E E

F R
P Y
www.soka.co.ke C O

VOL 1 | ISSUE 7 | MAY/JUNE 2017

STAR ON THE RISE

JOB OCHIENG
In the footsteps of the great custodians

THE BIG INTERVIEW

HILLARY
ECHESA
Life and times in football

LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL

WOMEN FOOTBALL

HABIBA NOAH AYUKO

Standing alone in the

RAMADHAN
face of adversity

Giving hope to refugees through

Sports for Development

soka.co.ke 1
2 soka.co.ke
 EDITORS LETTER

Steven Waruru of Ulinzi FC is

one of the star players of the
KPL first half of the season
and our pick for shirt No. 11

SOKA
MAGAZINE
SokaKenya
Soka_Ke

A
Editor-in-Chief warm welcome to you all in this seventh issue of
Jeff Kinyanjui your favourite football magazine, Soka.
Staff Writers
Fabian Odhiambo The Kenyan Premier League (KPL) takes a break after a pulsating first leg. The
Terry Ouko matches were not on TV but we still covered them extensively. Several players
Vincent Opiyo stood out and we have our favourite First XI of the KPL first half named.
Zachary Oguda

Additional Photography
SportPicha
Maina Wambugu
Design and Layout
Faith Omudho
Published By
Soka Holdings Ltd
Printed By
Tevins Investments Ltd
Mobile: +254 706 266 668
Marketing
Ms Quinter Odongo
Email: quinter@soka.co.ke
Mobile: +254 705 216 569
Admistration
Patrick Korir
Email: patrick@soka.co.ke
Mobile: +254 700 123 366
Hillary Echesa has stood the test of time and is still shining
at Chemelil Sugar FC. He is a journeyman and one of the few
Kenyans who are living a descent life from his football exploits.
Fabian Odhiambo sat him down for the Big Interview.
While Echesa is doing well, former Kenyan International Noah Ayuko is
languishing in poverty and struggling to get off alcohol in Kakamega. This
is a story I honestly did not enjoy assigning but we have to tell the stories
and only hope the current generation of footballers can pick lessons.
In my opinion, the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) and Football
Kenya Federation (FKF) should work on setting a minimum wage
bill as well as medical and life insurance for all players across the
top-tier league. This would solve many issues affecting players
and would be a huge step in professionalizing the league.
I encourage you to send us your thoughts on this
issue and hope you read it cover to cover.

Office
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Email
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Online Editor-in -Chief

www.soka.co.ke
Jeff Kinyanjui
SOKAMAGAZINE
VOL 1 | ISSUE 7 | MAY/JUNE 2017

INSIDE:
9

42

54

49 74

8. KPL age statistics 49. Habibas story Sport

9. Mary Kinuthia unleashed for Development
18. Vihiga United & 54. Victor Onyango
Queens Profile the forgotten safe
24. The restructuring pair of hands
of FISA Academy 60. KPL First Eleven
38. Job Ochieng 66. Football and the Gun
the rising star 74. Noah Ayuko standing
42. The Big Interview alone in the
with Hillary Echesa face of adversity

4 soka.co.ke
COVER STORY COVER STORY

soka.co.ke 5
 EVENT LAUNCH KENYA FOOTBALL NEW KIT

KIT SIGNING PICTORIAL

T
he Football Kenya
Federation (FKF)
have secured a
kit deal with Singapore
sport apparel maker
Mafro Sports for a tune
of Ksh 74,995,800 a
year for three years.

6 soka.co.ke
soka.co.ke 7
 COVER STORY COVER STORY

KPL AVERAGE
AGE STATISTICS
KARIBANGI SHARKS FC
Total Number of players ~ 27
Age Average ~ 23.75 NZOIA SUGAR FC
Total Number of players ~ 30
Age Average ~ 23.24

AFC LEOPARDS SC
ZOO FC Total Number of players ~ 24
Total Number of players ~ 30 Age Average ~ 22.91
Age Average ~ 28.13

POSTA RANGERS FC
Total Number of players ~ 30
Age Average ~ 26.85
MATHARE UNITED FC
Total Number of players ~ 30
Age Average ~ 22.83

NAKUMATT FC THIKA UNITED FC

Total Number of players ~ 28
Age Average ~ 26.75 Total Number of players ~ 30
Age Average ~ 22.11

ULINZI STARS FC MUHORONI YOUTH FC

Total Number of players ~ 30
Total Number of players ~ 29 Age Average ~ 25.14
Age Average ~ 26.59

SOFAPAKA FC
Total Number of players ~ 29
GOR MAHIA FC Age Average ~ 26.23

Total Number of players ~ 29

Age Average ~ 23.96
WESTERN STIMA FC
Total Number of players ~ 30
Age Average ~ 25.96

SONY SUGAR FC
Total Number of players ~ 29
Age Average ~ 24.91 TUSKER FC
Total Number of players ~ 29
Age Average ~ 26.37

CHEMELIL SUGAR FC
Total Number of players ~ 28 KAKAMEGA HOMEBOYZ FC
Age Average ~ 24.92
Total Number of players ~ 30
Age Average ~ 25.56

BANDARI FC
Total Number of players ~ 26
Age Average ~ 25.28

Thika United have the youngest squad this season while Zoo Kericho
have the oldest, according to data released by the Kenyan Premier League
(KPL) Ltd. The average age of all the players in the league is 25.14.

Infographic by Faith Omudho for Soka.co.ke

8 soka.co.ke
MARY KINUTHIA
My father did not like the idea of me playing football very much. He
even wanted me to turn down the scholarship but I stood my ground.

soka.co.ke9
soka.co.ke
 COVER STORY MARY KINUTHIA
I turned down Al Hilal Dubai since I
could not balance work and football.
By Terry Ouko
C
ontrary to the societal general
belief that chasing dreams and
visions to the greatest depths
and heights brings success; to her it
was all about always giving the best
and knowing when to step back.
Getting used to a new environment,
while living away from home for the
first time, was far from easy. Moreover,
moving to a foreign land to work as
a delivery person in the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) was even tougher.
As far-fetched as it looked, the
time to try something new, and
most certainly ditching her
purest form of love-football was
imminent. Little did she know that
the National Anthem would be
sang in honor of their victory five
years later, in November 2016 in
Cameroon, at the most prestigious
continental showpiece; Africa
Women Cup of Nations (AWCON).
Unlike other forwards who use
every ounce of their muscle frame
to run down and bully defenders,
27 year old Mary Kinuthia fondly
known as Toto has always banked
on her uncanny ability to open up
tight defenses in swift motion, while
the ball never wants to be too far
away from her gentle touch. She is
a joy to watch; blending her craft
and flair with unmatched work rate,
expertly transitioning from defense
into attack when in possession.
The aforementioned are the reasons
why Harambee Starlets Head Coach
David Ouma preferred her as the
field captain in most of the matches.
When she came back from Dubai,
she was struggling to get back to
shape but either way was convinced
by Soccer Queens Coach, Amos
Kimani, to play for his team in the
2015 Kenya Women Premier League.
10 soka.co.ke
Coincidentally, Ouma was selecting
the national team for the Olympics
Qualifiers and she would earn a call
up due to her profound ball handling
skills. That changed everything.
I had just come from Dubai and was
on holiday having turned down a
team called Al Hilal since I could not
balance work and football. I had no
intentions to play over there since
Her leadership qualities are
unquestionable. She acts more,
leads by example and is the
most consistent player in the
team. Kenya Women National
coach ~ David Ouma
the Womens league was not stable
and had no sponsorship. I therefore
decided to play for Soccer Queens
during the break but when I got the
national team call up, I decided not
to go back. I honestly did not know
that we would make it to the AWCON,
but I stayed because I realized my
passion for football was still intact.
National team career
Kinuthia first played for the national
team in 2006 while still a form two
student at Wiyeeta High School. This
was during the Under 20 World Cup
Qualifiers against Nigeria where
Kenya lost 8-2 and 2-1 respectively.
She then got to the senior team in
2012 while at the National Youth
Talent Academy; playing in a friendly
match against Ethiopia in Addis
Ababa where Kenya lost 5-0. The
team would then be assembled
again in three years later and as
the norm, she was among the most
dependable players in the squad.
Harambee Starlets edged Botswana
2-1 on aggregate in the first round of
the Olympic qualifiers before going
down 2-0 to South Africa in the
second round. It was in the second
leg match against Botswana that
the winger showed sheer brilliance
when she took matters into her own
hands, left the entire defense for
the dead, and rounded the keeper
before calmly netting the away goal
that would ensure Kenya sailed
through to the second round.
Another opportunity would crop up
in form of the AWCON qualification
and Kinuthia would be picked as
captain for the crucial match. Coach
Ouma strongly believes that her
leadership qualities and the good
relationship she maintains with
her teammates, made her the best
choice to lead on the pitch besides
her football prowess. He also feels
that she is one of the players from
the Harambee Starlets squad that
could have already been whisked
to the worlds top leagues.
Mary Kinuthia is the most intelligent
player regardless of her tiny physical
nature. She might not talk much,
but the courage she portrays on
the field of play and her good
relationship with her teammates
is why I mostly preferred her as
my field captain. Her leadership
qualities are unquestionable. She
acts more, leads by example and is
the most consistent player in the
team. I feel its unfair that she is not
playing professional football in the
top leagues in Europe or America.
She has excellent technical and
tactical abilities and that should
not be overlooked because of her
body size, Ouma remarked.
After a remarkable feat qualifying for
the AWCON, 2016 was a year of many
firsts and Kinuthias star kept shining
in the international friendly matches
as well the inaugural CECAFA
tournament held in Jinja, Uganda.
Her best goal was a right-foot
thunderbolt against Burundi in the
group stage, one that lingers in her
mind every time the tourney comes
to mind. She however admits that the
 demise of her brother and football
mentor just before the tournament
affected her perfomance. Kenya
would lose 2-1 to Tanzania in a final
match that everyone anticipated
MARY KINUTHIA FACT FILE would go in Harambee Starlets favor.

D.O.B 19 February 1990 CECAFA to me was a good

Height 55 experience but losing the final match
crushed my spirits. It was around
Weight 53 kgs that time that my elder brother had
Positon Midfielder passed on and I was going through a
tough time since he always followed
1998-2004 Sirende Primary School my progress. We all thought Ethiopia
was the toughest team so losing to
2005-2008 Wiyeeta Girls Secondary Tanzania was shocking. We however
2009 Basic First Aid Foundation had a good tournament generally
2011 CICT-Marist University College and the teams growth was visible.

Harambee Starlets then went for the

YEAR CLUB CAREER
COTIF Tournament in Spain where
2009 True Colors they finished fourth. Winning two
2010 Mathare United Ladies matches was commendable but
producing the overall top scorer
2011-2012 National Youth Talent Academy-Matuu FC
was amazing. Kinuthia probably
2013-2014 Unattached did not enjoy the trip at some
2015 Soccer Queens/Uganda Christian University point especially when she missed
2016- Thika Queens a penalty that could have drawn
Starlets level against Espaol FC.

YEAR ACCOLADES Later, a friendly against Cameroon

2006/2007 East and Central Africa Tournament would be the real test before AWCON
Most Valuable Player began and Starlets lost by a slim
2008 National Ball Games Champions (Wiyeeta) 1-0 margin at home before losing
2-1 away in a two-legged fixture.
2010 Kenya Women Premier League Kenya did not get the debut they had
Winner-Mathare United Ladies anticipated in the African showpiece;
Sakata Ball Nairobi Region & National losing all three matches in the
2011 Winner (Mathare United) group stage against Mali, Ghana
Sakata Ball Most Valuable Player both and Nigeria but she was glad they
Nairobi and National level made it to Limbe to begin with.
2012 Kenya Women Premier League Winner-Matuu FC Early years
Kenya Women Premier League Born in a small tranquil hometown
2016 Winner-Thika Queens/Golden Boot winner of Maili Saba in Kitale, Kinuthia
CECAFA Women Championship Runners-up started playing football at the tender
age of six. She would play with her
brothers little did she know that her
NATIONAL TEAM CAPS
moment of revelation would come
Competition Number of matches Goals sooner or later. There was no girls
World Cup Qualifiers 2 0 team so the magical left-footed
Olympic Qualifiers 4 1 forward joined Dream Sportiff later
on, which was a boys team after
African Cup Qualifiers 2 0
being influenced by her brothers.
COTIF-Spain 4 0
CECAFA Cup 5 2 When I joined the team, I would play
competitively against teams in the
AWCON 3 0
region without the opponents finding
Friendlies 9 4 out that I was a girl. It was a well-
Total 29 7 kept secret by my teammates and the

soka.co.ke 11
 COVER STORY
coach and I became a dependable
member of the team. One day we
went for a friendly match as usual
and unfortunately the kits were of the
same color so my team had to play
topless. My teammates had already
removed their jerseys when they
remembered I wasnt able to remove
mine, they quickly put them back on
raising suspicion and thats the day
everyone found out I was a girl, she
said amidst uncontrollable laughter.
Wanjala impact
In 2005, the budding youngsters
football would begin when she
landed a four-year scholarship at
Wiyeeta High School. Her father
was somewhat adamant and with
the immense opposition from her
brothers, she met a stumbling block.
He felt like she needed to go to
a different school where studies
preceded sports. Kinuthia was
however determined to make her
dream of playing for the football
powerhouse come true; his youth
development coach Justine Okring
once again facilitating the process.
My father did not like the idea of
me playing football very much. He
even wanted me to turn down the
scholarship but I stood my ground. I
would sneak out for practice behind
his back since he did not approve of
it. I however persisted and one day
while I was in class seven, Coach
Okring took me to play in a friendly
match against Wiyeeta Girls in a
match we lost 4-1. It was a very
tough match but I scored and thats
how I landed an early secondary
scholarship. The head teacher had
to monitor my progress and two
years later I joined the school.
Around that period, school games
were the hotbed of serious talent
especially for the girls outside
Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu since
very few played club football. Her
team for instance had the most
lethal attacking duo of Caroline
Wanjala and Francine -currently
A renowned FIFA referees.
Her industrious and exuberant nature
earned her a place in the first team.
Her most memorable moment was
12 soka.co.ke
MARY KINUTHIA
when she burst into the scene at the
National Kenya Secondary School
Sports Association (KSSSA) ball
games in Kakamega, where Wiyeeta
played against Nyabigena Secondary
School from Kisii in the final.
Nyabigena known for their traditional
long-balls, electrifying pace, peerless
pressing and ruthless ambition in
front of goal, met an opposition
that believed in patient build up
and passing out from the back but
still relied on this slick winger with
an ability to go toe to toe with
defenders almost twice her size.
The match ended 2-0 in favor
of Wiyeeta, and the tiniest girl
We all thought Ethiopia was the toughest team so losing to
Tanzania was shocking. We however had a good tournament
generally and the teams growth was visible.~ Mary Kinuthia
on the pitch was on the score
sheet. That is how she earned her
nickname Toto but opponents
would underrate her at their own
peril after the master class show.
The National ball games at
Kakamega was one of my best
experiences, since it was my first real
chance to compete at that level and
make a name for myself. I never got
the golden ball or the golden boot
like in the following years, but the
atmosphere was amazing. People
there adore and love football and
that was the first time I played in
front of such a big crowd. The best
part was that I was playing alongside
the players I looked up to like
Caroline Wanjala and that made me
happy because we stroked a working
partnership in the attacking third.
Club Career
After getting a good football
foundation from the secondary
level, it was really not an uphill task
getting a club given that she had now
relocated to Nairobi. In one of her
random training sessions in Mathare
area Kinuthia met True Colors coach
Austine Ajowi; impressed by her skills
and technical ability he recruited
her into her team right away. Like
other players who played under
Ajowi, her best friend Christine
Nafula with whom they have played
together in five different clubs
lauds her humility. The Harambee
Starlets midfielder also termed
Totos show on the pitch as artistic.
I think that the reason Mary has
been able to maintain her form over
the years is because of her discipline
and humble nature. When she went
to work in Dubai we were worried
from time to time when she cut
communication, but thats just who
she is, a very private person. What
she does on the football pitch I can
only describe in one word, ART!
Coincidentally, Ajowi would
then coach her at the Mathare
United Ladies in 2010 when
they won the first ever Kenya
Women Premier League.
Success was certainly part of this
team as they would a year later
win the nationwide under-23
Safaricom Sakata Ball, bagging half
a million shillings as prize money.
Her solitary goal in the Nairobi
regional final against Kibera Soccer
Girls handed her team a berth in the
national finals where they went on
to beat Matuu Sports 3-0 on post-
math penalties to bag the overall.
At both the regional and national
levels Toto was picked as the most
outstanding ultimately winning
the Most Valuable Awards to carry
home Kshs 25,000 and Kshs 50,000,
respectively. They were priceless
moments that got other players
turning green with envy which turned
into a prisoned chance months later.
In 2011, the Wiyeeta High School
prodigy was hand-picked from the
Sakata ball tournament- to join
the National Youth Talent Academy
 (NYTA) in Karen as organized by
UNICEF in conjunction with the
relevant government ministries
including Education and Youth.

A strong team was formed from the

tournament and the players were
not only at a residential camp while
they trained, but also attended
Information, Communication and
Technology (ICT) and Life skills
courses at the Marist University
College. It might not have been
the best academy in the world,
but it was the first of its kind in
the country and being a pioneer
was something to be proud of.

I was thrilled for having gotten

the opportunity to be part of the
playing unit in the academy. The
fact that I had maintained the
best players award right from the
county level was also amazing. I was
however aware of the competition
in camp, it was an assembly of
the best players countrywide so I
knew it was no walk in the park. We
anticipated college scholarships or
even playing professional football
abroad, since that is the general
feeling when someone scouts
you and houses you somewhere
in the leafy suburbs of Karen.

