Meddie Kagere: the outsider who won the hearts and minds at Gor

He is the much-sought after signing in Tanzania’s top-flight football league at the moment and, even with his down-to-earth personality, this is clear from the reaction of people when we reach out to him at the five-star Seascope Hotel in Jangwani, Dar es Salaam.

He alerts us to patiently wait for him as he leaves his room upstairs and as the elevator hits ground floor, it takes a little longer to open but when it does, the lean figure of the biggest signing in Tanzanian football, Meddie Kagere appears.

On his way out of the hotel, he is easily recognised by the hotel staff and as everybody steals a glance of Simba Sports Club’s most expensive acquisition.

All the while, there is only one thing running through his mind: He has to prove himself. He confidently walks across to us, white earphones hanging from his ears.

The Ugandan-born Rwandan is in his usual simple self, clad in a white t-shirt that exposes his well-built arms, and a black Umbro short.

And as he takes a seat in front of us, one thing is clear; Kagere has announced himself to the fans Simba but an air of expectation still lingers on among fans of the Tanzanian club in the city.

He has developed a new way coping with the distractions. He listens to his favourite RnB music from earphones hanging down his shoulders and tries to remain focussed on the job at hand. He pulls the earphones away from his ears and with a grin, he shakes my hand as we settle down for our interview.

Kagere scored for Simba on his debut in a 2-1 win over Rwandese champions APR in a Cecafa Kagame Cup match on July 2, just hours after signing a lucrative two-year deal with the 19-time Tanzanian champions last month.

“I am grateful for the little time I’ve been here. It wasn’t easy to come in a new team and cope with players to the extent of banging in goals from the word go,” Kagere says. And he is anticipating a hugely-successful season with Simba in Tanzania and many opportunities to display his stylish goal celebration.

“Any player who wants a land flowing with milk and honey must always be ready to face new challenges.”

Born in Entebbe, Uganda, 31 years ago, Kagere started his football career at Mbale Heroes before crossing over to neighbouring Rwanda for professional football at the now defunct Atraco FC in 2006.

“I was pursuing studies in electronics at Islamic University in Uganda and at the same time playing for Mbale Heroes and a Rwandan coach spotted me and advised me to play professional football in Rwanda. Since I had relatives there, I hurriedly packed my bags and, with the blessings of my mum, I left,” says Kagere, who is the second-last born in a family of five children. He has three brothers and one sister.

“While playing for Atraco in Rwanda, I attracted attention of scouts from Mukura who signed me up and the rest is history,” adds the five-foot 11-inch player who later found himself at Tunisian side Esperance from Police in 2012.

“My destination from Rwanda was to sign for BidVest Wits of South Africa but while there, was subjected to trials before my agent flew me to Tunisia signing for Esperance reserve side but after some time, we went for months without pay, I hadn’t even received my sign on fee so I got pissed off.

“Every player works for money and if you don’t get it, you’ll be demotivated. Unfortunately, I came to learn my money had been shared by the agents so after nine broke months, I packed and went back home.”

The father of twins re-joined Police in 2013 but after three months moved to Rayon Sports and six months into his two-year contract, left for Albanian giants KF Tirana in July 2014.

“While at Rayon Sports, I got a call up to the national team, I remember scoring in the game after which a scout approached me with a deal to Europe. We agreed on transfer terms and so I left for Albania to join Tirana,” recalls Kagere, who lasted only six months at the most successful Albanian team before becoming a free agent for the second time in his career at the close of the 2014 season.

“All their promises weren’t forthcoming, I was frustrated going for months without salary. I came back home again tired of playing football for nothing that I wanted a career break.”

“Immediately, Gor Mahia came knocking but I was fearful not to sign a longer contract because of my tribulations at other clubs. I opted for a one-year-contract at Gor in 2015 and I remember after signing with the club, the team manager Jolawi (Obondo) was sceptical about my productivity, but I told him to be patient.

“I scored in my first game and goals started coming thereafter, then Jolawi came and told me that every time I touched the ball, he remembered what I had told him earlier regarding patience with me,” Kagere, who in 2015 finished third in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) scorers’ chart with 13 goals, says.

“After my contract ran out, Zamalek of Egypt came knocking but a visa hitch killed the deal. Sometimes things don’t work out not because you are unlucky but because God hasn’t planned for it yet and so since the window had closed, I was forced to sit out for six months, club less.”

