Mwangi was born in Taveta, Kenya, on the border with Tanzania. His mother was a businesswoman who traded across the border. Mwangi was moved to live with his grandparents' home in Nyeri, Central Kenya, when he was six years old. Mwangi later moved with his mother to live in Nairobi’s low-income suburb of Ngara, then a highrise in Majengo, Githurai45, before finally settling in Pangani. Mwangi dropped in and out of school during this period and helped his mother vend books.
Journalism
When his mother died in 2000, Mwangi, then 17, decided he had to change if he was to survive. He joined a Bible school with the intention of becoming a pastor, and secured a diploma in Bible Studies. Whilst at school he became interested in photography. He was influenced by the Kenyan photographer Mohamed Amin. Despite not having a high school education, Mwangi managed to gain a place at a private journalism school. To fund his studies he had to continue selling books on the street, but soon began to gain experience as a photojournalist. He published photographs in the national newspaperThe Standard, and in 2005 won his first photography prizes. Within three years he received international recognition as one of Africa's most promising photographers. He was awarded the 2008 and 2010 CNN Africa Photojournalist of the Year Award. However, he put his photography career on hold, to work on Kenyan social justice.
Activism
Mwangi quit journalism after witnessing and documenting post-election violence in Kenya in 2007 as a newspaper photographer. He experienced posttraumatic stress and depression. More importantly, he was frustrated he had to cover the same politicians that had incited the violence, but remained unpunished. His first initiative was the projectPicha Mtaani, Swahili for street exhibition, showing photographs of the violence in 2007 after the national elections, between the different tribes. This travelling street exhibition was shown around the country for people to discuss reconciliation and promote national healing. Over 600.000 people saw the exhibition. This was later complemented by the documentary Heal the Nation, which was shown mostly in slum areas. Following these initiatives Mwangi started to develop a stronger human rights stance in his work on fighting impunity, speaking out against bad and corrupt political leadership and promoting a message of peace for the elections planned for 2013 with initiatives called MaVulture and Team Courage. Team Courage is a Nairobi-based lobby that strives to enable a patriotic citizens’ movement to take bold and effective actions in building a new Kenya. His latest initiative is Pawa 254, a hub and space for artists and activists to work together towards social change and advancing Human rights in Kenya.
