Restoring Kisumu’s lost glory

By CAREY BWANA
Published March 10, 2010

Mwananchi hockey players. Photos by Carey Bwana

Once revered as field hockey powerhouse, Kisumu is slowly dwindling into just another city with no specific sports discipline to be proud of. Gone are the days when sports headline would barely pass without a mention of Kisumu in the hockey circles.

Even though there was only one active hockey club in the town – Kisumu Simba- the influx of players didn’t seem to overwhelm it because most players easily found their spot in most clubs in Nairobi, or joined clubs such as the Kenya Police or the Armed Forces.

Those were days when an inter-estate hockey tournament in Kisumu was likened to the once famous inter-parastatal KECOSO games. During the tournament, players from different clubs linked with their companions from the same estate, to battle it out with other estates. They were grueling matches symbolic of a division one league. There were more than 80 players participating, out of which 60 percent played for various clubs and the rest for their schools. One of Africa’s greatest players who also became Kisumu Simba coach and owner, Parminder Saini “Kake” used the forum to tap some of the best players to join his club.

It was in those days- the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s- that inter-municipality primary sports was still in full gear. Talent in soccer, track, field, netball and hockey, were discovered at a prime age and groomed to perfection. If you look back in history, you will appreciate that those were the days when Kenya was ranked among the top in the world map in hockey and other disciplines.

John Owuor

In the Olympics of 1984 and 1988, Kenya was ranked 9th and 12th respectively in hockey, where more than 85 percent of players in those teams were either members of Kisumu Simba, or resided in Kisumu. Just for records, Kenya’s all time best world record was in 1971 when it was placed fourth. Some of the players who represented Kenya at the Olympics and resided in Kisumu, included Emmanuel Oduol, Eric Otieno, Jitender Sing Panesar, Julius Akumu, Michael Omondi, Peter Akatsa, Parminder “Kake” Saini, Charles Oguk, Eluid Okoth, Paul Omany, Samson Muange, Samson Oriso, Victor Owino, Simi Goyal, Amit Goyal, Cliff Odendo, Eric Odingo, Clement Omany, Denis Nyamosi, Raymond Ocholla, Meshack Senge, Lusiro Gona, Brian Aduda, John Owuor, Tom Bello, among others. Needless to say, those days are gone.

Nostalgia is what remains in the minds of hockey players who idolized some of Kenya’s greatest. These groups of players- both old and young- however, have not been able to restore Kenya’s glory in field hockey in their era. They attribute this to politics, lack of incentives and few clubs, especially in Kisumu. Interviews of a cross section of players, who once either represented the country internationally, or played at a higher level in clubs or schools, reveals a disheartening state of mind.

Comments in Facebook, now one of the world’s largest Internet sources of old friends reconnection, and reminiscences, reveals the length some of these players went through as youth growing up in Kisumu, in an effort to build their skills using some of the most rudimentary ways, but it did the trick.

Victor Owino

During the schools hockey nationals, the last four teams standing, had a majority of players from Kisumu. Kisumu Boys, Cardinal Otunga, St. Patrick’s Iten and Kakamega High School, all had a large array of players from the potentially rich town of Kisumu. When these schools collided in the semi-finals and finals of the schools nationals, it befitted club hockey standards. As a matter of fact, the Kenya national team scouts used this forum to tap talents to represent the country.

In the United States of America, a group of these players residing in New Jersey, New York and Washington DC, have grouped to form a team called Wananchi. The team has created a lot of wave with their numerous wins in almost every tournament they participate in. Some of the former national team players in this team include Aduda, Owuor, Owino, Victor Machoka, Joyce Agunda, Odendo, Odotte, and Carey Bwana Most of these players however believe they can restore Kisumu’s lost glory. However, it will take more than believing to realize that glorious dream.

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