Delicate balance for players pursuing studies

Anew generation of Kenyan footballers keen on pursuing academics and sports has emerged and the trend is quickly taking root.

From Gor Mahia’s Michael Olunga who is pursuing degree in engineering at Technical University of Kenya, ex-Gor Mahia and KCB forward Paul Kiongera (Bachelor of Commerce, Kenyatta University), there are many cases in point.

There is also Western Stima forward Ronald Okoth (Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedicine, Masinde Muliro University) and Mathare United midfielder Vincent Okello (Sports Management, Kenyatta University).

Still, there is AFC Leopards midfielder Bernard Mang’oli (Kenyatta University) and Posta Rangers defender Edgar Waudo (Bachelor of Business Administration and Management, St Paul’s University).

But Olunga is the very embodiment of this new crop of players. When he burst into the national limelight three years ago as a rookie striker with bubbling potential, football analysts were quick to prophesy that Olunga would be the next big thing in Kenyan football.

In some quarters, this prophesy was received with scepticism. This is because it has been the norm that in Kenya, talents sprout, and before they can begin to blossom, they stagnate and wilt altogether.

Players like George ‘Blackberry’ Odhiambo, Rama Salim and Paul Were were touted to be the next big thing in Kenyan football but they have not quite fulfilled their potential. They were cut from the same cloth, and were at one point destined for greatness but five years on, the story is different.

At the moment, the lanky Gor Mahia striker, Olunga is the talk of town. At 21, he has the world at his feet. His future is bright, not just football wise but also academically. Just nine days ago, he was unplayable scoring four goals in a league match as K’Ogalo swept aside Chemelil Sugar 4-1.

TOP SCORER

His heroics put him in the league’s top scorers’ chart on 11 goals, and is now firmly on course to claim the Golden Boot award. He is also in contention for the Most Valuable Player award should he continue his form.

Discipline, Olunga says, has helped him learn how to juggle between books and football. When asked whether studying engineering has in anyway helped him become a better striker, he chuckles into a hearty laughter.

“The concept of calculation. I must calculate my runs to beat the off side trap but I must say there is no direct correlation between mathematics in an engineering class and football. In modern life, technology and communication is the in thing. Technology is taking over the world. Satellite mapping, photography are all in thing and I want to be part of that.”

“Balancing school and football is no easy task, because once you are on the pitch, you get tired and mentally fatigued so when you get to class you are worn out,” he adds.

Besides football and school, Olunga is a highly religious man. “Before I get to the pitch, I pray and also thank God when I get home.”

Born in 1994, in Nairobi’s Lucky Summer Estate, the last born in a family of six, had an ordinary upbringing.

He grew up playing football on dusty streets of Lucky Summer, where to date, a tarmac road remains a dream. He attended the nearby Baba Dogo Primary School before proceeding for his secondary school education at Upper Hill High School where his sporting talent began to blossom.

At Upper Hill, he was not only one of the elite athletes. Football had become his love, his passion and his way of life. He became entangled with the game in the same vein he was with his books.

“I was never much of a bookworm in school, but I was active in games but also worked hard in my studies. Whatever you decide to do, you must always give it your best,” the third year Geospatial Engineering student at the Technical University of Kenya told Sunday Nation Sport in an interview.

Now at Gor, Olunga, has become a household name and is one of the most talked about footballers in Kenya at the moment, so much so that some pundits are already comparing him to former Harambee Stars striker Dennis Oliech. But does he think the comparison is justified? “I play different kind of football and so I and Oliech are not the same. I’m not under pressure to replace him,” he said.

In his O level exams, Olunga scored a mean grade of A plain, earning admission at the University of Nairobi to study Geospatial Engineering.

“At the moment I’m contracted to Gor. I have no plans to move, but God’s time is always the best,” he said of his future plans. “I would however want to play for European leagues in the next five years, help Kenya to shine and be the best striker in Africa.”
AFC Leopards’ midfield dynamo Mang’oli who studies at Kenyatta University is also nearing completion of his studies, same as and Posta Rangers defender Waudo who is set to finish his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Management from St Paul’s University in December.

LAW STUDENT

Waudo also holds a Diploma in Law from the University of London which he pursued through distance learning.

“There is life after football. I had a sober discussion with my mother and she encouraged to go back to school because you never know what the future holds.

“Balancing between work, football and school is quite hectic. It requires big discipline and what has helped me is the fact that I don’t take beer or go out.” Waudo explained. “It is a hectic life and at the end of the day, it takes toll on the social aspect of my life.

Former Gor Mahia and KCB forward Kiongera who last week made a return to Tanzanian powerhouse Simba Kiongera, is a third year student of Bachelor of Commerce at Kenyatta University.