National Youth Talent Academy

(NYTA) Centre of excellence Matuu
FC had just won the UNICEF-
sponsored Kenya Women Premier
League (KWPL) title in the 2012.
The team lay in wait for the award
that was promised, alongside other
proceeds that were anticipated after
winning the most coveted prize in
the country as far as women football
is concerned. However, nothing was
forthcoming; crushing a disappointed

I strongly believe that

Kinuthia is immensely
talented and will soon
be playing professional
football abroad. She has will
power and determination
that will soon pay off.
Friendly match against Masinde Muliro University of ~ Coach Richard Kanyi
Science & Technology at Kasarani Stadium
soka.co.ke 13
 COVER STORY MARY KINUTHIA

INTERNATIONAL MATCHES PLAYED AGAINST

CLUBS COUNTRIES
1. Espanyol 1. Nigeria
young girls spirit. As if that was not
enough, her scholarship prospect 2. Levante 2. Ethiopia
in the United States hit a snag. 3. Real Betis 3. Egypt
4. Wydad Casablanca 4. Uganda
A new beginning
Curtains had come down on the 5. CAK Khenifra 5. Burundi
Womens league, and Kinuthia felt 6. Nazarene-USA 6. Tanzania
the need to turn a new leaf. While 7. Zanzbar
everyone else went back home, she
8. Algeria
remained behind and started a fast
foods business with the little money 9. Cameroon
she got from playing for Matuu 10. Mali
FC. Business was booming and
11. Ghana
she wanted to switch from selling
door to door to securing a small 12. Botswana
restaurant. That is when the job 13. South Africa
opening in Dubai came knocking. 14. Morocco
Coach (Bob) Okallo at NYTA had
helped us apply for scholarships
in the USA and it was promising
but none went through. This was I get so much joy when I work with kids and am hoping that
because of the Sakata ball cash one day I will run my own organization. ~ Mary Kinuthia
awards that made me look like a
professional while only amateur
players were required for the slots.
My name was all over the internet
talented Toto will play professional is also a member of Otto Benecker
and that is how I missed the chance
football in the near future. Football Club, Mathare Zone which
to study in the United States
engages in community services
through a football scholarship.
I strongly believe that Kinuthia is such as clean ups in the slum.
immensely talented and will soon I get so much joy when I work
After leaving the team, I decided to
be playing professional football with kids, and Im hoping that one
take the job since I felt like I had
abroad. She has will power and day I will run my own organization
been playing for a long time but
determination that will soon pay where I can be able to help children
there was no breakthrough. Business
off. Such are the players who in need and enable them unearth
was good in Matuu but I decided to
work behind the scenes and it is their potential. Meanwhile I am
take the job in Dubai so as to kill
sometimes had to notice them unless hoping that doors will open so
the urge of having to play. I knew if
you have a third eye, Kanyi noted. that womens football can continue
I stayed my friends would convince
growing. 2016 was a good year for
me to keep playing yet we got very
Community Service me and for the women football
little or nothing at all at the time.
Apart from playing football Kinuthia fraternity in Kenya. With continued
runs her business where she sews support the World Cup is never
The sensational midfielder also won
and sells floor mats and carpets. She far-fetched, she concluded.
the WPL title besides emerging the
is however keen on expanding it with
top goal scorer in the 2016 season
time since it brings in good proceeds.
at Thika Queens. Her contract with
She is also a member of a community
the two-time champions ended
based organization- Girls Unlimited,
in May and she is yet to move to
where she engages in coaching,
a new club, which is a best kept
organizing soccer clinics and
secret. Her former coach at Thika,
capacity building for young children
Richard Kanyi, however asserts Follow Terry Ouko
through Sport for Development. She on Twitter: @Terry_Ouko
that he strong believes that the

14 soka.co.ke
COVER STORY COVER STORY

soka.co.ke 15
 COVER STORY MARY KINUTHIA

CECAFA Group stage International

match against Burundi Friendly against
Egypt at Kasarani

Photo courtesy of Sports-pot

CECAFA finals against

Tanzania

Kenya Women Premier

League match pitting
Thika Queens against
Soccer Sisters

Photo courtesy of MID-EGO

16 soka.co.ke
 International friendly
game against Uganda

CECAFA Group stage

match against Burundi Photo courtesy of MID-EGO

Photo courtesy of MID-EGO

soka.co.ke 17
 CLUB PROFILE VIHIGA QUEENS

VIHIGA QUEENS
Queens of the land
By Fabian Odhiambo

It could have gone either way, the

Name Vihiga Queens
2017 Kenya Women Premier League
Nickname Queens play-off final. A match marking, for a
Year Founded 2014 long time coming, the culmination
of a fantastic season of the womens
Home Mumias Sports Complex, game in the country. Both champions
Training at Kidundu Stadium of their respective league logs,
Honors Silver Medalists 2016 KeWPL and each bearing the tag Queens,
Sponsor Vihiga County Government it was here that the inevitable
question popped up. May the real
Queens stand up? Thika did.

18 soka.co.ke
Catherine Wangeci and Mercy Achieng
simply did what football is all about,
a goal apiece and Thika Queens
trumped a more fancied Vihiga
Queens to retain the league crown.
Vihiga on the other hand were left
to rue a dozen missed opportunities.
It could have gone either way.
That playoff match is past us
now but the good thing is that we
took a lot of positives. Those who
watched the match will tell you
that we dominated our opponents
but football is all about converting
your chances when you get them.
Thika converted theirs but we
didnt, recalls Coach Alex Alumira. national team from Vihiga Queens.
Coach Alumira treads where very
few dare to. Every morning he takes
the long bike ride from Chavakali in
Sabatia to Kidundu Stadium where
he will find Vihiga Queens changed
and ready to take instructions. Losing
finalists to Thika Queens from last
years ultimate KeWPL clash, he is
leaving nothing to chance. In just
two league matches played, the
girls have found the back of the net
ten times. If the playoff final were
to be replayed today, hed probably
say bring it on. It may only be his
fourth year with the Queens, but
the most important thing is that
he has been here from the start.
We are a people who love football
in this region. Talent being available
in surplus may be an incentive
but generally, we love sport,
says Alumira who alongside Mike
Senelwa founded the club in 2014.
We had Kidundu Ladies team
that mainly participated in holiday
tournaments. You understand back
then even the league was somehow
played in the tournament format.
The girls were good, and we thought
why not officially register them as a
team. Thats how Vihiga Queens came
to be, Alumira goes back in time.
Pioneers
Metrine Senelwa, Myline Awuor,
Phoebe Oketch and Selphine
Muyonga are just a few of the
pioneers of the club. They have been
there from the moment Kidundu
Ladies adopted a new name. Despite
the club opening its doors to quality
talent from outside of Vihiga County,
a bulk of them are homegrown.
Cynthia Shilwatso and Vivian
Makokha are the most recent call-
ups to the National Under-20 team.
Though still in school, coach Alumira
has already given them their league
debuts and each of them has a
goal. The two Ibinzo Girls High
School students are homegrown
talent that the coach banks on for
continuity. They are, however, not
the first ones to be called up to the
Captain Lilian Adera has been to
the Africa Womens Cup of Nations
(AWCON) held in Cameroon late
last year, a chance she cherishes.
I may not have played at the AWCON but the sheer fact of
just being there with the team is an invaluable experience.
Vihiga Queens Captain Lilian Adera
I may not have played at the
AWCON but the sheer fact of just
being there with the team is an
invaluable experience. We didnt
do well as a team but we did learn
a lot given it was our first time
on such a stage, says Adera who
despite not being called-up for the
international friendlies before the
tournament, managed to get a last
minute call-up. My invitation came
a little late because I actually didnt
get to play in the friendly matches
before the continental competition
so it wasnt easy to break into the
first team. They had played together
for a while hence the need to have
the best chemistry on the field,
concludes the former Kisumu Youth
Olympic Centre (KYOC) product.
Womens Game
As it is anywhere in the world, the
womens game struggles to cope
with their male counterparts level of
publicity. Coach Alumira follows most
international womens leagues and
is encouraged that he is not alone in
trying to chart these waters trodden
by few. Though starting with nothing
back in 2014, financial aid would
only come two years later by the way
of the County Government of Vihiga.
First, the government began by
facilitation means of transportation
and match day allowances. At the
moment, the girls are salaried and
this very much elates the Coach.
It only three years but we have
struggled to make a name for
ourselves. Our County government
has been helpful financially and
without them we probably wouldnt
have been here. I remember us
playing in the Football Kenya
Federation (FKF) Division 1 league for
two years. You can imagine one single
league going for two years. It was
hectic. You play a match today and
have absolutely no idea when next
you will play. I remember traveling to
St Joans Ugari with just nine players
for a league match. We won 4-0, and
after such victories you just cannot
give up, reveals Alumira- sentiments
echoed by his assistant Staus Olienge.
Staus doubles up as the team
manager and assistant coach. He,
just like Alumira, has been here
from the start, and believes if the
league had been organized three
years back as it is now, maybe
his girls would be playing in the
continental competitions. His dreams
for the club stiffly anchor here.
Coach Alumira takes his girls for
a second stint in the womens
top flight league in the country.
If anything has changed from the
squad that did a season-long duty
last year, then its the addition of
fresh talent within his unit. He is
the second best in the country but
Alumira wants top spot, and more
of his players into the national
team too. This he can only do by
staying unbeaten through the 2017
season. he intends to do just that.
soka.co.ke 19
 CLUB PROFILE VIHIGA QUEENS

Vihiga Queens warm up before a league tie at the Moi Stadium in Kisumu.

The Squad

Goalkeepers Wilfrida Seda, Lilian Awuor, Maureen Anjia, Sheila Shabuya

Defenders Phelistus Kadari, Robai Kebedi, Lilian Adera, Myline Awuor, Enez
Mango, Euphresia Afwayi, Vivian Makokha, Linder Kahenda
Midfielders Linda Choka, Maureen Ater, Alice Mideri, Faith Ongachi,
Metrine Senelwa, Everline Nyongesa, Yvonne Kavere
Strikers Selphine Muyonga, Phoebe Oketch, Winney Gwatenda,
Topister Situma, Cynthia Shilwatso

Technical Bench

C. E. O Michael Ogada
Head Coach Alex Alumira
Assistant Coach Bonface Nyamunyamu
Goalkeeper Trainer Staus Olienge
Team Manager Festus Akaranga
Team Chaperone Catherine Jayo
Kit Manager Olule Nelson

20 soka.co.ke

A Breath of Fresh Air
Vihiga
United
Every restructuring
process has its fair share of
challenges and ours was not
any different. Looking back I
am glad we faced them - that
way people can look back
and appreciate every positive
step we have made.
Vihiga United head coach
~ Edward Manoah
V
ihiga United are no older
than their counterparts the
Queens, matter of fact both
entered the scene three years ago
as means of social intervention by
the Vihiga County Government.
Before that though, there has
always been a team. The name was
AllStars, Vihiga AllStars- and talent
overflowed. Though failing to make
it out of the 2013 Football Kenya
Federation Division 1 league, the
team had not escaped the notice of
County Government that through the
Ministry Of Youth Sports and Culture
(MOSCA), was keen on tapping into
the bountiful sporting gifts of its
youth. Pioneering (and still) coach
Edward Manoah had to be roped in
from Premier League side Kakamega
Homeboyz to come and offer aid back
home, the former Oserian Fastac
coach being tasked with heading
the restructuring process at the
club as AllStars changed name to
United. Vihiga United, it was decided,
offered a broader appeal to the fans.
Every restructuring process has its
fair share of challenges and ours
back in 2013 was not short of one.
We did have them, and looking
back I am glad we did have them
because that way people can look
back and appreciate every step
that we have made from then,
begins Manoah reflecting on the
teams progress since he got here.
George Odiwour who has since
decamped to top ranked side
Homeboyz was the captain-
and just one of the few that
managed to stick with the club
throughout the restructuring
process. Geoffrey Oputi (KCB) is
another while Johnson Muyesu
and David Kavaji chose to stay.
Sponsorship
With sponsorship from the County
Government (and a thorough pre-
season recruitment), Vihiga United
went straight atop the FKF Div 1
table standings for the first three
weeks. Despite being dislodged from
the top by Palos FC for another three
weeks, they would seal the summit
spot for the remainder of the season
and eventually win the division.
Promotion beckoned for the team
and alongside second placed Palos,
Vihiga were taken a tier higher.
The 2015 season would be a close
call as with the promotion came
tougher and properly motivated
opponents. Clashes against GFE
105, Bondo United, Nyakach United
and Palos were of superior quality
as regards tactics, Coach Manoah
believes. Despite doing a double over
Eldoret-based GFE, Vihiga United
had to force a barren stalemate at
the seasons end against Palos to
preserve their top of the log status.
In a match played at Chavakali
High School, Palos needed a win to
leapfrog the hosts and be crowned
2015 Super League champions,
for United on the other hand, a
draw would be plausible. They
were champions yet again, and up
into the second tier they went.
We had recruited well in December
of 2013 from the tournaments that go
on at around this time of the year. To
the few we had taken from AllStars,
we added yet another talented
batch from the top performers
during these tournaments, reveals
Manoah who bumped into an
exceptional Bernard Ochieng during
the off-season tournaments.
Its funny how most of our top youth
performers are never given special
soka.co.ke 21
 CLUB PROFILE
attention after finishing school. Look
at Ochieng for example- a Copa
Coca Cola Player of the Tournament
during his high school days yet I
had to discover him from a village
tournament. It is important to keep
tabs on these players once they
earn such accolades at a young age,
who knows? From these school
games we may just discover the next
big star then fail to follow up on
their progress, laments Manoah.
Open doors policy
Though offering a sporting platform
for its countys youth, the club never
closed its doors to exceptional
talent from outside, and if Ben
Ochieng- a Kenyatta University
undergraduate is not enough proof,
then Rashid Kyambadde and Bruno
Sserunkuma- both Ugandans, are.
The team however still draws most
of its key players from within. Amos
Kigadi, Christopher Masinza, Ben
Ochieng and Michael Misigo (has
since decamped to PL side Kariobangi
Sharks) were all called up to the
national team in the 2016 National
Super League (NSL) season, a source
of elation to Manoah and a morale
booster to the playing unit. Though
still relatively unknown, but with four
players already drawing the attention
of the national team technical
bench, Vihiga United finished an
impressive sixth in the 20-team
NSL log and missed promotion by
two slots in a season that had four
teams scale up a log higher and
into the Kenyan Premier League.
2016 was a season of revelation to
us. The boys knew we could match
our opponents even though it was
our first time in the league. Along
the way we discovered that we could
push for promotion but we missed
by a whisker, recalls Manoah.
Debacle & Confusion
The promotion debacle that ensued
at the start of the 2017 Kenyan
Premier League (KPL) season had
somehow declared Vihiga United
as participants in the forthcoming
season. Muhoroni Youth and
Sofapaka, though having both
survived the drop from the top tier,
22 soka.co.ke
VIHIGA UNITED
had been relegated for failure to
comply with the FIFA Club Licensing
whose deadline according to the
countrys football governing body,
had run out. This in effect meant that
teams number 5 and 6 in the 2016
NSL log had been promoted into the
KPL. Vihiga United was team number
6, but Coach Manoah doesnt want
to remember this period of debacle
when confusion is all everyone saw.
The only other time I have ever
felt the way I felt that time is when
I did my last year with Oserian
Fastac back in the day. Having won
the premier league three years in
a row, and we were still topping
the log at the time, news that the
club would be disbanded left me
in shock. This is the same way I felt
when I was conducting training
sessions with my boys yet not
2016 was a season of
revelation to us. The boys knew
we could match our opponents
even though it was our first
time in the league. Along the
way we discovered that we
could push for promotion but
we missed by a whisker.
~ Manoah
knowing which league we were
preparing for, recalls Manoah.
He had seen torment before, and
knew how to manage such situations.
Players were over the moon, he says,
but deep down he knew anything
could happen- sad the players didnt.
A counselling session here and there
helped ease the situation and even
as news finally came that United
would still need to do another year
in the second tier, at least he had
prepared the boys psychologically.
For close to a whole month I only
saw bodies come to training, they
werent here at all. But we gradually
brought them back through long
talks after training sessions because
our opponents in the NSL were just
waiting for us. It was disappointing
for them, but a challenge well
taken, reveals the coach.
Two years ago little was known
of these boys from the Western
part of the country, yet a single
news headline thrusts them
into the countrys footballing
circles centre of discussions.
Vihiga United may have to do another
season in the second tier, only this
time, they are not newbies anymore.
They are the team that almost
made it to the premier league, that
everyone wants to beat. With the boys
now wearing their emotions on their
sleeves, who knows, maybe the team
fondly christened The Blaze- may
just be the breathe of fresh air when
they finally earn that promotion.
 www.soka.co.ke

Left: Vihiga United duo of Patrick Okullo and Kevin Affudo engage at a past village
tournament. It is from such tournaments that United gets its players.

Top: Vihiga United duo of Patrick Okullo and Kevin Affudo engage at a past village
tournament. It is from such tournaments that United gets its players.

