Gor Mahia player Wafula is innocent, get him a passport!

 

 Gor Mahia Midfielder Innocent Wafula at a past game in Nyayo stadium Photo: Courtesy

News that Coach Bobby Williamson had to drop Gor player Innocent Wafula from the Harambee Stars squad to face Cape Verde in the coming week hit me by surprise.

This youngster has demonstrated his ability to play good football.

Wafula is the embodiment of the saying that goes: ‘what matters is not the dog in the fight but the fight in the dog’. My friend Abirry Wuoche Gweno says in his mother tongue ‘thin thin oken midekre ‘ or translated as ‘ being thin is not being mediocre’.

Bobby said he dropped Wafula because of his lack of a passport and that his nationality is in doubt. Wafula claims he is from Teso in Busia County but the immigration officials maybe think otherwise. What we all agree on is that the youngster is from one of the East African states. However, matters are made worse by the fact that the lad went to school in Uganda, participated in an East African Secondary Schools ball games tournament representing a Ugandan school and has a Kenyan name, or is it Ugandan? Moving further he has a Luhya name but claims he is a Teso who plays for Gor Mahia a predominantly Luo supported club. To me Wafula is the real epitome of what a united East African should be.

Why the fuss about his nationality when we have seen such cases resolved easily since time immemorial? It understandable that we are nowadays in the electronic age when records can be retrieved with ease and evidence tabled to resolve any misunderstanding.

Before the advent of computers and before they could be used as tracking tools, we had one Abbas Khamis Magongo a.k.a Zamalek. I have never seen a player, so diminutive yet so lethal, skillful and stylish like Zamalek. He emerged from down Coast as a player with Kenatco FC. When the Nairobi scouts spotted him, they went for the hunt. Both K’Ogalo and Ingwe handy men were set loose to try and corner him to sign for them. Those days, no soccer official had the money and seriousness like Alfred Wekesa Sambu.

As Chairman of AFC Leopards, he could do anything to lure any player to Ingwe. Who was Abbas Magongo to say NO to loads of cash ? On the other hand, K’Ogalo had Joab Omino as their Patron and Len Julians as coach. Len was a retired Arsenal FC winger who believed in carpet ball, tiki-taka or ‘kaguse’ as it was called in Eastlands.

Before Len took his end year break to go to the UK, he issued firm instructions that had to be met before he returned. He instructed that if the team wanted him to lift the continental trophy by the time he returned they must recruit, Magongo from Kenatco FC, George ‘ Nyangi ‘ Odembo and Peter ‘Zimbo’ Owade from Motcom FC-Kakamega respectively. Zimbo slipped through his fingers and joined Ingwe. Magongo was from Mombasa the home of ‘kaguse’ in Kenya, need I say more? He chose K’Ogalo and the rest is history. Rest in peace Zamalek.

I am using Magongo’s story to show that all along nobody raised, discussed or even imagined his nationality. Both K’Ogalo and Ingwe officials of those days knew how to do things ‘chini ya maji’. He proved himself in the club and became Kenya’s best midfielder who could play both defensive and offensive roles. He could also play the famous and magical No.10, a position reserved internationally for the most intelligent player in any club. The ‘Green Army’ nicknamed him ‘Orieko’ meaning ‘ the clever one ‘.  

Magongo was born in Tanzania but as a teenager he crossed over from Mwanza to play soccer in Mombasa then Nairobi. He toured the world as a Kenyan playing for Harambee Stars and pledging loyalty to our national anthem. His talent earned him a national identity card, passport, spouse and family. He stayed in Outer-ring Estate and at some point owned a fleet of ‘Wepesi Peugeots’ playing the Nairobi – Kisumu route. When he passed on in Malindi, his people crossed over to bury him according to Muslim traditions.

As Magongo was playing for K’Ogalo, Ingwe had a formidable defense, water-tight to the core. The backline included John ‘ Papa ‘ Arieno and one Sammy Simiyu. The duo could win as much as 90% of all aerial balls courtesy of their height, courage, physique and commitment. ‘Simiyu’ is a typical Luhya name and anyone watching him play would marvel at the way he was ready ‘ to die for his community ‘. Wait until he opened his mouth that’s when his fluent Kiswahili would betray him.

Somehow he was a soft spoken man who said very little outside the pitch. Before Ingwe, Simiyu had played for Shabana FC of Kisii. The club had crossed the border through Migori and Isebania for an off-season friendly match in Nothern Tanzania. That’s where his talent was spotted and his journey into Kenya began. Rest in peace Sammy.  

The entire Kenyan nation kept quiet when these two played for their clubs and for Magongo, our national team. Another player who demystified this nationality and passport business was Taiwo Leo Atieno. He arrived here from the UK, son of a Kenyan father and British mother. Within weeks he secured a passport and was even named in the Harambee Stars team before he stepped into any pitch.

Innocent Wafula has proved his worth and we understand he has an identity card which he used when K’Ogalo travelled to Dar for the 2015 CECAFA tournament. He may have secured temporary travelling documents, but officials should now aggressively follow up and get the youngster a passport.

In any case he like Magongo and Simiyu did not play for any other national team before Kenya. Since Wafula is innocent who should fight for him?