Fungai was born on the 29th August 1969 at Biriwiri Mission Hospital in Chimanimani. His father was a plumber at the local forestry estate, his mother a housewife. He completed his ‘O’ level at Mhakwe Secondary School, Chimanimani in 1987.
In 1990 Fungai began to sculpt under Joram Mariga, the father of Zimbabwean stone sculpture. It was through Mariga’s wife Maude that Fungai met Joram. Maude’s home area is Chimanimani so one day whilst Joram was visiting her parents she introduced him to Fungai.
The next five years Fungai spent with Joram learning all aspects of stone carving. Mariga is known for his passion to work in hard stones; Lepidolite, Granite and Leopard Rock, so Mwarowa’s grounding was a solid one. Recently during the international granite sculpture workshop held at Chapungu, Mwarowa showed the case at which he can sculpt the hardest stones.
In 1995 he applied for residency at Chapungu and has spent the last few years working at the park. It has not been easy for Mwarowa to break from the teaching and training he received from Mariga, his sculpture would more often than not bear certain resemblances to the distinctive Mariga style. Recently however he is creating works true to himself, they are indeed reflective of his person. Happy, cheerful and a little off beat.
Stone holds no barriers for him, he can work on any stone no matter how hard. This skill is very well and Mwarowa takes advantage of the hard coloured stones producing fantastic imaginative creatures often imbued with human characteristics. His fascination for stone is obvious, he likes to make each new sculpture from a different stone. Without a doubt, his work certainly challenges their spectators and encourages them to think a little.