Technical Bench

Head Coach Edward

Manoah
First assistant Tom Tera
coach
The Squad Second assistant Xavier Francis
coach
Goalkeepers Caleb Wamalwa, Munai Gilbert, Barcky Team Manager James
Otieno, Frankline Mwenda Musasia
Defenders Dennis Ombeva, Derrick Mwanzi, Zablon Kit Manager Abdulaziz
Chelote, David Kavaji, Johnson Muyesu, Bernard Hamisi
Ochieng, Moffat Liuva, Edwin Otieno.
Physio Maxwell
Midfielders Christopher Masinza, Bruno Sserunkuma, Martin Alenga
Imbalambala, Jacob Atinda, Kennedy Omunyin,
Clyde Senaji, Kelvin Mugone, Patrick Okullo, Nelson Trainer Erick Otieno
Asena, Kevin Muhanji, John Ouma, Kevin Sagadi Administration Emoja Sasava

Strikers Rashid Kyambadde, Godfrey Airo, Dennis Team Doctor Carolyne

Kisamba, Aquinas Alufwani, Amos Kigadi Muhati

Follow Fabian Odhiambo

on Twitter: @fabian_odhiambo

soka.co.ke 23
 YOUTH FOOTBALL FISA ACADEMY
The Restructuring
of FISA Academy
Once a fast rising talent hub in Kenya, FISA has, in
recent times, faced challenges and is now restructuring
By Jeff Kinyanjui
F
ounded in 2006, Friendship
International Sports Academy
(FISA) produced great players
who graced the Kenyan Premier
League (KPL) and even the national
team. Among these were Paul Were,
Ibrahim Kitawi, Musa Mohammed,
Kevin Ade Omondi to name just
but a few. But the talent factory
has recently run into challenges.
After a below average season in
2016, they were relegated from
the Nairobi Regional League (NRL)
and are yet to honour a fixture in
the County League. Just when did
the rain start beating the once
famous talent hub from South B
and what is really happening?
Dr Maurice Ajwang, a senior lecturer
and Dean of the Faculty of Law at the
Catholic University of Eastern Africa
(CUEA) is FISAs Founding Director.
He nostalgically recalls humble
beginnings in 2006 and how they
eventually produced what he refers
to as the Golden Generation of FISA.
As we settle down for the interview,
Dr. Owuor asserts, Sports, football
in particular, is all about friendship
and when we started out our vision
was to become an international
academy hence the name (Friendship
International Sports Academy-
FISA). We sat together as a group of
friends from South B and decided
to start an initiative that would
help the local youth by providing
opportunities that would keep
them from crime and other vices. At
24 soka.co.ke
the onset we had Charles Omondi
Korea, Hannington Bwire, Mickey
Weche, Amit Shah. Austine Oduor
and Peter Dawo but the latter
were unable to continue with the
dream due to work commitments.
The Academy initially drew talent
from four Mukuru primary schools:
St Catherines, Mukuru Kaiyaba, St.
Bakhita and St. Elizabeth. Therefore,
we had a wide pool of young
children to mould from the onset.
For two years we organized the FISA
Cup that brought these four schools
together, from which we chose
very good players that formed the
foundation of the Academy across
Unknown to most, we avail education opportunities to a large
chunk of our players through our connections.
FISA Academy Director ~Maurice Ojwang
all the categories; under-8, under-14
and the senior team. What I like to
call the golden generation of FISA
that included Paul Were, Kevin Ade
Omondi, Simon Mbugua, Ibrahim
Kitawi, Victor Ashinga and Musa
Mohammed among others all passed
through the system, playing together
from a young age. Under good hands
they were taught basic football skills
at the right age and this explains why
we produced good players, he adds.
Scholarships
As the academy grew and players
moved up the ranks, secondary
FISA Alumni
schools around Nairobi took note
and offered several players full
scholarships due to their exemplary
performance in football. Notably,
Musa Mohammed, Simon Mbugua and
Kevin Ade Omondi went to Langata
High School while Ibrahim Kitawi,
Michael Juma and Paul Were went to
Milimani Secondary School. Several
others of what was to become the
golden generation joined Kamukunji
High School amongst other schools.
Unknown to most, we avail
education opportunities to a large
chunk of our players through our
connections and that is really
important, not only to the academy
but to the players too. About 90% of
the golden generation completed
their O-levels through football
scholarships. This was exciting for us
since the players were maturing and
despite being in school, they could
 www.soka.co.ke

Ibrahim Kitawi was our pioneer

star that broke into the national team
earlier and became a role model
for the rest of the players...

soka.co.ke
soka.co.ke 25
 YOUTH FOOTBALL
train and play league matches over
the weekend. This way our teams
continued to shine, Ajwang explains.
Declining performance
However, he is quick to point out that
with success came challenges that
eventually led to poor performance
of the team especially in the league.
It is important to note that FISA
was relegated from the Nairobi
Regional League (NRL) last season
and are yet to honour a fixture this
season in the Nairobi County League
(NCL). Maurice reveals that they are
rethinking their strategy and want to
focus more on youth development.
More schools outside Nairobi
realized that we were producing very
good youngsters and started offering
full scholarships. We could not deny
the players these opportunities
and this had a direct impact in our
performance since it was not possible
for the players to represent the
Academy in league matches over
the weekends in Nairobi. Over the
Valon Sponsorship
in 2012
26 soka.co.ke
FISA ACADEMY
past two years we have been faced
with this challenge and therefore
opted to scout players who hadnt
passed through our system to play
in the league. That has not worked
out and at the moment the plan is to
fully restructure and concentrate on
developing the next generation of
FISA stars. We will start afresh with
several strong youth teams probably
under-8 and under-14. FISA became
synonymous with producing talented
players and in the next 5 years we
will be back at it, he reassures.
Another challenge was the fact that
apart from the 2014 season when
we had sponsorship from Valon,
we have basically been supporting
the academy from our own pockets
which is ultimately unsustainable.
He opines that the Football Kenya
Federation (FKF) and Government
should support talent producing
academies such as FISA.
At one point, we had four players
in the senior national team and
several others in the Under-20 set
up despite being a small, barely
surviving academy. Yet, despite our
success, we have never received
any support whatsoever from the
government or the Federation. I
believe that if they supported these
small academies in the grassroots
like they did the Olympic Youth
Centres in the 1970s then we can
become a football powerhouse in
Africa, but that can only happen if
we have people who genuinely love
and understand sports, at the helm
of football management, he says.
Having worked with hundreds of
players at the academy, Maurice
lauds praise on Ibrahim Kitawi,
Kevin Ade Omondi, Musa Mohamed
and Paul Were as his favourite
players of the golden generation.
All the players came from a poor
background and had unique life
stories but the four have proven over
time that with hard work anything is
achievable. They are all very talented
and I have special memories of them
during their stay the Academy.
Ibrahim Kitawi was our pioneer
star that broke into the national
team earlier and became a role
model for the rest of the players
but Musa Mohamed out of this
generation was the most versatile.
He is a utility player who can play
almost all positions in the pitch
except goal. He started off in the
academy as an attacking midfielder.
His discipline and commitment is
exemplary. That is what explains
his continued good performance
at the highest level in the country
for both club and national team.
Pauls resilience is one of his
strengths. I remember when he was
still a form two student at Milimani
Secondary School in 2006; we (FISA)
had a friendly match with Tusker FC
at their Ruaraka grounds. He caught
the eye of the then coach, Jacob Ghost
Mulee, repeatedly getting the better
of one of the best fullbacks Kenya has
ever produced in Ibrahim Shikanda.
That same year he was named Player
of the Tournament in the East Africa
U20 Challenge Cup in Tanzania.
Ade is definitely one of the most
technically gifted players in Kenya. In
terms of raw talent, hes the best the
country has seen in the last decade
or so. His ball control and vision are
unique and it is sad he could not hold
on and work out his career in South
Africa. Moroka Swallows wanted
to send him on loan to Cape Town
United but Ade was not comfortable
with that. Look at Cape Town now!
It is among the top teams currently
in the South African Premier League
(PSL). With just a little bit of hard
work he (Ade) should have been part
of their success story, Ajwang states.
Weche, Charles Korea and Hannington believes that all is not lost as
Bwire and on the other the friends of they focus on restructuring.
the academy including Antony Mburu My friend Maurice came to me
of Cooperative Bank, Brian Odwori of with the idea of starting a football
Milba Brands, Rakesh Chandrakant club back in 2006. We have a lot
Shah CEO Vitafoam, media personality of untapped potential in Kenya
Vincent Ateya and Valon who were due to lack of infrastructure and
their main sponsor for a year. mismanagement of youth football.
Ade on his part believes that We saw this as an opportunity
the calibre of coaches at the to keep kids away from the evil
Academy played a big role in vices of slum life and direct their
their success earlier on. focus and energy into something
We had very good coaches from that is fun and exciting.
the start; Mickey Weche is a former
Kenyan International and has Poverty in Kenya was the main
coached to the national level. Korea driver for me to give these kids an
is good at player development and alternative. They either play football
the rest had good connections. These, or utilize that time for negative
amongst other factors really helped thoughts about life, he says. The
propel the Academy and individual response was great from the onset.
players like me to higher heights We had a lot of football and no
while we were still young, says Ade. kid was side-lined. Everyone got a
chance to play and it was all very
Poverty and Opportunities exciting. I love seeing kids with a
One of the co-founders of beaming smile on their faces, it is
the Academy, Amit Shah, also pure innocence. What made it great
Ade is definitely one of the most technically gifted players
in Kenya. In terms of raw talent, hes the best the country
has seen in the last decade or so. ~ Maurice Ajwang

Last but least of the FISA stars

were Robert Onyango, who in
my view was one of the most
accomplished free kick and dead
ball specialists and Kevin Kwasila
- an admirable ball dribbler.

According to Dr. Owuor, the success of

FISA is not complete without on one
hand recognising the coaches; Mickey

soka.co.ke 27
 YOUTH FOOTBALL FISA ACADEMY
was that we had started at the right
time with the right age. We had over
a hundred kids and the numbers
were rising as word went round. I am
impressed with the determination
kids have, I also believe all kids are
good; it is the lack of opportunities
that leads them astray. My only
regret is that we had to cut our
numbers as we could not afford to
sustain the academy. We had several
well-wishers, but it is difficult to keep
asking friends and family for help
and therefore, we have decided to
focus on training this year, and run
it as a talent nurturing academy and
a feeder program for bigger clubs.
FISA has been good at scouting
talent and channelling it, he adds.
Shah also singles out Paul Were
as the player who stands out for
him from the golden generation.
He is my star. He has proven that
whatever the circumstances, with
determination and hard work you
can get whatever you want. He
gives me hope in life. However,
he is only one example and many
others have been equal to him.
Luck plays an important role as
well, and Paul has been blessed.
Shah emphasizes on the need to
separate football and politics; There
are a lot of kids out there and we
have to do our part to direct them.
Football is a great mechanism. I
am not sure who would be the right
person in government to take this
on. As an individual I can make a
small difference but collectively
we can make a massive change in
South B and Kenya at large. Football
should be about bringing people
together and teaching kids about
team work. There should be nothing
political about it, he concludes.
Patrick Oboya
Former Kenyan International
Patrick Oboya was briefly at
the academy before he went to
Europe. He says that subsequent
academies and football teams that
have come up in South B are as a
result of the foundation FISA set.
Former FISA Academy head coach Charles Omondi Korea
28 soka.co.ke
FISA gave hope to so many kids They did not face the challenges
back then and that was important occasioned by lower tier teams
as growing up in the slums is not like transport logistics and proper
easy. Several other academies and preparations for matches and that is
football teams that have come up what set them apart. However, since
as a result of the foundation FISA coach Korea left the Academy all
set include South B AllStars, South has not been well. I hope they can
B United Sports Academy (SUSA) redeem themselves because they
(where my younger brother Abraham have a name to protect. The team
Oboya currently plays) and Cheza has produced good players and I
Sports Academy to name but a remember during the inaugural KPL
few. As such, we expect several top U20 Tournament the top scorer, Omari
players from the neighbourhood Borafya, was from FISA, Doyo says.
to shine at the top level in the
The team has produced good players and I remember
during the inaugural KPL U20 Tournament the top
scorer, Omari Borafya, was from FISA, Doyo says.
coming years, Oboya says. Mukumu School
Coach Charles Omondi Korea who The Academy might be down but
left in 2015 is proud of what they not out as yet. A large chunk of
were able to achieve at the academy. players that featured for Kakamega
I was directly involved in the Homeboyz in the last KPL U20
development of all these players Tournament are from FISA but on
and to see them get into big teams full scholarships at Mukumu High
and represent the nation makes School. FISA Director Maurice Owuor
me very proud. Musa Mohammed is optimistic they will rise up once
still remains my best player. He had more, even though the challenge is
dropped out of school and stopped great. Will they? Only time will tell.
playing football but I convinced him
to give it one more try. See what Follow Jeff Kinyanjui
he has achieved now! He is quite on Twitter: @Nyash88
disciplined and I have never had any
problems with him, Korea says.
From 2015, all was not smooth
sailing at the Academy and I felt I
had overstayed. I stepped aside and
joined Kitengala Shooters and later
Gor Youth. Currently, Im the head
coach of National Super League
(NSL) side Police FC and also serve
as the Technical Director of South
B AllStars. I am glad that I am still
playing a part in talent development.
Federation
Dickson Doyo who was the
(FKF) Nairobi Branch Deputy
Treasurer during FISAs superiority
is surprised with the clubs
general organization lately.
The academy always served as an
example to the other teams in the
Nairobi Provincial League as they
were organized and performing well.
Press writtings
about FISA

soka.co.ke 29
 YOUTH FOOTBALL FISA ACADEMY

Paul Were was named Player of

the Tournament in the East Africa
U20 Challenge Cup in Tanzania in
2006 while still at FISA Academy

30 soka.co.ke soka.co.ke
Pictibus ma di conet architatet, con et aut eseque voloribus rat.
Xerae nemolesed essit ea consecab ipsamus, unt voloris dolorem. Cates sollupt atiorum quaeribus, ut officit etur?

soka.co.ke 31
 PROMOTED TWICE
Promoted Twice
Stars that learnt to shine again
By Fabian Odhiambo
A
t the end of the 2013
Football Kenya Limited (FKL)
Nationwide league, Nakuru
AllStars earned promotion back
to the top flight, and after a near-
eternal spell in the dark. Twice
winners of the top flight league,
AllStars, despite clinching top spot
in their FKF Zone B Group 1, had
to endure a tense playoff match
against Oserian FC who were on top
and still unbeaten in Zone B Group
2 at the City Stadium in Nairobi.
At the time boasting a bagful of
youth, it was two youngsters who
combined to lift AllStars up when it
mattered most as Wilson Andati gave
John Ndirangus cross the perfect
direction on 31 minutes. That was
the goal that all AllStars remember.
They were to be the new faces of
the top flight in the Kenyan game,
new faces donning the legendary
orange and carrying the hopes of
a county with it. For a while now,
Nakuru County had been thrown
into oblivion wherever football
was the business. The two time
winners of the top flight league had
however, somehow- with the aid
of a handful of teenagers- crawled
their way back to the top. Would
they reclaim the title they last won
in 1963? Thats for another day.
In here- the AllStars squad that
gained promotion- were four players
who, for what they would do a couple
of years later, are the subject of
this article. Lawrence Juma (Nzoia
Sugar FC), Stanslous Akiya (Zoo FC),
William Obayi (Zoo FC) and Boniface
Akenga (Nakumatt FC) are players
who have endured the stormy waters
32 soka.co.ke
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT
of Kenyas second tier league twice,
and are back in the top flight for a
second stint. Simply put, they are
stars that learnt to shine again.
Lawrence Juma (Nzoia Sugar FC)
Lawrence Juma insists he could have
stayed longer, but every player wants
playtime. So having seen his place
gradually taken by new faces that
were signed upon promotion into
the top flight, he took a massive leap
of faith and made the bold move
Its every players dream to year, a fairy tale should have
earn promotion into the KPL
when you are in the second
tier, and for us at AllStars
everything worked just fine.
Lawrence Juma, Nzoia Sugar
back into the second tier. AllStars
had miraculously survived the 2014
top flight season, the administrative
wrangles at the time gifting them
with yet another bite at the cherry. It
was six months later that Juma made
a long trip to Bungoma in the hope of
re-igniting his midfield charm that-in
retrospect- hadnt really begun.
Nzoia United, sitting ninth in the
20-team National Super League (NSL)
log, had its doors open for Juma.
Its every players dream to earn to what was to come for Lawi, a
promotion into the KPL when you
are in the second tier, and for us at
AllStars everything worked fine. I
do not remember us struggling on
the pitch for the results. The playoff
match against Oserian may have
been nervy but banking on our
league dominance that 2013 season,
we werent going to slip at the last
hurdle, the diminutive anchorman
says of his spell at Nakuru.
The boy was good. Just five months
at rivals Timsales Football Club
saw neighboring second tier side
AllStars rope him in for the 2013
seasons second leg. Six months
later, alongside Ushuru (KRA at the
time), the team earned promotion
into the KPL Division 1. Straight
into the top league in under a
begun for Juma, but it didnt.
Many teams upon promotion always
try to change the whole squad with
experienced players forgetting
that for a group to play and earn
promotion means they are ready
for the challenge. Playtime for me
was hard to come by, and a few
other players too. To make it worse,
we werent doing so well in the
league, reveals Juma who cut short
his second year in the top flight in
2015 and headed to Nzoia United -
joining two of his former teammates
at Timsales from two years back.
Luke Namanda and Geoffrey Gatu
had joined Nzoia a year before;
it was therefore easy for him to
settle at their Sudi base. If a debut
0-3 away win against West Kenya
Sugar FC wasnt testament enough
6th place finish for Nzoia in the
2015 season- up from 9th- was.
The following season Nzoia Sugar
(name changed around this time)
outdid themselves in the NSL. Of the
31 times they played, 31 times the
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT PROMOTED TWICE

