Nick Wambugu, one of the filmmakers of BBC documentary "Blood Parliament", has passed away.

Nick Wambugu, one of the filmmakers behind the viral BBC documentary "Blood Parliament" (2025), has passed away.

Nick Wambugu was an award-winning Kenyan filmmaker, director, producer, and cinematographer from Nairobi. He gained recognition for his documentaries that chronicled social and political events in Kenya, including work on the Gen Z protests of 2024. Wambugu co-founded Folklore Films and specialized in human-centered narratives about culture, identity, and resilience. His notable projects include "The People Shall" (2025), a documentary about the youth uprising in Kenya that premiered at the NBO Film Festival, and "Street Dreams" for BBC Africa Eye, where he lived among Nairobi's street dancers for five years. He also worked as a drone pilot on the Oscar-nominated film "Watu Wote" (2017) and the Sundance-winning "Softie" (2020), for which he received the Kalasha and Cinemadamare Awards. His BBC documentary "Blood Parliament" (2025) led to his arrest, over 15 court appearances, and pressure from the authorities, highlighting the tensions surrounding reporting on protests in Kenya. Despite these challenges, his work was praised for giving a voice to marginalized individuals. He passed away in early January 2026 at the age of only 34. Wambugu's death was confirmed by his lawyer, Ian Mutiso, who announced that the filmmaker succumbed to a rare illness on Wednesday morning, December 7. In the months leading up to Wambugu's death, it was revealed that he suffered from a rare disease, hypocellular myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). This condition causes the bone marrow to produce insufficient amounts of healthy blood cells. Following his death, numerous tributes poured in, celebrating his courage, his anthropological approach to filmmaking, and his role in Kenya's cultural revival. His films bridged the gap between history and humanity, establishing him as a key figure in African storytelling. https://www.instagram.com/nickwambugu/?hl=en https://top40.businessdailyafrica.com/candidates/nick-wambugu/ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10109889/ https://nation.africa/kenya/news/nick-wambugu-filmmaker-behind-the-people-shall-documentary-dies-at-34-5319226 https://ke.linkedin.com/in/nick-wambugu-75448861 https://x.com/JamesKWaNjeri/status/2008848560926912765