The departure of Michael Olunga from Gor Mahia to Swedish club Djurgardens left Gor in dire need of a striking partner for Jacques Tuyisenge whom Gor had broken the bank to sign for a record Sh4 million from Rwandan side Police in January 2016. That opened the door for Kagere to rejoin Gor.

“Gor heard I was planning to join AFC Leopards. In fact, negotiations were at an advanced stage. Tusker too made contact but the problem with them (Tusker) is that they wanted me to come to Nairobi by bus from Kigali. Their reasoning was that they could reserve me an air ticket only for me to skip and join Gor Mahia upon jetting in, so I declined. By then Gor hadn’t reached out to me. Through Musa (Mohammed), they found my contacts and swiftly booked for me a flight ticket, insisting I couldn’t join their rivals (AFC Leopards).”

His arrival caused a rift between Gor’s Brazilian coach Jose Marcelo “Ze Maria” and the club’s fans. The Brazilian preferred his compatriot Thiago de Lima over Kagere and with hours to closure of the 30-day mid-season transfer window, "Ze Maria" was between a rock and a hard place as to which player to draft in order to fill a single remaining slot for a foreign player at the club.

“You know Kagere had a good history here at the club but that was not going to necessarily be repeated. Brazilian Kaka did well at AC Milan, but when he returned for a second spell, he didn’t replicate his earlier shows, it’s not easy for these things to repeat themselves in the world of football,” Marcelo said at the time.

Fast forward, Kagere became a pillar in the team, scoring vital goals that handed K’Ogalo titles en route to being named the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya’s Most Valuable Player last year.

“I didn’t want to be destabilised by Ze Maria’s comments. Funny enough, he became my friend after realising I was netting crucial goals that eased pressure on him,” Kagere says.

“I know myself and I’m proud of my struggles.”

His second stint at the club however ended after playing a starring role against Simba. Gor Mahia beat Simba 2-0 in the final to retain the SportPesa Super Cup in Nakuru last month.

Kagere joined Simba on a Bosman rule, where he is destined to earn Sh550,000 and a Sh6 million sign-on fee.

The exit of the crowd favourite at Gor whom the fans fondly called ‘Luanda Magere’ in reference to the revered Luo warrior of yore, rocked the Green Army. Gor officials were heavily criticised for letting the striker leave.

“We gave him an offer of Sh3 million and an improved salary but he wanted Sh5 million that we couldn’t afford. Surprisingly, he showed up in Tanzania the following day dressed in the same clothes he had left our negotiation table with,” Gor treasurer Sally Bolo told the media in Nairobi on July 17.

And Kagere’s reaction to the accusations?

“I was a free player, they came in when they heard I was leaving that same night and no player will reveal his destination prematurely. If someone offers less money for renewal of a long-term contract when in the past he offered more for less, it means they don’t want you so I went for the bigger offer.

“Fans should understand that a footballer’s career is short and one needs to grab opportunities that give them big money. When you go broke, the same fans will ridicule you and accuse you of extravagance in your heydays.”

“I don’t think Gor has time for non-performing players, especially foreigners. If I wasn’t performing well at the club, I wouldn’t have lasted for two years in the team even if the club’s fans wanted me to stay.”

He is full of praise for a rousing reception he received at Simba. The club’s fans cheered his every touch of the ball and every tackle he made at Cecafa Kagame Cup where his four goals took Simba to the final before they lost 2-1 to rivals Azam.

Rejected and rebuked in equal measure at some point in his sojourn, Kagere, who recently acquired Rwandan citizenship after close to four years in the dark, insists hard work and patience is the solution to any struggling yet ambitious player.

“At times you don’t need to give up, you can try destinations and fail but later find the right place. I have faced this in my own way and ended up achieving something, even former stars went through such times but they struggled until they got what they wanted.

At times patience pays though it pains but you’ve to work hard for God will always reward your effort. People should never give up until their efforts bear fruit.”

The player wishes Gor the best of luck in future but is keen to add that he will live to remember scoring for K'Ógalo in three successive editions of the Mashemeji derby against AFC Leopards.

The striker has tipped Simba, who are currently in pre-season camp in Turkey, to retain the Tanzanian league title when the new season kicks off in August.

Outside football, he loves milk, rice served with chicken and spends his leisure time sleeping or spending time out with his family.

PROFILE

Name: Meddie Kagere

Born: October 10, 1986

Previous clubs: Police, Rayon Sports, Tirana, Gor Mahia

Current club: Simba SC (Tanzania)

Achievements: KPL title (2015, 2017), KPL Top 8 trophy (2015), two SportPesa Super Cup Golden Boot, SJAK Player of the year (2017)