soka.co.ke 33
 PROMOTED TWICE PLAYER SPOTLIGHT
highly motivated team didnt taste
defeat. One more win and promotion
was a surety, and Juma had been
here before. Match-day 32 had them
travel to Jumas former side Nakuru
AllStars, and for the first time, the
team deemed invincible, fell through
a lightning-fast Elvis Rupia brace.
Juma had been rested for the match.
The following week, a 2-1 win over
Kisumu-based Palos FC guaranteed
Nzoia a place in the 2017 Kenyan
Premier League season. Lawrence
Juma, having missed just four of
Nzoias 38 league matches, was back
in the top tier for the second time.
Akenga Boniface (Promotion
with Kariobangi Sharks)
From the Stars lot that had
dominated the countrys second
tier league, a 16 year old form
three student had somehow
found himself thrown into the
fray on four occasions. So good
was Boniface Akenga that Coach
Peter Okidi - despite not having
the kid around for training most
times - still managed to tag him
along for a few league matches.
The team that earned promotion
had belief in youth. I was not the
only teenager in the team. Elvis
Rupia (Nzoia Sugar) and Kennedy
Owino (KCB) were a class behind
me in school. Each one of us
was always given a chance
whenever the coach saw most
opportune, says Akenga.
In the season that followed though
- and in spite of the excitement that
came with promotion- school needed
him the most as he was just about
to sit his O Level exams at Spotlight
Academy in Nakuru. Even then, the
boy still managed four appearances
for Nakuru AllStars in the top
flight, their return nothing
short of disappointing, at
least according it to the
2014 KPL table standings
at the seasons end.
A stand-off between the countrys
football governing body, FKF, and the
league manager, KPL, saw AllStars
survive the cut and Akenga, now
past school, raring to go. His nine
34 soka.co.ke
goals in 2015 did little to save his
teams blushes as again AllStars
finished bottom of the log. There was
standoff yet again, just not survival
for Nakuru AllStars. Alongside
Kenya Commercial Bank FC (KCB)
down they went, and up came Posta
Rangers and Kakamega Homeboyz.
It is here that the youngster opted
for another second tier team in
Kariobangi Sharks who at the time
had never played in the top flight. He
had tasted promotion once, maybe
he was the charm Sharks needed.
I realized a long time ago as I was
just getting started with football
that targets help a lot. When as a
team you set your goals, it becomes
easy to work through the season.
AllStars and Sharks were very similar
to that regard. Similarity in playing
the administrative wrangles that
that for a while had been defunct.
Lawrence Juma is in his third
year at Nzoia Sugar
style may have contributed to my
move to Sharks but I have to say it
is the motivation you get as a player
that really counts, says Akenga who
after seeing Sharks earn promotion
into the 2017 KPL shifted base to
another KPL newbie Nakumatt FC.
His tally for the 2016 NSL season
stands at 11 goals, most of them
scored in the first leg of the season
before he suffered a devastating
injury that saw him out of a good
chunk of the second leg. Even while
not playing only one teammate
managed to surpass his league
tally; Ibrahim Kitawis 13 goals.
Stanslous and Obayi William (Zoo FC)
Akiya, fondly referred to as Stano, and
Obayi christened Dunga, have had a
combined twelve years in the second
tier- six apiece. Theirs is no Cinderella
story, matter of fact theyve qualified
for the top flight more times than
they have played in it - a fact that
they say only serves to inspire them.
As we speak, this should be Zoos
third year in the Premier League.
We qualified in 2014 when we
both had joined the club. We
again qualified in 2015 but due to
were there at the time, we were
never promoted, recalls Akiya.
William Obayi and Stanslous Akiya
are part of the bulk of players that
moved from St Josephs in 2011 and
re-formed Nakuru AllStars - a club
With the aid of a sponsor, it was easy
to ship boys from the neighboring
St Joseph, at the time already in the
second tier, and bring forth a Nakuru
AllStars re-incarnate. The ones, who
remained at St Josephs they recall,
were the youth side, and they had
to start again from the bottom.
The period in which AllStars had
been formed was a time when
teams were really struggling
financially. When a sponsor came
on board and promised us adequate
support, we were all but ready
to go and re-birth this legend of
Nakuru Football, Obayi, a central
defender, says, going back in time.
It was never a guarantee however,
that with the aid of a sponsor
promotion was to come automatically.
It took three laborious years of
trying. 2011 for gelling, 2012 for
mistakes and 2013 for daybreak.
Nakuru AllStars were back to where
football mattered - at least. The first
year had them finish outside the
automatic promotion slots and before
the second year (2012) began, a
number of changes were made to the
youthful squad. In came Noah Abich,
Titus Mulama, David Mwangi and
that sensational Congolese - Hugo
Nzoka. They still would not qualify,
and the veterans left. Having now
to keep the trust of their youthful
players, no major signings were made
as the team prepared for the
2013 season - the season
of redemption, the season
when just a single goal
would propel them back
into the highest echelons
of Kenyan Football.
that had gained promotion, just a
few signings and they would be
good to go. However, as their return
season in the top flight progressed,
playtime diminished for a few and
the thoughts of finding it elsewhere
lingered among many a players
minds. Obayi decamped to Zoo
FC - still in the second tier- in the
mid-season of 2014, Akiya would
join him six months later after
an uneventful spell at Kariobangi
Sharks FC. Here, they would begin
afresh their quest for promotion,
and it did come- three years later.
Zoo FC at the time of writing this
has just recorded their first two
wins in the Kenyan top flight. A
shaky seven matches without a win
but it did come, finally - against
Ulinzi Stars in week 8 of the
KPL. Having made just two
signings upon promotion, the faces
that toiled for promotion during
the NSL 2015 season still don the
green of Kericho in the top tier
with most of them only having Zoo
FC in their professional CVs - they
have simply never known any other
club in their playing careers.
Nakuru AllStars currently play for
promotion in the second tier. Fresher,
younger faces who havent lost a
home match (they have won six
out of six matches) -a statistic that
brings them closer to the golden
boys of 2013. If served well, the
blend in composition of this years
AllStars squad is enough recipe
for a promotion challenge. They
are the Akiyas, Lawis, Dungas,
and the Akengas of the 2017 NSL
season. This time though, if they
come up, let the stars shine.

Throughout the season

The team that earned
we conceded just five promotion had belief in youth.
goals, and upfront we had
forwards who understood the
I was not the only teenager
immensity of our targets for that in the unit. Elvis Rupia (Nzoia
season. Sebastian Muchera and
Andati Wilson were firing in goals
Sugar) and Kennedy Owino
wherever we went, says Akiya, a (KCB) were a class behind
utility player who prefers the left-
back position. The now defunct West
me in school. Boniface
Kenya Sugar and Zoo FC were the Akenga, Nakumatt FC
toughest nuts to crack at the time,
both players admit. So even getting a
point away in Kericho and Kakamega
was huge for that campaign.

Of course we wanted
promotion that year so
badly, but we had to be
calm and play for it. The two
draws we recorded against Zoo and
West Kenya away from home each
served as a boost because those
were the teams to beat during that
campaign. Our policy was to never
drop a point away and to collect all
the points from our home matches,
says Obayi - a proud alumnus of
Rio Ndonga High school in Kisii.

AllStars made it that year, but the Boniface Akenga in

many that made it make it wouldnt
last longer than a year. There was
promise that the administration
would keep their trust in the lot
his time at Kariobangi
Sharks. He earned Follow Fabian Odhiambo
on Twitter: @Fabian_Odhiambo
promotion with team
soka.co.ke 35
 PROMOTED TWICE LAWRENCE, AKENGA, AKIYA, OBAYI

JOB OCHIENG
...is a promising goalkeeper. He has the basics a normal goalkeeper
needs. Ball handling, positioning and reading the game, Boniface Oluoch
36 soka.co.ke soka.co.ke
soka.co.ke 37
 STAR ON THE RISE
Star on
the Rise
We had a MYSA league game and our goalkeeper failed to show up so I
decided to go in between the sticks and relinquish my right back position
to someone else. Thats how my goalkeeping career started.
By Vincent Opiyo
W
e had a MYSA league game
and our goalkeeper failed
to show up so I decided
to go in between the sticks and
relinquish my right back position
to someone else. Thats how my
goalkeeping career started, states
Job Ochieng, the current Kakamega
High School captain as he opens
our feature on Star on the Rise.
Ochieng born on 26th December,
1998 in Kayole, the outskirts of
Nairobi and the last born in a family
of three started his footballing
career at Kayole based Victory
Youth before joining Umoja based
Sunrise Soccer Academy in 2010.
He featured for Sunrises U10,
U15 and U16 categories, under
the tutelage of Collins Obara who
vouches for Jobs bright future.
38 soka.co.ke
JOB OCHIENG
You couldnt tell exactly where his
strength was until we fielded him
in between the goal post and from
then, he became our first choice
goalkeeper until today. His humility
and urge to achieve has been his
pillar. We shall soon have a scarcity
in goalkeepers but with proper
guidance, Job can be our dependable
custodian, notes Obara, the founder
of the academy that hopes to realize
sunny days as its name suggests.
He has broken into the ranks of
the Kenya U20 from our humble
beginnings. In him, we see a better
Sunrise, a productive academy, At Kakamega, they had one of the
founded in 2007 at Busara grounds best young goalkeepers in Timothy
but working day and night towards Odhiambo and Edwin Mukolwe
realizing its full potential. He is a so we werent sure whether Job
true indication that Sunrise will would be taken in, fortunately he
in the near future shine brightly. impressed and was admitted in
Form One in 2014, adds Obara.
After sitting for his Kenya Certificate
of Primary Examinations (KCPE) at Success seemed to come sooner for
Peter Kibukosya Primary, Obara went Job in his first year at Kakamega
out of his way to recommend Job to a as the school managed to reach
footballing school in Kakamega High. the finals of the 2014 Airtel Rising
His small body stature almost locked Stars national school games in
him out of a hard-sought opportunity which the Green Commandoes
to get a scholarship at the Brenden won the title by stopping rivals
Mwinamo coached school. Kisumu Day by a solitary goal in
You couldnt tell exactly where his strength was until
we fielded him in between the goal post and from
then, he became our first choice goalkeeper until
today. ~ Collins Obara, Sunrise Soccer Academy
the boys final for their tenth title.
Job missed out on the 20-man squad,
I wish I could have been among the
winning squad but you cant join
high school and break into the first
team immediately. I am however
happy that I saw my schoolmates
lifting the title which I look to nail
this year as the school captain.

Its a huge responsibility captaining

such a big footballing giant
regionally but it motivates me to
work hard and ensure we achieve
what the previous teams didnt do
winning the East Africa school
games, states the youngster whose
side is doing well in the Football
Kenya Federation (FKF) Division One.
Top: Mathare United short-stopper Job Ochieng in action
School coach Brenden Mwinamo during the KPL U20 tournament at Camp Toyoyo
didnt only see good leadership skills
in the player but saw a champion Above: Mathare celebrating winning the KPL U20 tournament
that can be a role model to the
rest as they fight to return to the

soka.co.ke 39
 STAR ON THE RISE JOB OCHIENG

JOB OCHIENG FACT FILE

Name Job Ochieng
DOB 26 December, 1998
2002 - 2013 Peter Kibukosya Primary School
2014 - 2017 Kakamega High School
Previous Teams Victory Youth Kayole, Sunrise Academy, Umoja, Mathare United U20
Trophies KPL U20;
August - December Edition

He is a future goalkeeper; he will be one of the best. He is young,

aggressive and with him in post, you are so secure.
William Kanu Muluya, Kariobangi Sharks head coach

nationals after a two year hiatus.
Job is a disciplined player. He is both
good in class and on the pitch. He
is a role model to others because
he is a champion. His leadership,
we are sure will propel the team
to success, said Mwinamo of the
player who won two back-to-back
Kenyan Premier League (KPL) U20
titles with Mathare United in 2016.
His eye-catching show at the junior
tournament attracted national
U20 team coaches hence calling
him up but his first day in camp
ended in a rude shock as he was
axed for lack of a passport.
I believe the kind of exposure I got
in the U20 tournament helped my
inclusion in the national junior team.
It was my greatest achievement
after two consecutive titles but
I just recorded one of my worst
moments in life when I was sent
home for lack of a passport. I am
happy that I succeeded in getting it
and returned to work my way up.
I had a great experience in camp,
working with top goalkeeping
coaches in Sunil (Shah) and Haggai
(Azande). They sharpened my weakest
points like communication and for
sure with more hard work, I will
achieve my ambition of becoming
a top goalkeeper on the continent,
says Job who made his national
junior team debut in a 2-0 loss
to Senegal in February 2017 and
earned his second cap in a 3-2 loss
away to Egypt in March 2017.
I learnt from mistakes committed
in the two losses. International
games come with some sort of
pressure and Im happy it came at a
tender age, a good sign that if I keep
working hard I will reach the top,
poses Job who looks to Gor Mahias
Boniface Oluoch and Bayern Munichs
Manuel Neuer for inspiration.
Job is a promising goalkeeper. He
has the basics a normal goalkeeper
needs. Ball handling, positioning and
reading the game, says Harambee
Stars first choice shot-stopper Oluoch.
The former APR and Tusker FC goalie
who has three Kenyan Premier
League (KPL) titles under his belt
and runs Makongeni Goalkeepers
Academy said, we do groom young
goalkeepers from the age of seven,
I do the training assisted by Peter
(Odhiambo) and we are happy to have
Job who joins us during holidays.
William Muluya, the Kariobangi
Sharks Head Coach is among the
best coaches Job says will forever
be on his lips. Muluya too had
nice words about the player.
He is a future goalkeeper, he will
be one of the best. He is young,
aggressive and with him in post,
you are so secure. On penalties, out
of five, be sure that Job will save
at least three. For now he should
first embrace studies then focus
on football after school, he said.

Follow Vincent Opiyo

on Twitter: @vincentsopiyo

40 soka.co.ke
 soka.co.ke
soka.co.ke 41
 THE BIG INTERVIEW
HILLARY
ECHESA
Ive been raised as an orphan, responsibility is the
very first lesson you learn when growing up.
By Fabian Odhiambo
I
f you sat down Hillary Echesa
today, and asked him how many
clubs he has played for, hell not
answer that- its a tough question.
Ask him instead, how many club
he has not played for. Those ones
are countable. So what makes this
36 year old so charming that he
comfortably slides into whatever set-
up available at any club that he joins?
Echesa, now in the twilight years of
his playing career, is back at Chemelil
Sugar FC, for - probably his last stint
with the club that first gave him
his first Premier League experience
at the turn of the 20th century.
Hillary how many clubs
have you played for?
(Laughs hysterically) I knew youd
begin there! To be honest, I can only
estimate. 14 maybe 15 clubs overall.
You know most of these stints werent
long-term hence memory fails me.
But yes, I have played for many clubs.
So in a different life, which of
these stints will you never do?
(Unflinching) Damascus (In Syria).
Just Damascus. See, Ive even
forgotten the name of the club
42 soka.co.ke
HILLARY ECHESA
I played for there. Those were
the worst three months of my
footballing career. From language
barrier to outright discrimination
due to skin color. I have never felt
so disappointed in my life. I wont
even mention the food there.
But youve been to other Asian
countries before; you mean to
say there was some difference?
Yes there was. Singapore, Indonesia
and Malaysia were easy to cope in
and I even learnt a few words from
their local dialect to help me get
by. Not to say they were entirely
accommodative but they were nice (U12, U14, U15). It was then easier
people, thats why I lasted longer as for him to rope me in at Transcom
compared to my stint in Damascus. in 1997, but I wouldnt last long.
Okay lets go back to where You went abroad that young?
the real story begins. At what No, it was actually Chemelil Sugar FC
age did you find yourself in the who came calling the moment I sat
Kenyan Premier League (KPL)? my secondary school examinations.
I was sixteen, still a form two At around this period I also got the
student in Nakuru when the late chance to don the national team
coach Sammy Abida gave me my colours. I had been selected to join
debut for Transcom. Prior to that, it the Harambee Stars Under 17 team.
was the same coach, Abida, who had That was 1999, the very first time
nurtured a few others and myself at I boarded an airplane (smilling,
the Nakuru Youth Olympic Centre elated at this memory). Tom Olaba
www.soka.co.ke

soka.co.ke
soka.co.ke 43
 THE BIG INTERVIEW
and Mickey Weche were part of the
Technical Bench then and we lost
to Mozambique 1-0 in Maputo then
they came to Kenya and forced a
1-1 draw in Nakuru. We bowed out,
but I had boarded a plane at 17.
Succession is always a tricky bit with
our game. How many players from
that under 17 squad made it to the
senior national team later on?
Its a sad memory that fails me once
again but I vividly remember Jamal
Mohamed from the contingent that
travelled to Maputo. A few years later
though, Coach Reinhardt Fabisch
overhauled the senior national team
and brought in more than a dozen
youngsters. I was one of them and so
44 soka.co.ke
HILLARY ECHESA
was Dennis Oliech. Our first senior
international match was against
the Taifa Stars of Tanzania in Dar es
Salaam and we walloped them 5-0.
In the next match, also a friendly
tie, we lost 3-0 to Nigeria away but
it was a very huge experience.
So that was you leaving the country
on a national errand. Which was
your destination when you finally
opted to pursue professional
stints across the boarders?
Rayon Sport in Rwanda. By this
time I had been turning out for
Mumias Sugar FC in 2005. That was
before Coach Jacob Ghost Mulee
came to join our rivals APR as head
coach. I had left though by the
time he was heading to Rwanda.
Where to?
I got an invitation from Malaysia
for a two week trial. There were five
of us; Eric Muranda, John Baraza,
Abdi Simba, Francis Chinjili and
myself. Police de Raja Malaysia
(PDRM) was our destination and
after the two weeks trials, I got
myself a contract at the club. My
countrymen did not make it to join
PDRM but landed opportunities
from other clubs in the country.
How did that feel? Five of you and
only you make it with PDRM.
It didnt feel good but when they
landed contracts with other clubs
Born leader
from around I still felt happy for
them. After doing six months of my
contract with the club my coach
told me that he needed strikers
so through my agent I invited
Baraza and Bernard Mwalala to
come stay with me while the coach
checked them in training. Luckily
for them they were also signed.
So you had an agent that early?
Of course I had one (chuckles). Okay
I admit at that time most players
didnt really take the issue of agents
seriously but I did. Through Muranda,
I got to know of one Ahmad who
turned out to be very trustworthy.
Whenever he got a deal somewhere
he would send me air tickets so
that I could go check the terms that
a particular club were offering.
Youve had just one agent
throughout your career?
Yes. Hes been just one. You see, when
you have both agreed to certain terms
and have them written down, then
when a deal is made and both of you
honor your parts as per the contract,
everything goes on just fine. I never
wronged him in any way neither
did he wrong me. Failure to honor
these pre-contracts and contracts
between players and agents is
usually the main cause of break-ups.
of my own, thats when I married
and settled down, still in Nakuru.
What if I want to settle down
before I build my own house?
Still fine. Responsibility is key. As
soon as you start earning some
money from football and you feel
you need someone to help you put
it into proper investments, you can
find yourself a companion wholl
help you make sound decisions
with the income. Before I married, I
would buy pieces of land randomly
even though I still lived at a rented
place. These investments came in
handy when I was now building
my own home. Actually, one single
piece of land footed all the bills
for construction of my house.
Tell us about your brief
stint at Ulinzi Stars.
I had a good time at Ulinzi
Failure to honor pre-contracts and contracts between
players and agents is the main cause of break-ups.
even though brief.
You were a soldier right?
Yes I was.
What happened?
Okay, I got a trial invite from
Indonesia but the army had really
strict rules. That was my time and I
so badly wanted to play football so
I sneaked out of the country to go
for trials. Luck was not on my side
during the trials and upon returning
to Ulinzi, my letter of suspension
was ready. I have to say though
that this is a period I dont regret.
I just wanted to play football.
The suspension letter wasnt the
end of your journey I believe?
Of course it wasnt, the Tanzanian
experience was yet to come. Probably
the best stint Ive done outside the
country. I joined Edwin Mukenya,

