Eric Murungi grew up in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. He attended school at St. Mary's Nairobi and New Mexico State University in the USA. He played rugby in both high school and college and started writing about it a year before he graduated from college. Returning to Kenya, Murungi played for the Second XVs of both Mwamba and Nondescripts Rugby Clubs and coached at various high schools and in the KRFU's mini-rugby program. He also played and coached in South Africa for a season.