ETHNIC THREAD RUNS IN SPORTS: Defying stereotype despite ethnic bias

Some of the world's most famous and biggest passions in sport run under ethnic, religious and sectarian names; teams like Boston and Glasgow Celtics, The Maoris (rugby XV), Asante (Ashanti) Kotoko, Universidad Católica (football, Chile), Mumbai Indians (IPL Cricket), Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves (baseball) and Washington Redskins (American football). Kenya was no different when President Moi banned used of "tribal" names throwing organizations such as Abaluhya United, Digo United, Maragoli United, Sikh Union, Goan Institute and Gema FC into confusion

Gor Mahia Godfrey Walusimbi (left) vies for the ball against Tusker Fc's Andrew Tololwa during their TOP 8 match at City Stadium on 04-06-2014.PHOTO/DENNIS OKEYO

Not long after he became President in August 1978, Daniel arap Moi ordered sports clubs and social organisations, which he said had names denoting "tribal" or "racial" grouping to drop them and adopt alternatives with a "national outlook".
Thus, Abaluhya Football Club, Luo Union FC, Maragoli United FC, Digo United FC, Feisal FC, Sikh Union Club, Goan Institute etc, had to go.
For many years that followed and some even today, they retained the titles they took up after the Moi order, for example; AFC Leopards, Re-Union, Imara United, Mwenge, Simba Union, Nairobi Institute, etc.
Gor Mahia survived even though they had been targeted; on the basis that they had a Luo name and set up. Somehow, the club convinced the powers that their name was derived from a personality, Gor 'wuod' Ogada, rather than being a mirror of the Luo community around which the mighty football club was built.
However, the club was said to have had a waiting alternative, should Moi operatives have stuck to their guns. Maybe Gor would have converted to Great Olympic Rangers (Gor), a cheeky way to get around Moi. But they could not even have risked "Gulf" because that would have suggested they came from the lakeside in Luo Nyanza. The order of the change of names clearly knocked some passion out of those organisations, especially the sporting ones.
The world over, sporting passions run around some social identity. But you can hardly conclude that names or even the basis under which those organisations were formed is ever used to discriminate.
Everyone was welcome, the critics of the Moi order said, to play sport at, say Luo Union, Gor Mahia, Sikh Union or at Abaluhya, irrespective of his/her tribal or race background. Indeed there was a precedent. Those teams had examples of players in their ranks from "outside". One of the rare examples, at the time was the goalie of the then indomitable men's hockey team in the country and in the continent. Jack Simonian, also a motor rallying ace and businessmen who ran the petrol service station on Koinange Street - where the Kengele's Restaurant stands today -starred for Sikh Union. He was of European descent rather than a Kalasingha.
The Moi ban was contrary to a great tradition of flourishing sporting teams based on "tribal" passion, but which everyone else dies to be part of.
The Celtics are one of the world's best known tribes - their roots being in Ireland and Scotland. Yet the name drives some of the world's most famous sporting teams including Boston Celtics (basketball), Glasgow Celtics (football) and "The Irish" is nickname of one of American universities' top sporting programmes, at University of Notre Dame (Indiana).
At its all-time best, an almost all-Black Boston Celtics had only one recognisable white player, Larry Bird, when they dominated the NBA (National Basketball Association) championship with Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls amid one of the most famous rivalries. Furthermore, Boston Celtics' most iconic legend is Bill Russell, an African-American who was an unrivalled centre between 1956 to 1969.
London Irish, London Scottish, The Maoris; all rugby union sides of much tribal connotations, are much cherished by players from all backgrounds. Sport knows no barriers.
In Africa, too, no matter their roots, sports sides go for the best sportsmen to bolster their teams so that they can beat their rivals. Ashanti Kotoko of Ghana, for example, don't be fooled by their name, will pick any tribe, blue or yellow in colour, to bring to Kumasi so that they can beat bitter rivals Hearts of Oak or Great Olympics in Ghanaian League championships.