Talking of honoring contracts

and break-ups, when should a
pro footballer settle down?
(Laughs) I dont believe theres a
standard age for any footballer
to settle down and have a family
because we are brought up
differently. Personally, Ive been
raised as an orphan so responsibility
is the very first lesson you learn
when growing up. The first thing
I did with some good money (Ksh
20,000) from the national team was
to buy myself a cubicle. I wanted to
have my own place, and yes I was
still a teenager playing for Chemelil.
It was one of those rented out by
the Municipal Council in Nakuru so I
left a friend to stay there while I did
my football in Chemelil. I was just
proud to have my own place that
young. From the cubicle I moved
to a one-bedroom house that I still
rented from the Municipal Council.
In 2006 after finally building a house Echesa celebrates his winner against Bandari at a past league tie

soka.co.ke 45
 THE BIG INTERVIEW
Bernard Mwalala and Mike Baraza
at Young Africans (Yanga). Just one
season with them and I was off
(bursts into laughter). Yeah thats
just me, Im a traveler. I did well
at Yanga and got a better offer
abroad so I went. But as fate had
it, a few years later, I would return
to Tanzania (smiles knowingly).
That smile means something
juicy is coming. What necessitated
your second stint in Tanzania?
Its actually funny what happened.
Having done well for Yanga a few
years back, they invited me over
probably to offer me a fresh deal.
So I traveled to Dar knowing I was
going to Yanga. In the evening,
Baraza (Mike) who was still playing
in Tanzania visited me and took me
to a few Simba SC officials, told me
there was a deal like never before.
Thats how I ended up donning the
red of Simba at my second coming
to Tanzania. The funniest bit is that
Mike was still playing for Yanga.
Now that is funny, but not as funny as
you scoring the winner against Yanga
a few months later when you guys
met for the Dar-Derby. Tell us about it.
Feels like yesterday to be honest. I
have played in many countries but
that atmosphere in the National
Stadium Dar es Salaam is something
you can only feel in Dar alone. The
match was tight. I was with Jerry
Santos and Mike Baraza who had
joined me in Simba and we trailed
Yanga three times in that match.
They would score and we would
equalize. This went on till the scores
stood at 3-3. Then it happened.
Ugandan Emmanuel Okwi had done
the donkey work when he laid the
ball square to my right foot and I
made no mistake. It honestly didnt
feel right when it left my foot but it
went in all the same. I felt like the
roof was coming down when I scored
Ugandan Emmanuel Okwi laid the ball square to
my right foot and I made no mistake. It honestly
didnt feel right, but it went in all the same.
46 soka.co.ke
HILARY ECHESA
that winner in the 89th minute. I
celebrated by removing my shirt and
boy I was on a yellow card already.
The red card did come but the match
ended even before I could reach the
dressing rooms. So I forgot about my
card and came back into the field
to celebrate that huge win.
So Kenyans can succeed
in Tanzania after all?
Of course we can, its all in the
mind. Tanzanians take their
football seriously and most of
our players in the present day
are distracted easily. Check
the list of the Kenyans who
played in Tanzania during
my time all successful in that
league. You know once you
sign for Yanga or Simba you
become an instant celebrity
on Tanzania. They are also
people who thrive on showbiz,
newspapers come out every
few hours so as a player if
youre not careful with what
you do with your time you can
find yourself on the wrong
footing with the media. Focus
is all one needs to play in
that league. Boniface Ambani
did not score that many
goals for nothing. He knew
his business in Tanzania was Hillary Echesa and Walter Odede train with the
National team in the past
football and nothing else.
Greatest opponent youve
faced and why?
Titus Mulama. Matches against
Mathare United were tough.
That player was gifted.
The best player youve ever
played alongside? Why?
Musa Otieno. He was a leader.
Made the first professional move
when we were still here in Kenya
but that never changed him
much, still remained the same old
Musa. We all looked up to him.
Follow Fabian Odhiambo
on Twitter: @Fabian_Odhiambo
 soka.co.ke
soka.co.ke 47
THE BIG INTERVIEW HILARY ECHESA

Kenya COACHES PLAYED UNDER

HILLARY ECHESA FACT FILE Iran 1 Name Games
D.O.B 9 September 1981 Egypt U23 1 Reinhardt Fabisch 4
Height 5 9 Kuwait U23 1 Jacob Ghost 4, 4 (U23)
Position Midfielder Tanzania 3 Mulee
Uganda 1 Antoine Hey 2
NATIONAL TEAMS Tunisia 1 Mickey Weche 1
Category Caps Angola 1 Twahir Muhidin 1, 1 (U23)
Kenya U17 1 Malawi 1 Mohammed Kheri 1, 1 (U17)
Kenya U23 5 Rwanda 1 Tom Olaba 2
Kenya 15 Jordan 1 Total 21
Total 21 Nigeria 2
Burkina Faso U23 1 NATURE OF GAME - KENYA
CLUB CAREER Total 15 Friendly 8
2001-2003 Chemelil Sugar World Cup 3
qualifier
2003-2005 Ulinzi Stars
Africa Cup of 1
2005-2006 Mumias Sugar
Nations qualifier
2006 Rayon Sport
Gamhouria 3
(Rwanda), Young
Tournament
Africans Yanga
(Tanzania) Total 15
2006-2008 PDRM (Malaysia)
2008-2009 Deltras (Indonesia Achievements
2010 Simba SC (Tanzania) Club Title Year
2011 Tusker (Kenya) Ulinzi Stars Kenyan Premier League 2003/4
2012 MP Maur (Malaysia) Ulinzi Stars Kenyan Premier League 2004/5
2013 NS Betaria F.C. Young Africans (Yanga) Tanzania Premier League 2006
(Malaysia) PDRM (Malaysia) Liga Premier 2007
2013 Sofapaka Simba SC Tanzania Premier League 2009/10
2014 Chemelil Sugar Tusker Kenyan Premier League 2011
2015 Nakuru AllStars
2016 to Chemelil Sugar INTERNATIONAL CAREER
date
Date Game Team Venue Coach
TEAM PLAYED AGAINST Debut 4 May 2002 Friendly Nigeria Surulele Reinhardt
Stadium, Fabisch
Kenya U17 Lagos
Mozambique 1 Last 14 Nov 2009 2010 World Nigeria Moi Twahir Muhidin
Total 1 game Cup/AFCON Stadium,
qualifier Kasarani
Kenya U23
Rwanda 1
Somalia 2
South Africa 1 Span 7 years, 6 months, 11 days
Total 4

48 soka.co.ke
 www.soka.co.ke

HABIBAs
Story of hope through Sport for Development
As refugees we are known for literally begging for
everything, but people here are learning to be independent.

soka.co.ke 49
 WOMEN FOOTBALL
I have always wanted to play football even
before I came to Kenya, but in Somalia that is not
a path you can easily take as a girl because it was
considered a mans sport. Habiba Ramadhan
By Terry Ouko
S
he waited until the night
fell, a sudden sense of fear
rushed through her nerves
like a chill of an icy wind, engulfed
in fear of what else could befall
her in the midst of the glaring war
that broke out in Somalia. Civilians
had access to arsenal to fight
against the militia hence villagers
fled to avoid being caught up in
the aggression. Habiba Ramadhan
would embark on a journey that left
her wandering along the Kenya/
Somali border, fleeing the waves of
conflict as she dodged gun fire in
search of a safe haven to settle in.
Kenya is home for thousands
of refugees who have been in
similar situations, forcing them to
trudge wearily through the road of
uncertainty. That is just the beginning
of a new life that in this case took
off without family and friends.
Asylum in Kakuma
In 2004 after passing through
security checks, Habiba and her first
born son found asylum in Kakuma
Refugee camp where aid agencies
like Lutheran World Foundation
(LWF) and United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
provide emergency supplies and
access to health care among other
immediate needs. As all her life goals
and prior expectations slowly went
down the drain, she had one last
glimmer of hope through her undying
passion for football. However, she
bemoaned the lack of freedom of
movement since they are forbidden
to leave the camp without a permit.
On the contrary, she was freed from
the bondage of cultural and religious
barriers back in her country. Playing
in the dusty rocky fields of Kakuma,
not even the harsh weather and
high temperatures in the semi-
arid area barred her from doing
50 soka.co.ke
HABIBA RAMADHAN
what she loves the most; playing
football. As a refugee woman, the
agony she went through due to her
status clouds her with undefined
sadness. Experiencing terrible things
like being beaten ruthlessly as the
assailants took advantage of her, are
part of the chilling encounters she
had to rise above before taking up
her role of a coach and a mediator
in Sport for Development.
It is a Wednesday evening; 4.42pm
EAT to be precise, but the heat and
the scorching sun will not bar Habiba
from training her team - Peace Girls
who are already warming up as they
await the drill sessions. Armed with
Habibas story is one of
immense struggle and
the fact that she did not
despair and held on for this
long chasing her passion is
incredible. Evelyne Ajing
her Sport for Development Africa
(S4DA) pocket drill book, a whistle
and a head gear to compliment
her training attire she starts by
apologizing for being late. She is
from overseeing a selection process
for girls that will take part in the
Kakuma Premier League (KPL) which
has been running for one season
but is now inclusive of a 16-team
Womens side. The piercing look
in my eye pushes her to give a
brief explanation about her attire,
because ladies donning hijab on
the playing field is unusual.
I have always wanted to play
football even before I came to Kenya,
but in Somalia that is not a path you
can easily take as a girl because it
was considered a mans sport. Even
just being seen in shorts playing
would land me in trouble, but I
respect that because it is our way of
doing things. That is why I always
cover myself well when playing,
starting from my hair. I do that all the
time even off the pitch so it is not
a problem at all, it is our culture.
Capacity building
After an intensive session, I notice
a sense of capacity building with
each drill bearing a life skill lesson
on conflict resolution which is done
prior and after the training session.
It is very interactive and fun not
only due to the organization and
competitive nature of the drill, but
also because of the sole fact that the
players can relate with them since
it is a conflict zone. She is clearly
facing a tidal wave of challenges,
and as she concludes the training,
we notice that some girls are arriving
late for the session. Normally a player
would face stern warnings, endless
questioning and even punishment
in such cases - but not in Habibas
team. She holds a small talk with
players and urges them to come
a little early in the next training
session, calmly reminding them
that the league will commence in a
few weeks. We sit down at the pitch
side, and I realize that there is more
than meets the eye in the refugee
camp as she explains the drills.
Occasionally, though a rarity in
Kakuma, water floods in the eroded
gullies and in the worst case
scenarios sweeping away people,
houses and animals. At the time of
our interview a seven year old boy
had just died while playing in the
water. It probably felt like paradise
after going without rain for a long
period of time though it ended in
tragedy. But why am I bringing this
up? The gullies serve a different
purpose when it is dry and in most
cases teenage girls and boys use
them as hiding areas for drug abuse,
robbery among others. Habiba
therefore encourages the youth take
up a sport or join other activities
in the Kakuma Youth Centre where
she is a facilitator. She has four girls
teams and two under 12 boys teams.
The girls sometimes dont attend
sessions because their parents want
them to stay at home and do chores,
while others are just adamant that
football for their children is not
helpful. I am sometimes forced to
go and talk to their parents, and
convince them that playing does
not harm their kids but instead
helps keep them active so as to
avoid societal ills in the gullies.
At one time our best player was
barred from attending one of the
peace tournaments, which was a big
blow for the team. Afterwards the
parents allowed her after several
visits and she emerged the best
player both in the tournament and
even at the school ball games. This
is the reason I dont punish the late
comers, neither do I force them to
attend practice every day because
I know it is still a challenge for
some girls except in schools.
Dealing with conflict
The 39 year old is often braced for
the conflicts that arise in the training
sessions as well as in the community.
She is always prepared to deal with
the cases when they arise after
attending various coaching courses
offered by LWF through the youth
centres, and an instructors course
by GIZ Sport for Development in
Africa (S4DA) that honed her skills
on Football for Violence Prevention
and Peace Promotion. Being one
of the proactive coaches in charge
of implementing the activities
in the area, she feels that a huge
responsibility to promote peaceful
co-existence rests on her shoulders.
Previously she could only coach the
women and the kids and not the
men, since they would look down
on her because she is a woman.
However all that has changed,
and coaching both genders is not
a problem anymore now that she
has the expertise. The level of
respect is what thrills her since for
a long time it has been lacking.
To her changing the kids
mindset in training trickles
down to their parents, siblings,
friends and the community at
large hence her persistence.
Here fights start even in the middle
of a training session, so as a coach
I have to be able deal with it in
time. In the past, it has always been
caused by the difference in tribes. The
camp consists of Somalis, Southern
I am sometimes forced to go and talk to their parents and con-
vince them that playing does not harm their kids but instead
helps keep them active so as to avoid societal ills in the gullies.
Sudanese and Ethiopian refugees
and it was not easy to find a mixed
team. The teams would always be
assembled along racial lines but
lately the teams are an assortment
of different races and tribes. In my
team for instance, thats the case
and sometimes when a Somali kid
injures a Sudanese it turns into a big
fight because the other players of her
kind will gang up in solidarity. But
the new S4DA style teaches about
the role of a coach as a mediator
in conflict resolution, and this has
minimized most of the cases not only
in the field but also in the community.
You will see your children mingling
with friends and teammates from
the other tribes and wonder why
you cannot do that as adults.
Gender-based Violence
Prior to her move to Kakuma in 2002,
Habiba lived with a well-wisher in
Likoni, Mombasa as she worked as
a laborer. Did she know that a few
months later she would be on the run
again? Probably not in her wildest
dreams, but she would hit the road
running, away from her employer who
was now forcing her into becoming
a commercial sex worker just as she
was trying to settle into her new
football club, Mombasa Railways.
It was not easy making it to the
refugee camp so I chose to work
to raise my transport money. I first
lived in Mombasa but it was a tough
period, since I was with my first born
son who I gave birth to after I was
raped during the war in Somalia,
she stated as she broke down in
tears. The woman who took me in
promised to give me a job so that
I can take care of my needs while
I stayed with her. At first it was
great and I discovered a team that
was training in Mombasa, Makande
area at the Railways Club. It felt
good to be able to play again and
I knew well that I would continue
playing even after giving birth. I
was amazed by the talent there,
and some of the players were in
the national team, and the ones I
remember most are Amina Chitra
and Lilian Nandudu, she reminisces.
Just when she thought she was
out the woods, the young mothers
life was in turmoil, reminding
her of her last ordeal before
she fled her country when the
militants took advantage of her.
But as they say little minds are
tamed and subdued by misfortunes,
but great minds rise above it. She
has therefore started a campaign on
creating awareness in the camp on
Gender Based Violence and sexual
abuse that affects both women
and young boys in the refugee
community. Her role, she says, is
to instill confidence in the youth,
so that they are able to speak out
and seek help without fear of the
soka.co.ke 51
 WOMEN FOOTBALL HABIBA RAMADHAN

