. It came to pass that Moll resigned from the Nation before Ndoo's return. Ndoo had to wait his turn behind Norman Da Costa who eventually migrated to Canada for a lifelong assignment with the Toronto Star.

Finally Philip Ndoo rejoined the Nation on his return from his studies in 1976 and made history when he and The Standard's George Obiero later became the first African sports editors.

He left the Nation and joined Moll's PR and Management company before teaming up with Nizar Juma's Orbitsports company which was the franchise holder for Adidas footballs in this region.

Moll says: "In the early days on meagre salaries, lunch was a couple of boiled eggs and a samosa each or chapati each but Philip was always his cheerful self. "He never complained even when he was ailing, never had a harsh word for anyone and lived a life to the last day as the true sportsman he was. Kwaheri, Philip."

Between 1994 and last year, Philip worked with John Velzian as deputy director of the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) in Nairobi. Ndoo was until his death proprietor of Sawa Sports, a company involved in manufacturing sports equipment in the country.

For several years he served on the Nock as assistant secretary. He was also at the same time assistant treasurer of the Kenya Amateur Athletics Association (now Athletics Kenya). In 1984 and 1988 he travelled to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles and Seoul, South Korea, respectively as executive officer. Before the Los Angeles Games, he had coached the Kenya athletics team for the third All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria, in 1978. He is survived by his wife, Anne, two sons and a daughter. Mary Chege, an AK women's sub-committee chairman, herself a retired international athlete said: "Philip's untimely death had left a big gap that will be hard to fill. He was a dedicated, hard working and aggressive. He was always kind, understanding and helpful. Those of us who knew him will definitely miss him. My sympathy goes to his wife, Anne, and the entire family. May God rest his soul in peace."