Ex-Gor Mahia striker joins Irish amateur league side

Former Gor Mahia striker Paul Mungai Kiongera has joined Irish lower-tier side Killarney Athletic and could feature for the team as soon as gets his International Transfer Certificate (ITC).

Kiongera moved to Ireland earlier this year to settle with his fiancé and was eager to play some football. He started training with local side Killarney who moved with speed to secure his services.

“The lads are good. They’re welcoming and friendly. In Kenya when you move to a different team, people have a mentality that you’re there to take their position. Here the lads have tried to help me settle in,” the Kenyan striker told the Killarney Advertiser.

“There are some very good players. I would say that the standard is not top standard but you understand that it’s amateur. People don’t get to train every day, just twice a week or three times a week. It’s much better than the lower tier leagues in Kenya. I’ve noticed here that players try to find a solution quickly, try to go long, which is different. In Kenya we love short passing and we don’t hold the ball, but I’ve noticed here that people love dribbling. So it’s quite different.”

Kiongera sat out of Athletic’s season opener last weekend as he is currently awaiting international clearance to play in the Kerry District League. Killarney defeated AC Athletic 4-3 and manager Stuart Templeman is optimistic that the paperwork will be sorted out in due course so that the striker, capped 25 times, is available for selection.

He is set to be one of the highest profile player to play in the Kerry District League, a seventh level division in the Republic of Ireland football league system.

Before leaving the country, Kiongera had stints at Ushuru, KCB, Simba SC of Tanzania and AFC Leopards.