victimization and stigma that arise. their best players. I did not know that the womens team which is amazing,
we would meet again but thanks to since sometimes its a challenge
All went well but months later, my football, I had a chance to facilitate keeping fit when you are approaching
employer asked that I stop helping an instructors course and I was 40. I like watching her training
with house duties and start working impressed by her growth. Her story is sessions just to learn more from her
as a prostitute to earn more money one of immense struggle and just the since to many girls and women here
and I had to leave. I had saved fact that she did not despair and held she is an inspiration and gives us a
enough, and thats how I found on for this long chasing her passion sense of hope, Mariam remarked.
someone who recommended the is incredible. She is doing a great job
Kakuma refugee camp. Through by using football to promote peace Womens League
my experience, I felt the need in the refugee community and I am Habiba is one of the organizers and
to start a campaign in the camp happy that she turned her dark past frontiers of the upcoming Kakuma
to create awareness on how to into a beautiful story of hope for the Football League for Girls that is set to
prevent and deal with rape cases future, said Ajing, who is a Consultant commence in May. It will constitute
since it can happen to anyone. at GIZ Sports for Development. both refugee and host community
teams and she has set her sights on
I handle a lot of affected girls who at Mariam Juma a football coach of an expanded version of the maiden
some point chose to keep quiet about a different team in Kakuma talks league that offers only 16 slots. She is
it, because some offenders are family about her encounter with Habiba also positive that more opportunities
members who threaten to harm them and it goes to show she is a model are opening up for women and the
if they speak out. We have football they look up to, terming her an initiative will also help transform
drills that are designed to build inspiration. The 24 year old woman the delinquent youth in the camp.
confidence, enhance communication is not training but is watching the
and those that show safe spaces training session at the periphery in As refugees we are known for
ensuring the players get a wealth of a bid to pick a few coaching tips. literally begging for everything,
knowledge at the end of the sessions. but people here are learning to be
The progress is great and the cases As a woman refugee it is sometimes independent. Apart from coaching I
have dropped since one of our hard to cope when you have lost all keep small businesses on the side
agenda at the Youth Centre is to help hope. I came to the camp in 2014 and work at the youth center on
the victims out, walk them through and just when I was trying to make various projects, most of which are
the procedure of going to hospital a life for myself I met Habiba who voluntary but have since been a
and refer them to counselors. has been here for a long time. She spring board in my coaching career.
introduced me to the Kakuma Youth Last years league was only for the
Playing stint men but it is sponsored by various
In 2008 and 2010 organizations. I look forward to
the first ladies team We have football drills that are a successful season and the only
in the refugee camp challenge will be selecting two
- Kakuma Girls FC
designed to build confidence, enhance girls teams to register from the
was formed, Habiba communication and those that show safe available four, she concluded.
being one of the
pioneers and a
spaces ensuring the players get a wealth of Follow Terry Ouko
on Twitter: @Terry_Ouko
dependable player knowledge at the end of the sessions.
in the squad. Once
in a while they attended football Centre and my life started taking
matches that were organized by the shape again. Apart from coaching I
Mathare Youth Sports Association played football but I have now taken
(MYSA). Coincidentally, one of the a break to concentrate on coaching.
Mathare United Womens team I at once diverted my attention to
players then, Evelyne Ajing would organizing and training kids for
be her Coaching Instructor a decade drama festivals but she still gave
later during the Germany Deutshe me a heads up whenever there
Gasellschaft fur Intanationale were coaching courses. I believe
Zusammernarbeit (GIZ) Sport for that she is a strong woman and is
Development Coaching Course in well conversant with how to shape
2015. She says it was amazing to the youth using football not only
meet her again in the football circles. because she is talented, but she is a
natural leader we can all emulate.
As a player at Mathare United Ladies
I had an opportunity to play against She still plays football and runs like
Kakuma Girls, and Habiba was one of a teenager in the tournament for

52 soka.co.ke
 soka.co.ke
soka.co.ke 53
 INTERVIEW VICTOR ONYANGO

Victor Onyango
The forgotten safe pair of hands
By Jeff Kinyanjui

M
agic 90, a famous team in Eastlands in the 80s and 90s was
training at the Camp Toyoyo one hot afternoon long before the
introduction of artificial pitches in Kenya. One of the custodians
did not show up on that particular day and a young Victor Onyango,
playing at left back, was, requested by the famous coach, the late Leonard
Otieno Omar aka Oty Father, to try out in goal. And that is how the
career of arguably one of the best goalkeepers Kenya has ever produced
started. They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, and that
is exactly what Mkolo, as he commonly referred to by his peers, did.

Interestingly enough, just before his football journey kicked off, Victor had
worked as waiter at the Carnivore in Nairobi after finishing his O-Level
studies at Nyabondo High School. He quit after a year to pursue his passion
football. He did so well as goalkeeper at Magic 90 and Rishadi Shedu,
then a head coach at Super League side Alaskan signed him up in 1995.

At just the age of 20, his first match at the Malindi-based side
was to be against Kenya Breweries FC, a powerhouse in Kenyan
football then. This is a match he would however not last in the
pitch as he was substituted in the first few minutes after trying a
flashy move that did not go well with coach Rishadi Shedu.

I was convinced he would become a great goalkeeper

and when I was appointed as the Alaskan Head Coach
I signed him up immediately. ~ Rishadi Shedu

54 soka.co.ke
 soka.co.ke
soka.co.ke 55
 INTERVIEW VICTOR ONYANGO

Confidence Mashemeji Derby as an Ingwe keeper. FC and this is where he settled

But as the experienced coach
says he later on regretted the
move when he understood
Victor well and his qualities.
He is definitely the most confident
goalkeeper I have ever had in all the
teams I have coached. He gave me
goose bumps in his first competitive
match for Alaskan when he received
a back pass and took on the
advancing Vincent Kwarula and I had
to immediately sub him, I couldnt
take any more of that. However as I
came to understand him, I realized
confidence was an integral part
of his game, Shedu tells Soka.
For a while I watched him play with
the best players at Jericho who were
way older than him but he stood out.
He was very good with the ball at
his feet and could even pull some
daring saves as a young goalkeeper.
I was convinced he would become
a great goalkeeper and when I was
appointed as the Alaskan Head Coach
I signed him up immediately. He
went straight into my starting lineup
and within just a season we finished
fourth an achievement that Victor
contributed to greatly, he adds.
My move to AFC from Gor Mahia
wasnt smooth, just as I expected.
From my family to friends, they
considered me as a traitor while on
my end it was just another career
move to secure my future. AFC at that
time had a very good goalkeeper
in Mohammed Fwaya and the
competition made me a better player.
However I never made it to any
match day squad to face Gor Mahia
during my time at Ingwe, mainly
because I was a Luo playing for a
Luhya club and they couldnt trust
me funny but sad at the same time.
Tusker move
In 2000, Victor Onyango again
packed his bags and joined Tusker
down completely and enjoyed
football until he retired in 2008.
This period was my best as a
footballer as I settled down and
enjoyed playing. Tusker was a good
club and everything was set up
professionally. Unlike all the other
clubs I had played for, we never
experienced financial challenges and
therefore I was happy and enjoyed
my eight years at the club, he says.
Jacob Ghost Mulee who coached
him both at Tusker FC and
Harambee Stars describes Victor
as an intelligent custodian.
He is one of the most intelligent
goalkeepers I have ever worked with.
He is a good reader of the game
and this enabled him to play as a

The former Kenyan international says

his first year at Alaskan played a great
role in shaping and strengthening
him to become a top goalkeeper.

I went to Malindi as a very young

goalkeeper and life wasnt easy at
all. I was away from my family and
we used to stay in a small room with
John Baresi Odhiambo and Robert
Ochan Olang. The pay too was very
little and the fact that I was from
Nairobi made it even more difficult.
However these challenges pushed
me to train harder and improve as a
player and just after a season I was Victor training with Tusker FC in the past sweeper too. Hes got a very good
approached by Sony Sugar FC and left foot and he dealt with back
I joined them in 1996. he says. passes perfectly and initiated swift
counter attacks, Ghost remembers.
From Gor Mahia to AFC Leopards My move to AFC from
He did not last long at Sony as Gor Gor Mahia wasnt smooth He however had a problem in
Mahia FC soon approached him in dealing with crosses but was very
1997 and he obliged. Again bitter just as I expected good on one on one situations.
rivals AFC Leopards, who had wooed Good goalkeepers have crazy
him for a while managed to finally characters and raw guts and that is
convince him to join them in 1999. He exactly what Victor was, he adds.
however never got to feature in any
56 soka.co.ke
Victor Onyango Fact File Nature of Games

Type Games
Personal
CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup 12
DOB 9 February 1966 Friendly 9
Schools Rabai Rd Primary Castle Cup 3
School
Nyabondo High School Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier 5

About Once a left back World Cup Qualifier 1

before goalkeeper Total 30

Football Coaches and games played

1996-1998 Gor Mahia Coach Nationality Games

1999 AFC Leopards Twahir Muhidin Kenya 3
2000-2004 Tusker Christian Chukwu Nigeria 1
2005 KCB Jacob Ghost Mulee Kenya 6
2006-2007 Tusker James Sianga Kenya 11
2008 Gor Mahia Mickey Weche Kenya 1

Coaching Journey Reinhardt Fabisch Germany 7

Abdul Majid Uganda 1
2016 Gor Mahia keeper trainer
Total 30
2017 Nairobi City Stars
keeper trainer Achievements

Club Title Year

Countries played against
Tusker Kenyan Premier League 1999, 2000, 2007
Country Games Tusker CECAFA Club 2000, 2001, 2008
Burundi 2 Championship
Djibouti 1 Tusker Player of the Year 2001
Egypt 2 Gor Mahia FKL Cup 2008
Eritrea 2 Country Title Year
Ethiopia 1 Kenya Castle Cup 2002
Gabon 2 Kenya CECAFA Senior 2002
Lesotho 1 challenge Cup

Malawi 1
International Career
Morocco 2
Rwanda 1 Date Game Team Venue Coach
Somalia 1 Debut 15 Aug 1998 2000 Djibouti Kasarani Abdul Majid
*As a 71 min Africa Cup
Sudan 2
sub for Mathew Qualifiers
Swaziland 2 Ottamax Owino
Tanzania 3 Last 25 Dec 2004 CECAFA Sudan National Twahir
Tunisia 2 game Senior Stadium, Muhidin
challenge Addis
Uganda 5
Cup Ababa
Total 30

soka.co.ke 57
 INTERVIEW VICTOR ONYANGO

Goalkeeper trainer
Victor Onyango, who has been
capped 30 times by the national
team, was immediately absorbed by
Tusker as their goalkeeper trainer.
His first assignment was with the
Brewers in Dar es Salaam as they
won the CECAFA Club Championship
in 2008 with his successor between
the sticks, Boniface Oluoch,
particularly impressive no wonder
he picks him as his best custodian
in the country at the moment.

I knew Boniface very well from his

days at KCB FC and I had always
liked his confidence and reaction.
I recommended him to Tusker but
there was a problem since he was
then attached to APR in Rwanda.
However Ghost Mulee talked to
APR and convinced the club to

I rate Boniface Oluoch as

the best goalkeeper in the
country at the moment and
Im glad he is still playing
at the highest level.
~ Victor Onyango
release him and we immediately
signed him. He joined the team
in Dar and started as we took on
Vital O Burundi in the third match
and we coincidentally lost 3-0.
Immediately after the match Ghost
came to me and before he could
even say anything I told him I had
confidence in Oluoch, we should trust
and start him in our next match. He
didnt let me down and played his
heart out in all the other matches as
we went on to win the tournament.
I rate him as the best goalkeeper in
the country at the moment and Im
glad he is still playing at the highest
level, Victor says of his understudy.
Victor left Tusker in 2010 to join
Gor Mahia in the same capacity and
later Nzoia Sugar FC in 2013 and FC
Talanta in 2014. He is now attached
to National Super League (NSL) side
Victor Onyango during a training session with Harambee Stars at Kasarani ahead of
an AFCON qualifier against Gabon in 2001
Nairobi City Stars. He advices young
players to invest as football now pays
well unlike during his playing days.
Life after football
We have players earning very well
nowadays and my advice to them
would be to ensure they invest wisely.
Former Harambee Stars goalkeeper
Noah Ayuko was in the news recently
in bad shape and is really struggling.
This is happening to many former
players and its not good at all.
Current players can only pick lessons
from it and invest wisely since there
is life after football. he says.
The toughest striker he has ever
played against? It has to be Bernard
Agunda. We grew up together in
Jericho and he knew me so well
and he would give me a hard time
when he played for Utalii and
Kenya Breweries FC. He was very
powerful and good technically and
I was happy when we became team
mates at Tusker FC since I knew he
wouldnt torment me anymore.
Victor Onyango, who is now
working on modalities of starting
a goalkeeping academy with
fellow former Kenyan international
Mathews Ottamax, signs out by
urging the Government to invest
heavily in developing sports
infrastructure as the industry (sports)
has the potential to become a big
revenue earner as well as shaping
the destiny of the youth and the
country as well, in so many ways.

Follow Jeff Kinyanjui

on Twitter: @Nyash88

58 soka.co.ke
www.soka.co.ke

soka.co.ke
soka.co.ke 59
 KPL BEST ELEVEN

HOGGING THE
HEADLINES
KPL Half Time Report
From the little known Daniel Waweru to the current
Most Valuable Player, Kenneth Muguna, who made
a mark in the first leg of the KPL 2017 season

By Zachary Oguda

T
he 2017 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) season saw the introduction of an additional
four teams to the usual 14 teams to bring the number to 18. Among the new entrants
were Nakumatt FC, Kariobangi Sharks, Zoo Kericho and Nzoia United.

After 13 rounds by the close of May, the league took a break to return in
mid June. Which players were exemplary? Who stood out?

60 soka.co.ke
 www.soka.co.ke

Patrick Matasi, Goalkeeper

(Posta Rangers FC)
Bagging the Golden Glove accolade
comes with a share of pressure but
Matasi has handled this well and is
on course of winning the accolade
for the second successive season.
Not only has he featured in all
Rangers games so far, he has only
conceded five goals and reduced
his understudy, Farouk Shikhalo,
who had an exemplary season
with Muhoroni Youth in 2016, to
a mere spectator. Rangers will be
depending on him to mount a serious
challenge for a top three finish.

Michael Bodo, Defender

(Kariobangi Sharks FC)
When it was confirmed that
Kariobangio Sharks would be
playing in the KPL, many questions
arose whether they were going
to cope with the vagaries of the
league more so after venturing
into roping in attacking players
rather than defenders. Their fears
were realized when they were
humbled by Gor Mahia 3-1 in their
first game of the KPL top flight.

Bodo had a debut to forget against

Gor Mahia and was to miss the
clubs next two games due to injury;
games they lost. Bodo returned to
the starting team in the clubs week
four against Nzoia Sugar; a game
they comfortably won. Bodo has
gone on not only to prove he can
cut it in the KPL but that he is a
cut above most other defenders.

Musa Mohammed, Defender

(Gor Mahia FC)
Imagine Gor Mahia without Musa
Mohammed. Being handed the
armband comes with a share of
responsibility but Musa has handled
this well. He has played every
minute of every Gor Mahia league
game almost effortlessly forming a
solid partnership with the excellent
Harun Shakava. Commanding in
the air, tough in the tackle and
composed on the ball. The change
to a back three seems to have not
affected his influence in the game
and he seems to have perfectly
slotted into any formation Ze Maria
has preferred for his defenders.
 KPL BEST ELEVEN
Joakins Atudo, Defender (Posta Rangers FC)
If Matasi is going to win any award this season, he will
have his defense to thank. Atudo has not only been a
leader for the Sammy Omollo-coached side but has
been a towering figure for the mail men in defense. He
remains dominant in duels, his positioning and reading of
matches have evolved enormously and his consistency is
now exemplary. His new partnership with Luke Ochieng,
roped in from Gor Mahia in the season must be lauded.
62 soka.co.ke
Shafiq Batambuze, Defender (Tusker FC)
Its sad that the KPL will be waving goodbye to one of the
finest defenders to ever have graced the 254. Batambuze
had a stellar 2016 season with the brewers and carried
the form into the new season and despite a slow start
this year, he has been an important player for the boys in
yellow and a key figure in their current resurgence where
he has chipped in with three goals and four assists.
He is set to join Singida United in Tanzania and all
we can do is wish him the best in his endeavors.
Hillary Echesa, Midfielder
(Chemelil FC)
As stars of yesteryears continue
to diminish, Hillary Echesa has
continued to roll back the
years with some exemplary
performances for Chemelil Sugar.
New managers will always come
with new ideas and a change
of players will always be
inevitable but Echesa has
reminded everyone that
he is still flexible to fit
into any new systems.
He has been radiant this season;
more dynamic and powerful
than ever and his three
goals return shows that
he still hasnt lost
his scoring touch.
Kenneth Muguna,
Midfielder (Gor
Mahia FC)
Many believe that
winning the Most
Valuable Player (MVP) in
the KPL is a bad omen
but Muguna is proving
otherwise. Not only has
he continued with his
form that saw him torment
opponents at Stima, his
vision and urge to affect
play has massively grown.
He might need more gym
sessions to improve his
physical part of the
game but Gor Mahia
has looked lost without
the slim maestro.
He has forged a
particularly delightful
understanding with Ernest Wendo,
as memorably showcased in
the destruction of AFC
Leopards, but even
when paired with
other midfielders, Muguna has kept
probing and tearing opponents apart.
Daniel Waweru, Midfielder
(Ulinzi Stars FC)
This is a surprise inclusion that
many did not see coming but any
midfielders dream is to provide
assists and Waweru currently
tops that list. Of the 18 goals
Ulinzi Stars have scored so far,
MAY/JUNE 2017 SOKA MAGAZINE
Waweru has been involved in
nine; three goals and six assists.
He is one player whose contribution
on the field of play may go
unnoticed but is happy to work
his socks off for his team mates.
Boniface Omondi, Midfielder
(Nzoia United FC)
Many players often struggle in their
first season in the top flight but
Bonface Omondi has ensured that
he doesnt appear in that list. Taking
the league by storm in the first few
weeks, Omondi has tormented his
opponents in many games and apart
from assisting goals which is his
main work, an area in which he has
three, he has helped in banging the
goals too- with five to his name.
He has the wisdom to serve as
the ideal fulcrum for attacks.
Underrate the man roped in
from Agro Chemicals in the off
season at your own peril
Paul Odhiambo, Forward
(Sofapaka FC)
Sofapaka escaped relegation
by a whisker in 2016 thanks to
some notable figures in the team;
Paul Odhiambo being one of them.
The player has chipped in with three
goals and two assists for the Batoto
ba Mungu and his output in every
game has been second to none.
The work rate of the KPL journeyman
too cant be wished away and in a
season where Sofapaka has started
steadily, he will surely be needed
to continue with his output
as the season progresses.
Stephen Waruru,
Forward (Ulinzi Stars FC)
You cant argue with seven goals in
10 games. In a season that many
thought Samuel Onyango might
have been the guy to propel Ulinzi
Stars to the next level, Waruru has
been a royal pain in the head for
opposing defenders by scoring all
type of goals. His speed, endeavor and
sharpness help make the soldiers
lethal on the counterattack,
and he will surely be a key
member for the Ulinzi team heading
into the latter stages of the season.
63
 KPL BEST ELEVEN

Substitutes: more so from the goal scoring front.

