Gor Mahia fans in Kisumu have founded a new branch dubbed Taka Branch.
The new outfit, which translates to ‘garbage branch’ in English, has its base at the Kachok dumpsite next to Moi Stadium.
K’Ogalo’s visits to the lakeside city are fast transforming the place into a soccer magnet, with the business community and the fans getting an opportunity to witness their favourite team in action.
And now with the advent of Taka Branch, fans, most of whom cannot pay gate charges, can now follow the matches religiously without paying a dime.
It is reported that street urchins previously controlled the dumpsite and charged Sh50 for those who wished to follow the games from a heap of garbage.
But after the frustrating 0-0 draw with Western Stima a few days ago, angry fans forcefully vented their frustrations and organised a small coup to take over the dumpsite. There were claims the street urchins harassed over 200 fans who had paid them Sh50 each to watch the game.
“They came armed with crude weapons and started robbing people. Some of them even had human waste which they threatened to smear on those who dared to challenge them. They stole more than 10 mobile phones from people watching the game,” said one of the fans who added that: “It’s smelly here, but I would rather suffer the foul smell than miss a game.”
Gor Mahia has so far played 13 matches, winning 10 and drawing three. The resurgence, according to football fans, could see Gor become KPL’s unbeatable team, should they maintain their tempo and style of play for the entire season. It is no wonder that the team is fast gaining discipleship across the country.