14 Kenyan footballers secure US scholarships

Fourteen Kenyan footballers including three pros were at the weekend selected for sports scholarships in the United States following a partnership between sports consultancy firm Cageflam Kenya and South Africa-based Bridge Sports Foundation.

More than 50 players showed up at Jamhuri High School in Nairobi to try their luck in the six-day exercise that was overseen by US-based Briton coaches Daniel Smee and Louis Barrow.

They were assisted by Kariobangi Sharks coach William Muluya, Cageflam Director Gabe Van Wyk and former Mathare United coach Boniface Omondi. Among the 14 players, 11 are high school students from seven Nairobi-based High Schools.

They include; Andreas Odhiambo Omondi, Charles Fiod Otieno and Harrison Kinyua of Highway Secondary School, Moses Achuil Mawein, Neil Amusala Lemisi, Fidel Ochieng' and Hamisi Shaban of Jamhuri High School and Kennedy Odiero of Raila Educational Centre.

The rest are Sammy Mtola and Shedrack Mwadime Barisa of Lang’ata Boys High School and Newton Lushanka of Dagoretti Mixed High School.

The names of the three pros who made the cut will be made public once they reach an agreement with Bridge Sports Foundation.

Speaking to Nation Sport, coach Barrow said that he was impressed with the rich talent that was on display during the selection exercise. Dynamic, hardworking and welcoming were some of the qualities the Briton said the players selected met.

“There were some fantastic players here. I’d call them a hidden gem,” said Barrow, who has been scouting players around the world since 2019.

And while Barrow noted that Kenyan football is not aggressive like in the US, he exuded confidence that the players selected will star abroad.

Muluya said the essence of the program is to ensure that talented athletes also achieve their education dreams.

Known for giving young players a chance to showcase their talents at Sharks, the Harambee Stars assistant coach said he identified several top talents, whom he will keep tabs on with the hope of recruiting them in his team.

He said most of the players who showed up for the selection exercise are national football teams’ prospects.

“We have good players in the world who have studied but use their talents to make a living. The more we encourage our athletes to go the education way, the easier for them to make decisions on the field,” said Muluya.

With Bridge Sports Foundation having successfully sent over 30 young talented footballers to various universities and colleges in the US, founder Gabe Van Wyk assured the selected players that they will get the scholarships.

He said that academics is key to the program, which was why the foundation set grade C+ at the Kenya Certificate Secondary Education (KCSE) for the Kenyan players.

Wyk said the type of scholarships that the players will get will depend on their KCSE grades and capabilities on the pitch.

Only exceptional players and those with good grades will get full scholarships. “Coaches are willing to invest in students who excel in both (academics and football) and if not so, they have to be extraordinary in the field for them (coaches) to put their money to invest in the players coming into their programme,” said the Bridge Sports Foundation founder.

Bernard Itebete, the Corporate Sales Manager Sarova Hotels, said they agreed to sponsor the exercise since it forms part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.