Of the 12 goals that the Shopkeepers
David Juma, Goalkeeper have scored this season, Aswani
(Kakamega Homeboyz) has chipped in with six; now thats
Has played eight games this season a dependable player for a team!
for the Mike Mururi side and has kept
a clean sheet in all the games; what
else do you need from an understudy?

Bolton Omwenga, Defender

(Kariobangi Sharks FC)
As a debutant in the demanding
KPL, he has made the left back
position his own and received a
national team call up during the
same period. He is an asset too in
set pieces as proved in his goal
against his former side Nzoia Sugar
FC in week four of league action.

Ernest Wendo, Midfielder

(Gor Mahia FC)
Destroyer In Chief. When the awe all
season has been on Kenneth Muguna
in midfielder, the work Wendo does in
destroying opposition moves hasnt
gone unnoticed. One of the most
underrated players in the league.

Humphrey Mieno, Midfielder

(Tusker FC)
When in panic, just pass the ball to
Mieno; thats some silent rule in the
Tusker FC team. Not only does he
control the tempo of the game but
not so many players in the KPL can
read the game as well as Mieno.

Gilberto Faimenyo, Striker

(AFC Leopards SC)
The potency of the former Hearts
of Oak striker is well noted. In a
turbulent season that has seen
them drift further down the table,
AFC Leopards can firmly point
to the Ghanaian as one of their
major positive buys. His record
of five goals speaks for itself.

Twice, he saved his side the blushes

after striking late for a share of
spoils against Posta Rangers in
Nakuru and Zoo FC in Machakos.

Kepha Aswani, Striker

(Nakumatt FC)
Many thought Aswanis career was on
the line after ditching AFC Leopards
for Nakumatt but he has so far proved
Follow Zachary Oguda
that he still has unfinished business on Twitter: @zaxoguda

64 soka.co.ke
 KPL BEST ELEVEN

FOOTBALL
and the gun

66 soka.co.ke

Its a thin line between
football and crime
Wewe mama songa ama pia wewe
tukumalize (move or we also kill you).
By Patrick Korir
A
n adrenaline rush sends
her stumbling clumsily as
she scampered for safety
and seconds later gun shots rent
the air. Screams, commotion and a
quick flash of events followed. The
aftermath was two motionless bullet
drenched bodies blown away for
what is said to have been muggings
they had made a bad habit.
This time the long arm of the law
had cornered them. One of them
was later identified as a budding
14-year old budding goalkeeper
who was in the ranks of an Under
15 team in an academy along
Ngong road. That was in 2005.
This is one of the cases of talent
sent to the six-feet-under abode
a bit too early, smoked away
from the field after taking the
crime lane. The footballer turned
desperado make the perfect fodder
for wild tales and experiences listed
in this piece where the first incidents
started going up as far back as 2013,
are endless. As narrated from a wide
sample group, the appetizer to crime
starts at teenager and cuts across
both gender male and female. The
reasons behind this are far and wide.
Brown Bomber
In September of 2002, 1995 Silver All
Africa Games silver medalist George
Maina aka Brown Bomber, who bank
rolled a football club known as Kibera
Zulu, was sprayed with bullets in a
dawn raid in Kibera alongside five
other persons one being a footballer
named Kevin Jakolo. According to
reports then, they were part of a gang
that was preparing to raid a Non-
Governmental Organization (NGO)
and police came in the nick of time to
curtail their plan. It is said two pistols,
several live ammunition, swords and
machetes were recovered in the shack
where they were all gunned down.
In 2005 a footballer named Leftie
from Kibera said to have been miles
better than Jesse Were now in the
ranks of Zambian giants Zesco United
went down to the gun, as well as his
This is one of the cases of talent sent to the
six-feet-under abode a bit too early, smoked
away from the field after taking the crime lane.
accomplices, for allegedly trying to
hijack a public service bus off Ngong
road. A-cut-above midfielder named
Fupi could have been in the ranks
of top Dutch side NEC Nijmegen, a
club founded in 1900. This was at
some point in 2003. He had been
scouted from Kenya and taken to
the Netherlands for a series of
trials and follow-ups made later.
After an illustrious career with
Mathare United, Fupi who was
described as a great midfielder had
to look for options to survive. For
him it was one quick end. On one
fateful night in 2008, he and his
gang were cornered when making
way with their loot at Hurlingham
after their gate-away car was sprayed
with bullets. Though with guns, they
had no chance to fight back and
the whole lot was cleaned out.
More examples
In 2009, Odando, a defender barely
20 with Kangemi AllStars was
blown away in a robbery gone sour
in Kitale. Unbeknown to his team,
he is said to have mastered house
break-ins with services outsourced
to other towns including Naivasha
and beyond. In 2011 a budding
footballer dubbed Figo was part of a
gang that was waylaid near Highrise
down Mbagathi road with their loot
after a burglary in Dagoretti. Figo
who is said to have been driving
the car used to ferry stolen goods
had gone past all along with to
meet his death, along with all his
accomplices, under spasmodic gunfire.
The next year, Issa, formerly of
Leviticus and YSA from the Kangemi
precincts was smoked away in a
botched homestead robbery in
Westlands. The budding midfielder
was at the tail end of the mission
responsible for tucking in stolen
goods in a car. When the alarm
was raised, the first bullet from
the responding flying squad took
him out, and the rest of his four-
man gang were out cold soon after
as they scrambled to escape.
In May 2013, former top tier
footballer known as Marley or Modo
was gunned down one Sunday
afternoon in Githurai 45 area for
allegedly stealing a mobile phone.
While his family and friends totally
disputed that claim, the police said
he was a repeat criminal who had
been warned severally, and if he
did not stop hed be gunned down
someday something a constable
dubbed Katitu accomplished on
that day by shooting him in the
head three times. In cold blood, an
unarmed young man was gone.
soka.co.ke 67
 SPECIAL FEATURE
In July of 2014, a much sought after
fourth form striker known as Legu
who had transferred from Langata
High to Olympic High was sprayed to
death in Kibera after being cornered
in the ranks of a wanted gang that
had been warned by Police time
and again to mend their ways but
to no avail. He was six months away
from finishing school and into the
waiting contract from a second tier
side that had already picked him as
their answer to the top tier in 2016.
History
The case of footballers associating
with crime and getting a dead-
stop from the bullet dates back to
yore. A story is told of one Daniel
Nicodemus Arudhi who led a double
life, one on the pitch and one in
the underworld. Bits and pieces of
his cunning ways are captured in
Joe Kadenge: The Life of a Football
Legend, a biography by John Nene.
Born in 1944, Arudhi, who was part
of Kenyas squad that featured in
the first ever Africa Cup of Nations
in 1972, is said to have been a
prolific player on the pitch, but
was also a convicted criminal and
often, a wanted man. During his
time football did not pay, save
for occasional allowances.
The biography talks of how the
player capped 39 times for Kenya
between September 1963 and
November 1972 with 18 goals to
his credit, was temporarily released
from prison to play for the national
team. Among his spectators at City
Stadium that day was a heavily
armed contingent of prison wardens,
presumably knowing how wily Arudhi
could be. At the end of the game,
they cuffed him again and took him
back to his cell in Kamiti Prison.
16 years after that game, on a
cold June night in Shauri Moyo,
his luck finally ran out, with a
bullet in his back from Kenyas
own James Bond six-foot tall
and 136kg reservist Patrick Shaw
who was always scanning the
landscape, with his famed Volvo
and browning pistol to weed out
the not-so-good from the society.
Many years later, in 2015, and in
what confirms that crime cuts across
both gender, a former player with
68 soka.co.ke
FOOTBALL & THE GUN
Kenyas national women team -
Harambee Starlets nicknamed Jojo
was not spared; she was gone with
the bullet after being cornered in
her criminal spate in Dandora.
The tales of footballers going down
to the bullet are eerie, scary and
many. From Kibera to Huruma, Bahati,
Korogocho, Mathare and Kariobangi
many a talented player have gone
with the wind, fallen to crime.
Those who survived the gun but
More often than not they
realize they have nothing to
play for. There are not enough
structures to absorb all and
even though the game has
rewarded a few patient ones,
many others give up and
begin to look elsewhere,
failed to run away from the proverbial
40 days are telling the tale from
jail, a place described by Mwangi
Gicheru in Across the Bridge as the
house for all, where all and sundry
discuss matters on equal terms.
Those yet to be cornered are
constantly on the run, or in
exile to slither away from the
men and women of law, or
neighborhood vigilantes scanning
the horizon for their heads.
Why do footballers engage in crime?
But why are youngsters, from
teenagers turning out to be
monstrous criminals with an
insatiable hunger for money, societal
status and urge to fulfill a larger-
than-life image when they have
a gateway through football?
Piecing up the story in itself
took years and many who
were interviewed, or were to
be interviewed begged for
their names and those of the
victims not to be revealed. Some
simply failed to turn up.
According to Fred Razor Naduli, a
former Mathare United defender
who later became a team manager
for the same team, there are
compelling factors that possibly lead
players to taking the wrong lane.
Lack of progression in the game,
broken family setup and false
hope, according to Naduli, are
massive contributors to a change
in direction leading many talented
players to crime, what he calls
the quickest route to riches
though a tad bit too risky.
Ule msee tulikuwa tunaenda stadi
kumwatch sasa ndio ule amekaa base
anasumbua watu. Kumbe hii ball kuna
vile haitatupeleka pahali so goes a
saying by a despairing young player.
Kuenda ruti ku hustle, kuenda mraa or
mboka are part of the underground
lingo used across many hoods to
mean one is on a crime mission.
The realization that their role models
went nowhere in football is a turning
point for those not patient and they
begin to fall to other distractions.
Many players do not see the
continuity in the game. Budding
footballers all have role models but
it comes a time they find the players
they admired the most and wanted to
follow in their path went particularly
nowhere. As long as their role models
are stuck they feel stuck - it impacts
negatively on them and they slowly
begin to lose faith in the game and
begin to look to other means.
At this point they fall to distractions;
they find some of the peers are
well dressed and look to them to
matchup. They are shown the easy
way out which is to steal. Slowly
they learn the way to the trade.
Before long they graduate into
hiring guns and in not too long
they become hard core criminals.
Thirdly, as Naduli says, the
taste of high life acquired from
brief international trips, would
leave many high and dry.
You find that some players
have gone out of the county for
international tournaments and
when they return they live on a
high from some of the earnings. But
when they earnings run out they
have a status to maintain. With no
more foreseeable trips back abroad,
and need to maintain a showing
in society, the easy though risky
way out comes to mind; crime,
Various factors leading to crime
Maurice Onyango, the current Gor
Mahia Youth coach who is also a
renowned youth coach that reveals
various factors that lead many to
take the wrong turn and a lane to
criminology. From where he sits, very
few players have distractions up to
the age of 13 but after, those with
a keen eye will note an emerging
capricious and fickle behavior.
At 14-15, Onyango says some
youngsters adapt criminal
minds due to peer influence
and, if not monitored, those in
this bracket begin to start with
pilfering from the homestead.
At this age you find that some
of your colleagues have certain
things that you do not have and
since you want to catch up and
you have struggling parents you
start to steal petty things, says
the current Gor Mahia Youth.
At 16, it could turn for worse as the
petty stealing has gone on for a while,
and the next step comes in; drugs,
and for some, girls come their way.
When those two combine, no young
man wants to be seen as one not
able to cater for his woman and with
the unending influence in the hood
from gatherings of young people,
anything will pass to get money.
This, as Maurice points out, leads
to amateur thieving that could
include muggings, pick pocketing,
brokering of stolen goods such
as mobile phones and drugs.
This becomes the path to the
breeding of a criminal as, after
a taste of cash, the thirst for
more builds up leading to a true
criminal mind and a hard core.
George Okwemba, an elder sibling
to Harambee Stars defender Joseph
for Shikokoti who turned out for
Kangemi United (now AllStars) from
2005 to 2013 before walking to full
time coaching contributed differently.
For Okwemba who is best known
as Tall for his towering height,
lack of mentorship, search of quick
popularity and urge for quick
riches are what leads to crime.
Football does not offer much
guarantees. Young players look to
take up the places of their seniors but
many fail to break to that rank simply
because they fail to work hard.
Combined football and
schooling is important and
when one is not in the field
they can concentrate in school
as their fall back plan.
Before you know it these players
start looking elsewhere for things
to do. One of them is getting quick
popularity and as you know society
somehow idolizes criminals. Some get
associated with it to feel powerful. A
bad reputation in society is part of it.
Others quit the game on the
pressures of home as they are told by
parents to go out and get real paying
jobs and come back to help the
rest of their siblings. With jobs not
readily available, many take to crime
where no certificates, qualification,
experiences are required. Just guts.
For Shadrack Ateka, a former Ulinzi,
AFC Leopards and national team
defender, identity crisis and lifestyle
are the major contributors to crime.
He brought about another perspective
of where players from not so poor
backgrounds have gone to drugs
are in need to maintain its supply.
Young players are in search of
identity in the society and they find
it in crime. Because of pressure
especially from peers they believe
they will find it in kidungi (gun).
Those that have gone to unga (drugs)
need to sustain the supply by getting
a quick fix from crime. Those in this
category are not only from poor
backgrounds but also the rich.
Survived the gun
Teddy Rogers, an offensive midfielder
who once turned out for Mathare
United before joining Utalii FC had
to watch the game from the stands
after a career threatening knee injury
put him out of football and as such
he was not earning from the game.
Then an offer to help him
survive came by; to raid a home
and collect a television set and
other household goodies; in it
was a collective Kshs 27,500.
It was the 4th of July 2000 and
it was a bad period for Teddy. He
was expecting a child and with no
pickings from the game he had
immediate needs to attend to.
It went awfully wrong as he was
cornered on his first day out.
The owner of the house raised
the alarm but being nave he was
nabbed for not knowing the right
escape route. Remand of three
years followed and even though
his co-accused was later nabbed
and taken to remand too, he was
acquitted after two years while Teddy
was convicted and jailed for life.
17 years later, Teddy, the man with
an admirable demeanor off the pitch
and flamboyance within the field,
now a grandfather after the son he
was expecting before falling behind
bars bore him a beautiful daughter,
is still at Kamiti on death row.
He was the hope of the family
and while serving his term, his life
became harder as his colleagues
who have been pushing for his
pardoning have had to bury his
father, two sisters as well as
the mother of his lone son.
In 2005 one roving winger dubbed
Bebeto (or simply Bebe) was
picked out for being in the right
place his house, but with the
wrong company. The police in
their normal search burst in to
soka.co.ke 69
 SPECIAL FEATURE
the house to find the young men
playing poker. Upon search part
of his cronies were found to have
firearms and they were all taken in.
He was imprisoned at Kamiti but
was later acquitted and returned
to play the game for another
season and a half. He now lives
out a quiet life in Huruma.
Can it be prevented, remedied?
According to Maurice too many
lads are left to their own and fall
squarely at the hands of peer
groups that take them off course.
A very close watch by parents
is the starting point and very
important at teenage. Many miss
out on this and the repercussions
based on pressures from the
society are real, adds Maurice.
The moment there is a change in
behavior it needs to be addressed
immediately. Change in dressing and
unknown sources of money and other
property such as acquired phones
need to be addressed immediately.
Ule msee tulikuwa tunaenda stadi kumwatch sasa ndio ule amekaa base anasumbua
watu. Kumbe hii ball kuna vile haitatupeleka pahali despairing young player.
Kuenda ruti ku hustle, kuenda mraa or mboka are part of the underground
lingo used across many hoods to mean one is on a crime mission.
However you note that lots of
families are broken and you find
the homestead has an absentee
father and with the mother or
guardian busy trying to make
a living, the role of counseling
from CBOs (Community Based
Organizations) comes in very handy.
Naduli tends to agree with and
says there is need for mentors,
togetherness and fall back plans.
When we used to play we kept
very close tabs on each other such
that when one of us failed to turn
up for training we would go and
find out. It became easy to find out
70 soka.co.ke
FOOTBALL AND THE GUN
what was distracting them. That
togetherness helped many stay
focused and away from vices. We
were our brothers keeper unlike
in the current generation.
Both Maurice and Naduli point to
one thing; always read the signs.
Tell-tale signs e.g. regular missing of
training due to injury is an indicator
that a players off the field activities
need to be checked very closely.
Tall, who admits his own sibling had
also gone astray and it took lots
of mentoring to straighten him up
concurs with Maurice and he says,
Noticing the first signs is very
key and giving appropriate advice
right on time is the way out. Once
crime becomes a system it becomes
normal and will be near impossible
to stop. Trying to reform one deep in
criminal ways is almost impossible.
There is need for mentors to come
forward and work with clubs to
chat with players on the need to
work harder and work their way up
and shun peer pressure and crime
as eventually the game will pay.
While agreeing that mentorship
and counseling will go a long way,
Ateka also talks of the need for close
monitoring and acceptance that there
is a problem first then seek solutions.
Clubs and players nowadays have
a disconnect and its time each
club makes an elaborate effort
to know all their players on and
off the pitch. Do you know your
players home, his peers? That
understanding is important.
Families and clubs go silent when
one of their own is identified as
being behind crime. They need to
speak up as a way of admitting that
there is indeed a problem and stop
playing PR and that could help
collectively address the issue,
I call upon the federation and the
Government to use the convicted
to publicly share their experiences
and how their ways have affected
them more and help budding players
from following in their footsteps.
Is football still a gateway from crime?
I am reminded in my conversation
with legendary Dr. Dan Shikanda in
late 2016, during the height of the
football pre-election campaign; he let
out unforgettable quotes that I duly
noted during our many conversations;
During my time my peers told me
I was the best. But I was not. The
best were lost to drugs and crime.
Separately he said; Because
of football I went to school for
free as I was offered scholarship
all through my education to
become the person I am today.
Tall concurred and added that
from his hood, he can count
no less than 20 lads who have
been offered scholarships in
high schools and colleges just
because of talent in football.
Ateka, now a coach at Ligi Ndogo
further says; A small percentage
of players make it big and the
bigger percentage falls to crime,
but Tall firmly believes that if
players have a long term vision
for their own game and be patient
enough to see it through they will
certainly overcome all distractions
crime included, and make it.
Follow Patrick Korir
on Twitter: @tipkorir
 NAIVAS
COVERFCSTORY CLUB PROFILE
COVER STORY