Young Africans of Tanzania have just brought in two Hispanics from Brazil as they embark on the new Vodacom League season. And hasn't Kenya's own Paul Were just gone down to South Africa to join the Premier Soccer League's Amazulu?
Even at the time (the Moi ban order), Gor Mahia already had a long tradition of picking the best players they could find irrespective of tribe. For instance, nearly every great football talent that popped up in Kisii or a "Mswahili" (read, from Kenya's Coast of Tanzania) found himself at Gor Mahia. The list of luminaries include: Chris Obure (who later became a Kenya Cabinet Minister), Francis Nyatome, Masanta Osoro, Abdalla Shebe and Abbas Khamis Magongo.
The tradition continues. Below is a recent Gor Mahia line-up and even a casual look throws up the fact that the names are not all from the roots of the club formed in 1968:
1 Frederick Onyango 18. Haroun Shakava
5. David Owino 5. Musa Mohammed
2. Godfrey Walusimbi 6. Collins Okoth
3. Geoffrey "Baba" Kizito 9. Timothy Otieno
7. Eric Ochieng' 8. Danny Sserunkuma
11. George Odhiambo 23. Joel Bataro
7. Simon Mungai Mburu 13. Charles Bruno
14. Kennedy Omogi 4. Kevin Oluoch
12. David Juma Otieno 20. Joseph Maina Kariuki
16. Arthur Semazzi
When the all-powerful Moi made the edict, which caused a countrywide consternation, sports followers could not fathom the fuss, but there was not even a feeble protest.
Abbas Parkar, a Nakuru sports correspondent for the 'Nation' Newspaper, however, felt obliged to write about the phenomenal rise of a Nakuru-based football club whose ambitions were cut short by the change-of-name order by Moi.
Apparently, since the Luo had Gor Mahia, Luo Union in Nairobi and Ramogi in Mombasa; the Luhya - many prominent football teams such as Abaluhya, Maragoli United [and numerous as small clubs in Nairobi – Marachi, Bunyore, Khisa, Tiriki], Abeingo (Nakuru) and Western Stars (Mombasa), and the hockey Kalasingha had Sikh Union and Khalsas, the then Central Province did not want to be left behind.
The Gikuyu, Embu and Meru Association (Gema) had been in existence, mainly involved in business and political consolidation around President Jomo Kenyatta from who Moi took over after death on August 22 1978.
Gema had eventually formed a football club, the mentor being one of the association's power-brokers, Kim Gatende, then the Provincial Engineer, Rift Valley, based in Nakuru.
Gema FC's rise and influence in the Kenya National Football League was fast and furious. They instantly became the only threat to the Gor Mahia/Abaluhya hegemony. Matches involving these three clubs were fiery both in Nairobi and Nakuru.
But when they could not operate as Gema and while in any case, Gema was on Moi's radar of those organisations to be cut to size, there was no way the football team could survive in the Moi era.
But Abbas' article outlined how when Gema was alive and much-endowed, their only concern and passion was to build the best team possible and recruited from any corner of the country they found a good player.
The names on the early line-ups were interesting. The most famous being Sammy Taabu, later a great AFC Leopards and Kenya midfielder, who in Marshal Mulwa's Harambee Stars' side won three consecutive Cecafa Challenge Cup titles in 1981, '82 and '83.
Taabu's great Gema team-mates included non-Central Province names such as Dick Anyanga, Anthony Abinya, Joseph Amwata, Abdul Raheem Karama and Mahamed Suleiman. Gema's efforts to tap the hidden talent among Central Province people unearthed rare gems such as Ben Chegge and "Bishop" Gatimu.
Patrick Naggi, later to rise as a Harambee Stars manager (1990 Africa Cup of Nations) and a leading coach in the country, had his best playing days at Gema. Gema FC was well funded due to its officials' closeness to the Government of the day. It was amateur days then and it was the easiest of tasks to get employment for Gema players in the civil service. Many found working stations in Nakuru. Nevertheless, you just need to see the Gema squad of its heydays to conclude that it was soccer talent that contributed to being on the team.
Gema FC (circa, late 1970s):
Mwinyi Juma Abdul Raheem Karama
Dominic Mugo "Bishop Gatimu"
Fred Owiti Salim Mwaviro