Madness re-loaded: Rural-urban migration blamed for exacerbating football fans’ raw disrespect for the rule of law

Gor Mahia fans on their way to Machakos for their KPL match against Sofapaka last month

The behaviour of Gor Mahia fans seems to evolve with time. Although the fanaticism has remained intact, the madness has reached intolerably dangerous levels.

The old Gor fans of the 1980s and 1990s were moderate and somewhat ‘civilised’. They were not the sadistic type who relish spewing blood and destroying private property.

Not that there were no cases of violence even then. There were cases of harassment, but not predictably spontaneous violence witnessed lately. The worst they did in that era was destroying vegetation at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after their club beat AFC Leopards in the final of East and Central African Club Cup Championships in Khartoum, Sudan, in 1985.

A car that was bunt by Gor Mahia fans in Machakos after Gor lost 3-2 during their KPL match against Sofapaka at Machakos Stadium on Sunday 26/10/14.PHOTO:BONIFACE OKENDO

Other incidents seen as outlandish, but not out of character, included boarding a train to the lakeside town of Kisumu and, using the tyranny of numbers, overwhelming train attendants at the point of arrival so as not to pay for the fare.

The haughtiness has remained constant. The singing is still ecstatic. The typical Gor fan must sing their anthem, which was widely popularised by the Kenya Prisons Band ‘K’Ogalo, Goooor Gor Mahiaaaaa, K’Ogalo, Goooor timbe duto yuakni’ (Gor Mahia, all teams are crying for you).

The rich repertoire included popular compositions like ‘Gor taya wang’ni meny jii duto, taya dok, taya dok.’ (Gor the light that glows all over the place).

The Prisons Band of 1980s, under the command of a smiling lady, had struck a rapport with Gor fans such that the band would belt its popular number of ‘Timbe tinde yuakniii... every time it reached the club’s side of the stadium, much to the satisfaction of their legion of fans, who would then walk happily out of the stadium to different destinations, especially after winning.

But the current level of madness is beyond anybody’s imagination. Early this year, some fans were subjected to near-fatal machete attack inside Muthurwa market after their assailants endured back-to-back weekends of songs they perceived to demean a top politician and berated his people as good-for-nothing thieves.

They were ambushed inside the dark alleys of the market late in the evening as they sang and danced from City Stadium.

For the past decade, the madness has taken a completely new turn. Convoys of matatus are hired to ferry them for ‘away’ matches. The point of departure -- city centre -- turns into a theatre of the absurd.

Clad in green or white, with names, real and monikers, depicting deep cultural identity and pride, emblazoned at the back, accompanied by female fans apparently suffering from a medical condition resembling what American Psychiatric Association classifies as histrionic personality disorder (HPD) behave in weird manners.

These fans, many who look intoxicated and carry clubs and vuvuzelas, sit right in the middle of the roads and do everything considered bad habit by any average person.

American Psychiatric Association describes HDP victims as people characterized by a pattern of excessive attention-seeking emotions, usually beginning in early adulthood, including inappropriately seductive behavior and an excessive need for approval. Histrionic people are lively, dramatic, vivacious, enthusiastic and flirtatious.

Unbeknown to them, HDP lies in the dramatic cluster of personality disorders. People with HPD have a high need for attention, make loud and inappropriate appearances, exaggerate their behaviours and emotions and crave stimulation.

They may exhibit sexually-provocative behaviour, express strong emotions with an impressionistic style and can be easily influenced by others.

They shout, sing, intimidate, taunt and gesture at passersby. The buses they hire are fitted with music equipment that belt traditional music ohangla, which is very popular with the region where the club draw their fanatical following.

From the city centre, they virtually overrun traffic police officers along the route. Gor Biro, Yawne Yo” (Gor coming, make way).

It’s drama throughout the route to their destination, Kisumu, Nakuru, Machakos or Thika.

A keen observer of the evolution of Gor Mahia, and AFC Leopards fans, Omar Adeya, drew a distinction between the current and old fans.

“The old fans of Gor were urbane, people born and grew up in the city and other main urban centres. They were not completely civilised, given their equally negative energy-spurred rendition of their fanaticism, but they were cognizant of the dictates of a civilized modern society. They could not take the law into their hands with the brazenness and impunity we see today,” said Adeya.

“They behaved much better because they respected other people. They were descent, compared to the current generation,” he says.

“But the rural-urban situation and unemployment has brought youths who have only known the village throughout their early life into the city, carrying along all bad manners and ignorance of everything that define the world,” he said.

Masquerading as football fans, they have found a perfect breeding ground for their barbaric rural life behavior, which has occasionally seen them relieving themselves on the Tom Mboya Monument along Moi Avenue and which saw them engaging in running battles with police in Machakos, when they destroyed everything, including the bus that took them there.