NAIVAS FC
Achievements:
2014 Runners up in the
County league
Runners up in the
By Patrick Korir RB tournament
MVP for the RB
Motto: One team one dream because they have realigned
tournament
themselves to the corporate way.
Founded: 2013 Those that are very deserving have 2015 Winners of the RB
also been afforded scholarships. tournament
Aim: To provide the community with a MVP player RB tournament
model of quality youth development, Keeper trainer Prince Yamba:
BGK for the RB tournament
inspiration through the sport and My department is currently
an environment for players and working well and in the last two TOT for RB tournament
teams to reach their goals and an games my keepers, who I rotate Runners up in the regional
atmosphere for all participants accordingly, have not conceded 2016 Winners of the 2016
to have a positive experience any goals. In the next few years
they will be the best of the best. Rb tournament
Progression: TOT, BGK & MVP
2013- Sub-county Trainer Dorcas Nyambura: awards for the 2016
2014 - County We are headed the right direction RB tournament
2015 - Regional with the backing of the company Winners of Nairobi
2016 -Nationwide Div. which we truly appreciate. I am a FKF Regional league
2 League. former player with Mathare and at Golden Boot and Glove for
Naivas I got the opportunity to train. the 2016 Regional League
Squad in numbers: 30 players.
Vice-Captain Omogo: Qualifying for the
Cutting edge: In the last three years Formerly with Mathare Youth, Nationwide Div. 2 league
the team has risen from the sixth tier Sofapaka, Mathare United: Team Structure:
to the fourth tier of Kenyan Football. Naivas is a blend of promising CEO Moses Kamau
and experienced players alike. Im Head coach Joseph Irungu
Head Coach - Joseph Irungu, CAF C: here because I believe the club has
We have a squad that believes what it takes to go all the way. Assistant coach Samuel Maina
in themselves and in three next Captain Wycliffe Otieno
three years we want to be right Current status: Vice-captain Omogo
at the top with the big boys in Top of the Eastern Div 2 log
Keeper trainers Prince Yamba
the Kenyan Premier League. with a seven point gap.
Trainer Dorcas
With the resources put in by Naivas Nyambura
and with a squad that is willing to Physio David Gatini
go all the way, nothing will stop us.
Moses Kamau Head Coach
Club CEO Joseph Irungu
Assistant Coach Samuel Maina:
We have what we can call a good
blend of players balancing between
experience and youth. We are ever
thankful to Naivas in taking this
direction as it has now provided a
whole lot of youth with a chance to
earn a living by playing and working.

Moses Kamau Club CEO:

We started the team as a CSR
initiative and along the way we have
given opportunities to some of the
most underprivileged players.
Other than just playing, we aim
to inculcate corporate skills to
the players and so far close to 13
have been absorbed at our stores

soka.co.ke 71
 CLUB PROFILE NAIVAS FC

Keeper Trainer
Prince Yamba

Naivas training
at Sameer

Captain (no.18)
Wycliffe Otieno

Trainer Dorcas
Nyambura
Follow Patrick Korir
on Twitter: @tipkorir

72 soka.co.ke
 soka.co.ke

NAIVAS FC 2017

soka.co.ke 73
 LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL
Noah Ayuko
Standing Alone in the face of Adversity
Karuturi gave me everything I needed for my prosperity. Getting relegated after our struggle
for the better part of that season (2013) was the end of me. Starting a new life outside
the Karuturi circle was always going to be tough and I havent picked up from then.
By Zachary Oguda
S
aturday 2 November 2013
will forever be in the minds
of those associated with Sher
Karuturi. Once a formidable force
in the Kenyan Premier League
(KPL) scene, their association with
the Kenyan top flight football
was to come to an abrupt end.
After flirting with relegation for
the better part of the season, their
relegation fears were confirmed
by Mathare United who emerged
2-0 winners on the day; the goals
coming courtesy of a Dennis
Nzomo first half penalty with
Edwin Ombasa adding the other.
For any footballer, relegation from
a top flight league is always a blow
and a reminder of how poor you were
through the season - another move
to start all over again. For Sher
Karaturis keeper Noah Ayuko,
it was the end of his world.
Its something that gives you some satisfaction when
needed for my prosperity. Getting you are paid to do something that you love most
Karuturi gave me everything I
relegated after our struggle for
the better part of that season (2013)
was the end of me. Starting a new life
outside the Karuturi circle was always
going to be tough and I havent
picked up from then, Ayuko says.
Born on 10 March 1977, Ayuko was
a household name in the early
millennium drawing admiration in
and outside the country. To anyone
in any field, being paid for doing
something you love is satisfactory by
74 soka.co.ke
NOAH AYUKO
all means. To footballers, to be paid to
play a sport you love while receiving
admiration is a pretty good deal.
Professional footballers, more so
of the yester-years, were not often
feted for their intelligence but thats
not the main reason why others fail
to make it after hanging their boots
- in Noah Ayukos case, the gloves.
Its something that gives you some
satisfaction when you are paid to
do something that you love most
but football has changed and in the
current state, footballers are more
recognized and paid well unlike
during our days. We (Karuturi players)
were employees of Sher Agencies
and enjoyed all the benefits but it
all went wrong when the company
collapsed and there was no one to
cater for our needs and that affected
not only me but a lot of players
at the club then, Ayuko opines.
Career
Ayuko started his serious club
football with Oserian then under
the tutelage of Twahir Muhiddin
(now a technical director at Bandari
FC) in 2000 and lifted the 2001
KPL title - coming as runners up
in the same year at the CECAFA
Club Championship after losing to
Tusker FC in an all Kenyan affair. He
was to join Chemelil for a season
before settling in Naivasha with
Karuturi for eight years; a period
he feels marked him for stardom.
I owe Twahir Muhiddin a lot in my
career. He is the one who introduced
me to the game and incorporated
me in a team that had winners and
I am happy that many of my team
mates then are now some established
coaches in the country. Kimanzi
gave me my debut in the national
team but Muhiddin recalled me
again when he was at the helm so
I owe a lot to him. He is one guy
who believed in my abilities.
I left Chemelil after a season for
Karuturi because apart from playing,
they were going to offer me a job
and that enticed me. Sadly the
company went down when I had a
little left in the bag to carry on as
a player and that disarrayed a lot
of my plans, Ayuko continues.
Ayuko was to call it a day after a
season with Kakamega Homeboyz
in 2015 after which he was handed
a role at Vihiga United in 2016 as
their goalkeeper trainer but all
COVER STORY COVER STORY

soka.co.ke
soka.co.ke 75
 LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL NOAH AYUKO

was not going his way as he says
internal wrangles and personal
reasons made him quit the job.
As a player you now that one day
you will have to leave the scene
for the fresh blood and after
watching many of my team mates
venture into coaching, I decided
that after the Homeboyz adventure
I was going to follow suit.
Coaching at Vihiga was a good
adventure as it was meant to be my
first blueprint in the coaching world
but I hate disruptions and as the
season progressed, I felt my presence
was ruffling feathers at the club
and I had to leave to give them the
peace they needed, Ayuko notes.
After being out of the limelight for
some time, news started circulating
that the ex-national team keeper
was not living a life that befitted
a legend after what he did for
Kenyan Football with his images
in social media depicting a face of
someone who had lost hope in life.
While Ayuko, who currently coaches
young kids in Kakamega, doesnt
deny he has struggled to make ends
meet, he affirms that he knows that
one day he will be back to make
a contribution to Kenyan soccer.
What of his preferred keeper
currently in the country and his
advice to the upcoming footballers.
There is no better keeper than
Boniface Oluoch (in the books of
Gor Mahia) currently in the country.
What Oluoch doesnt like is pressure,
he likes doing things his own way
and if given room to do so, he
performs. There are good upcoming
keepers in the National Super
League (NSL) too and I hope they
can keep the momentum going.
My advice to footballers is never tire
to give your best. There will always
be competition and that should
spur you on. I wasnt a constant
feature between the posts by fluke,
its the hard work in trainings that
keeps you there, Ayuko concludes.
Rehab
Many who have been with
Ayuko believe there are a lot of
circumstances but majorly alcohol
that have contributed to his current
state with ex Harambee Stars striker
Boniface Ambani, who was raised
in Naivasha and a close ally to the
keeper, saying there were plans to
take Ayuko to a rehabilitation center
before getting him back to his feet.
Ambani, who acknowledges
the response from the fans,
urged the federation and
football stakeholders to bring ex
footballers close to the game lest
they disappear into oblivion.
Ayukos main problem has been
alcohol addiction but we are working
round the clock to have him back to
his feet. I have to thank the football
fans of this country who have shown
care and contributed in a way or the
other and our first step is to ensure
that he be taken to a rehabilitation
center before working again to
have him back into the game.

Tough life
The guy who was spreading the
photos on social media did what Ayukos main problem has
he had to do; with my state I cant
control what people do with my been alcohol addiction but we
images. The truth is its been tough are working round the clock
on my side to make ends meet
because of the demands of life. to have him back to his feet.
Currently I do odd jobs in the streets ~ Boniface Ambani
of Kakamega to earn a living and
this is not a life I had envisaged
when I started playing football.

Every evening after work, the kids

from the neighborhood join me in
an evening kick-about and they see
me as a mentor. Despite what people
think, being seen as someone who
can inspire a young generation still
gives me hope that one day I will be
back to add value to Kenyan soccer
and will jump at any opportunity Follow Zachary Oguda
to realize this, Ayuko says. on Twitter: @zaxoguda

76 soka.co.ke

TOUGH
COACH
Towards the end of October 1996, the Kenya Football Federation
(KFF) brought in West German, Reinhardt Fabisch, to replace
Montenegrin, Vojoslav Gardasevic, as the national team
coach on a one year contract effective from 1 November.
W
By Patrick Korir
ith time not on his side,
he inherited a team that
had been training under
Vojo as his first assignment was a
first round 1998 World Cup qualifier
against Guinea on 10 November.
Fourth
The team lost the Conakry game
3-1 and soon after the debacle
left for Khartoum, Sudan, for the
CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup
with a short stopover in Nairobi.
With a composition of players
that he largely did not know
about, Fabisch guided his team
through three group games to
qualify for the semis where they
were stopped from making
the final after falling 2-0
to Uganda.
The team went
on to finish
fourth after
going down
5-4 to Sudan
in post-match
penalties
after
regulation
time ended
1-1.
COVER STORY
REINHARDT FABISCH BLAST FROM
COVER THE
www.soka.co.ke PAST
STORY
prove their worth or be dropped
from the national team.
Some were referred to as old
players who had outlived their
usefulness in the national team
said a very dejected player
Arrogant
But Fabisch, who was making a
return to Kenyas national team
after nine years, had a swift,
and very arrogant response;
Any player who cannot play under
pressure to produce positive
results has no business being in
football and such a player had
better join a boozers club, he
was quoted by a local daily.
He went on to admit the tournament
Usefulness
gave him a chance to identify
Upon return from Sudan, a large
players he could work with.
section of the players accused
Fabisch of having insulted them
and putting them under immense
Any player who cannot
pressure especially
prior to the game
play under pressure to
against Uganda. produce positive results
This man
(Fabisch) has no business being in
thinks he is
the best coach football and such a player
around. Before
the match
had better join a boozers
he abused
some players
club. Reinhardt Fabisch
threatening
His subsequent team, from the
them to
squad that was in Sudan, included
Seif Mutie, Francis Onyiso, Musa
Otieno and Eric Cantona Ochieng.
Dropped Vincent Kwarula was
considered back a little later.
For Sammy Sholei, George
Sunguti, Paul Ochieng, Dan
Ogada, Henry Motego, Gerald
Origi, Nickanor Aketch, Steve
Odiaga, David Odhiambo and
Alfred Kiriga it was all but over.
The skipper then, Sammy Omolo,
had also been dismissed but some
five years later was recalled back to
the national team by James Sianga.
Follow Patrick Korir
on Twitter: @tipkorir
soka.co.ke 77
 SOKA CROSSWORD AND PUZZLE

Soka Crossword 5
1 2 3 4

7
5 6

8
Game Yetu Crossword
9 Across 33.Birthplace of former pro. footballer
10 11 12
1.__ Omumbo is Kenya national football David Beckham (5)
13
team defender (6) Down
14 15

18
7.Former Nigeria captain and coach also 1.__ Hilaire was one of the 1st
16 17 19

20 21
called Keshi (7) established black players in English
22 9.Ben __ plays as a goalkeeper for football (5)
23
Bolton Wanderers (4) 2.Jesus__ plays for Manchester City as
24 25 26
10.Involuntary painful contraction of a a right winger (5)
27 28 29
muscle (5) 3.A duration (4)
30 31

32 33
12.AFC Leopards nickname (5) 4.Michael __ is a Ghanaian footballer who
13.To gain the victory in a match (3) plays for Persib Bandung (6)
14.Lars __ plays for Bayer Leverkusen as a 5.A grouping of sports clubs for
Previous Soka Crossword Solutions
ACROSS: 1.Bans 3.Seung 5.Rami 7.Yaya midelder (6) games (6)
8.Duncan 10.Adam 11.Suarez 14.Wade 16.Danny __ is an English former central 6.Propel with force through the
16.Jumper 19.Pant 20.Ghost Mulee 23.Pump
25.Oliech 26.Messi 29.Header 30.Aggrey midelder (6) air (5)
31.David 32.Origi
20.Activity that requires physical 8.Mark __ is an English footballer who
DOWN: 1.Bandari 2.Neymar 3.Stars 4.Utaka exertion (8) plays for Brackley Town (4)
5.Run 6.Innocent 8.Doe 9.CECAFA 12.Uhuru
13.Rip 15.Suspended 17.Efe 18.Chelsea 19.Papi 22.A player whose position is between 11.Forbade (10)
21.Maher 22.Lampard 24.Play 27.Sugar 28.Greg
the forwards and full backs (4,4) 15.Akos __ is a Hungarian football player
23.__ OBrien was rst Irish female to who plays for FC Kairat (4)
Previous Pathnder Solution
P F : Harambee Stars Coaches play pro. football outside of Ireland (4) 17.A premier soccer organization in

Z T U E T E P H C R 24.Large inated ball of leather or Utah Valley (4 ,2)

U R A R O A R E A A plastic (8) 18.Greater in excellence (5)

26.Move swiftly on foot (3) 19.Outeld player who prevents
N K N O R M O L B Y
27.Simba __ is a Tanzanian football opposing team from scoring a goal (8)
J D D D O A L D R A
club (2) 21.__ Carneiro is the Chelsea medic (3)
O R E I N C K I R N
28.__ the pitch means away from the 25.Failure to gain the victory in a
N A E L G A G E E B pitch (3) match (4)
A K C H E J I K W U 30.Guards for the legs and ankles in 27.Rest on lower part of trunk of body (3)
T H J A S N B U N A sports (4) 29.Danny __ plays as a defender for

N A I L E O B H C I 31.Walter__ is Mathare Uniteds Nottingham Forest (3)

midelder (5) 30.Physical Education (abbrev) (2)
N I V A C H R I S T
32.Equality in scores (3)

PF: SOCCER POSITIONS

E C R E G N I W R E

N B A N G C K E L D Path Finder
T L C I B A D I F D The path nder grid below contains a selection of positions on a soccer
E L K W C R E F M I eld, starting with the highlighted C.
R U F N E E D E G N The words form a continuous path, passing through each letter on the
F O K T R E L N K I grid once. The path always moves horizontally or vertically, and never
W R C L A I F D C A diagonally.
A B A M I I D I T T There are 8 positions to nd in total
R R E T D M G N A R

D C E N F I E L D E

By Lenny Ruvaga ruvagalenny@hotmail.com

78 soka.co.ke
COVER STORY COVER STORY

soka.co.ke 79
80 soka.co.ke