The life of a football juggling maestro during the COVID-19 pandemic

Edward Murimi in the streets of Nairobi juggling his famous ball [COURTESY]

Edward Murimi is an international award-winning juggler. But he does not look like one now.

The coronavirus whirlwind has turned the lives of many sportspersons upside down, leaving them dependant on crowds to earn a living. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, no one fancies being part of a crowd.

For Murimi or Gaucho – the Kenyan Ronaldinho, as he prefers to be called, life in the past few months has been a path full of thorns.  He depends on the small crowds he attracts whenever he picks up the ball and gets into his mojo, dazzling onlookers with his impeccable skill.

Whenever he takes into his art, the celebrated juggler from Dandora Estate in Nairobi calls all attention to himself.

“Show us what you got,” I challenged him when we met in Dandora a few days ago, as curious onlookers offered their eyes. Some, including myself, watched spitefully, scorning with the hope that he would falter and drop the ball. It does not happen.

They watch tirelessly as he loses himself in the spectacle. The ball arcs through the air and back to his head and rolls gracefully down his neck, to his feet, and then back to his head, oscillating, as if it were tied to a string.

The small crowd watching enviously and admiringly in equal measure gives in and explodes into applause when he decides it’s enough.

Ordinarily, the crowd would have swollen to hundreds and that would have translated to more coins in the tiny bowl he carries around. But today, the throng, afraid of police officers, quickly retreat to their activities after his display, sparing no coin for his bowl.

“It has been very tough for me because I depend solely on juggling to put food on my table,” says Murimi as he laments the government’s directive against gatherings that has pulled his clients, the curious onlookers, away from him.

“It is tough. I sometimes go hungry,” he answers after a deep silence when I ask about the challenges he currently faces, recalling the old days when a similar show would have left him with fat pockets.

He adjusts his dusty black facemask, and continues, “Juggling between life’s needs during the Covid-19 period has not been easy. People do not congregate like they used to. Those who care to look are usually broke,” he explains.

Murimi recalls a day when police officers arrested him for attracting crowds in town. They later released him but took away his ball - his main tool in hand in making ends meet.

The government through the ministry of health had suspended all public gatherings in efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19. This was after the first coronavirus case was reported in the country on March 13th, 2020.

“The suspension is for all public gatherings, no exceptions,” said the Health CS Mutahi Kagwe who later explained that a few approved assemblies would be allowed but not exceeding 15 people in attendance. Social distancing would also be observed.

Nevertheless, Murimi recalls, with admiration, the tale of his freestyle journey. Among his remarkable moments, he says, was to represent Kenya in a continental competition in South Africa. 

“I remember going to the African Freestyle Football Championships in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2013. We did our best then to fly the Kenyan flag high,” he says.

On top of the Johannesburg trip, the epitome of his experience was participating in a global freestyle competition in Brazil.

Through his football godfather, Ronaldinho Gaucho, Murimi says he learned from the best and always takes a challenge from him. Later on, he used YouTube tutorials to hone his skills.

“I used to watch Ronaldinho’s skills on Television when I was a little boy. I dreamt of being like him and I am now walking in his footsteps. I hope I will be one of the world’s best jugglers of all times,” explains the confident juggler.

Ronaldinho is notorious for cheeky football juggling skills. Whether in his days at Camp Nou donning the Barcelona jersey, or the days of glory at AC Milan, or the season at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), Ronaldinho enjoyed what he did with the ball and his fans loved it.

He brought joy to the game whether he was out on international assignment playing for Brazil or playing for the clubs that broke banks to have his services.

For Murimi, he has vowed to never drop the ball. He says, despite the challenges he will keep his head above the storm, and keep the life’s ball rolling. 

He now ventures on coaching in order to pass the skill to other generations. His rallying call now remains that all Kenyans remain vigilant in fighting Covid-19.

“Let us obey the guidelines by the government. Please wash your hands always, sanitize, wear a mask, and maintain social distancing. That way we will be able to return the normalcy where we can all go back to building our nation,” he concludes.

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