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Former Harambee Stars’ skipper Victor Mugubi Wanyama announced his retirement. Which means that he is not going to play football professionally, may be to stretch his bones on a Sunday afternoon.
His last club was Scottish side Dunfermline Athletic which he left last year. This got me thinking.
Between the year 2000 and 2010, standards in Kenyan football were so low, even the 2004 AFCON qualification must have surprised many. I call it the lost decade. The low standards were mainly due to perennial wrangles in the federation and struggling community clubs.
Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards’ toyed with relegation as the former ultimately got relegated. Shabana and Coast Stars could not stay afloat and folded. As these clubs struggled, Tusker, Ulinzi Stars and Oserian Fastac ruled the pitches.
In that decade, Ulinzi Stars won the league title thrice, Tusker and Oserian Fastac won two titles each as Sony Sugar, Mathare United and Sofapaka bagged one title each. This is also the year when Nzoia Sugar played in the 2003 CAF Champions League after finishing runners-up in the 2002 league that Oserian won. Oserian Fastac’s sponsors withdrew and Nzoia replaced them.
This is the reason why the three top talents in Kenya in that era never played for Gor Mahia or AFC Leopards’. Denis Oliech, Macdonald Mariga and Victor Wanyama are our greatest export to European clubs.
Only Mike Okoth Origi qualifies to feature among them but he came out of the local game in the early 1990s. The trio managed to feature in the UEFA Champions League without ever playing for Kenya’s two biggest clubs.
They could not risk to sign for clubs where a hat was passed around the stands to raise money for that day’s players’ allowances. Ironically even Mike Okoth played for Shabana and Tusker and did not feature for Gor Mahia like his elder brother Austin Oduor.
Oliech went to Qatar in 2003 and then France in 2006 via Mathare United. Mariga played for defunct Kenya Pipeline and Tusker before leaving for Enkopings SK in Sweden in 2005. Wanyama played for World Hope later Nairobi City Stars before going to Beerschot AC in Belgium in 2008.
Mariga went on to play for Parma and Inter Milan in the Italian League where he won the UEFA Champions League. He retired at fourth tier Italian League side Cuneo Calcio in 2019. He became the first Kenyan to feature in the UEFA Champions League in March 2010. Oliech featured for the first time in September of the same year for Auxerre.
It is only Oliech who returned to make amends by signing for Gor Mahia. A deal that was sanctioned by the club patron Raila Odinga in 2019. His last club was Dubai Cultural Sports Club where he left around 2015.
He scored a good goal in February 2019 to help Gor Mahia to beat their continental rivals Zamalek of Egypt 4-2.
Wanyama became the first Kenyan to score in the UEFA Champions League when he headed in a goal in Celtic’s 2-1 win over Barcelona in November 2012. He would later play for Southampton in the English Premier between 2013 and 2016 becoming the first Kenyan to feature in EPL.
He then moved to Tottenham Hotspurs until 2020 where he scored on his debut. He made 69 appearances for Tottenham scoring six goals. He sat out on the terraces as Tottenham lost the 2019 Champions League final to Liverpool in Madrid. He moved to Canadian side CF Montreal in the North American Major League Soccer. He spent four seasons in the MLS before moving to Scotland in 2024.
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It made me ask why Mariga and Wanyama did not consider giving local fans a taste of their finesse now that they played local football during the lost decade. Kenyans only got to watch them play in the national team but that’s a different type of football. Fans used to accuse Wanyama of not giving his all for the national team due to fears of injuries.
He should have considered giving AFC Leopards’ a season even if it is pro-bono. He could make cameo appearances just to spice up the league and inspire young players. This is the norm where most players who go to Europe from South America do. Ronaldinho despite success in Europe where he even won the Balon D’or gave his last four seasons to clubs in Brazil.
Wanyama remains one of the best talents to ever emerge from Kenya. Playing as a defensive midfielder, he brought power and vision. He was technically gifted which many times made him invisible on the pitch. He scored several firsts which have been etched in the annals of history.
He got about 64 caps for Harambee Stars and scored six goals. He has a lot to offer the local game outside the field.
He remained humble, grounded and supportive.
Let us hope that Wanyama will grant us the opportunity to watch him play against local clubs. There is still time.
