Top Kenyan referee Tabitha celebrated as local ambassador

Football France and Arsenal striker Thierry Henry (left) poses for photos with Tabitha Wambui, a Kenya Premier League referee, at Ruaraka grounds on December 15, 2017. Tabitha has been named the Kenya's Made of Black Ambassador. PHOTO | MARTIN MUKANGU |

What you need to know:

  • Njoroge, 39, a widow and mother of three, has been signed up by Guinness as an ambassador to promote the “Made of Black” partnership.
  • The partnership has primarily been coined to celebrate the unique passion among African fans.

Visiting football legend Thierry Henry has congratulated Kenyan woman referee Tabitha Njoroge following her efforts that enabled her receive nomination as one of the best referees in the SportPesa Premier League.

Njoroge, 39, a widow and mother of three, has been signed up by Guinness as an ambassador to promote the “Made of Black” partnership.

The partnership has primarily been coined to celebrate the unique passion among African fans.

And the former French international, who graced this launch at a Nairobi hotel on Friday, acknowledged the efforts made by Njoroge in contributing to the beautiful game and earning a living from it. 

“I watched the video of Tabitha and I must say she is an inspiration to many,” said Henry.

“While success is looked at from different perspectives by different people, her story really is encouraging to many people.

“Refs have one of the most difficult jobs in the game. Almost always you will never satisfy both teams and their sets of fans. When is it that they have a good game? Each and every moment someone is nagging them over that penalty, free-kick, foul, yellow card and they have to make all these decisions in a split second.”

For her part, Njoroge explained her journey in a male-dominated industry into becoming the only female Fifa-accredited referee in Kenya has been anything but easy.

“As a referee, one is always faced with difficult decision-making challenges. We make decisions very fast. It is key to abide by what you have decided and stand your ground. The same applies in life,” she said.