Lejirma ready to swing his way to Kenya Open victory

The reigning Kenya Amateur Matchplay champion John Lejirma of Railways Golf Club. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

The Samburu people of north-central Kenya are largely known for their semi-nomadic activities.

They are pastoralists who keep large herd, mainly cattle, but also sheep, goats and camels. Now, one of their son John Lejirma has broken away from this age-old tradition.

The 28-year old prides himself as the only Samburu who can play golf!

Lejirma stumbled on the game at Golf Park in Nairobi in 2013 when he came from Nakuru to visit his uncle Jacob Lokoria.

Lokoria works at the expansive Ngong Race Course, where Golf Park is situated, as a horse trainer.

"After finishing my high school i didn't want to stay in Nakuru town, so i travelled to Nairobi to know more about the city.

"While at Golf Park, I was introduced to the game as a caddy, from there I started to learn more about the sport for about two years.

"It was not until 2016 that I started playing serious golf and now the rest is history," Lejirma told Standard Sports.

Despite being a late starter, Lejirma has already proved himself in the sport with three regional and one national titles to his name among other gongs.

He has won the East African Challenge in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Victoria Cup in Kenya, the Uganda Open and is the reigning  Kenya Amateur Matchplay champion.

The Kenya Railways Club amateur golfer was also the first local player to qualify for the 2022 Magical Kenya Open championships slated for Muthaiga Golf Club in Nairobi on March 3 to 6.

This was after he won the 2021 Kenya Amateur Matchplay Championships in Muthaiga.

"It's a great privilege to make it to the Kenya Open for the first time in my life.

"I feel my hard work has finally paid off.

"I will be competing against world beaters so I have prepared well enough to make my debut interesting ," he says.

The handicap 2 player reiterates that he is targeting nothing but lifting the bronze plated trophy at the Open.

"I feel I've got everything needed for the elusive victory; my swings are perfect, my putts are superb, I have great course management skills.

"It's almost 20 years since an amateur player made the cut in the Open after Boniface Simwa.

"I strongly feel like I'm the one who is going to break this jinx," he says.

Ahead of the prestigious European Tour event, Lejirma has been stepping up his training like a real Samburu warrior.

He has been attacking the range by hitting 300 balls iced with intensive gym work and a 9-hole game on Mondays.

He stretches this with an 18-hole play, which includes chipping and putting on Tuesdays.

Wednesdays are for treadmills; he runs and stretches his muscles to gain stamina and power.

He takes a rest on Thursdays.

"I return to the gym and on the range on Fridays. "On weekends, I play 72 holes.That's 36 on Saturdays and 18 on Sundays," he explained.

Lejirma and his coach, John Van Liefland, have planned to tone down these exercises a few days to the championships next week.

"We believe we have prepared enough, so we will embark on sharpening my short games; the chippings and puttings."

Coach Lifeland is best remembered to have led Kenya to victory in the regional Victoria Cup in Namibia a few years ago.

Lejirma believes his perfect knowledge of Muthaiga Golf Club will give him undue advantage over some of the opponents, especially foreigners, during the Open whose total prize money is KSh 227 million.

"Muthaiga is my favourite course, I know the fairways like the palm of my hand.This is where I won the Matchplay trophy.

"I know all the corners of this club, including even the tricky pin positions, so my challengers should brace for a bruising battle in this competition," he says.

The Nairobi District Matchplay champion  strongly believes Kenyan players will post great results at the Open since the local pros and amateurs have been engaged in the game all throughout the season.

The former Uganda Open champion also appreciates his sponsors Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) who have already catered for his logistics ahead of the Open.

"KRA have paid for my entry fee, caddie fee, accommodation and any other related expenses needed for the tournament, I appreciate their kind gesture," he says.

Since embracing golf nine years ago, Lejirma says he has gained a lot from the game.

" Apart from travelling to Ethiopia and Uganda where I also won the championships, I have met and interracted with amazing people.

"I have built great networks over time.

"I have been employed at the Kenya Railways Club as Golf Admin Assistant.

"The club has also subsidised my membership fee. I'm just grateful."

Lejirma is also grateful to Kenyan legend Jacob Okello and Joseph Karanja who have mentored him through the journey of becoming a stoic golfer.

"They coached me, they strengthened me mentally.They gave me my first playing kits and offered me a platform to jumpstart my career," he says.

Okello is the only Kenyan player to have reached the final at the Open in 1998, losing the trophy by a whisker in a sudden death play-off to Ricardo Gonzalez of Argentina.

Lejirma's advice to those who wants to join the game is that they should never give up despite the challenges like high membership fees at the clubs and the expensive playing kits.

In the next five years, Lejirma has hopes of playing and winning the Sunshine Tour event in South Africa.

"I urge my Samburu people to diversify their talents to other areas like sports apart from their passion to keep large herd of cattle." Kenya Amateur Matchplay Champion John Lejirma.

John Lejirma golf victories

2016: Led Kenyan team to joint victory with Uganda at the East African Junior Challenge in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

2016: Led Kenyan team to victory in the Victoria Cup at Muthaiga Golf Club.

2017: Railways Club Open champion.

2017: Railways Club Carliscle Cup champion.

2020: Uganda Open champion.

2021:Kenya Amateur Matchplay champion.

2021: Uhuru Shield champion.

2021: Led Railways Club to victory at the Nairobi District League Championships in Sigona.