Sweden's AIK sign another Kenyan international

AIK Football has added Collins Shichenje to its growing roster of Kenyan players.

The 18-year-old AFC Leopards midfielder has penned a deal that will keep him at the Swedish top flight side until December 2026.

The Stockholm-based side is home to Kenyan left-back Erick "Marcelo" Ouma and centre-forward Henry "Meja" Atola.

“With Collins, we get a physically strong fit midfielder who also showed in his club team that he can play as a central midfielder. Collins has been seen live by AIK representatives several times in the league game in Kenya, most recently in early March 2022 when chief scout Tobias Ackerman was down in Africa and saw him on site,” the men's team's sports director Henrik Jurelius told the club’s website.

Sichenje said coming to AIK was like a dream for him. “I could not have come to a better club at this stage of my career. I know both Otieno and Meja who play in the team and both have said very good things about the club to me,” he said.

Shichenje, who was born on September 19, 2003, left Kakamega High School’s Green Commandos SC from Kakamega in 2019 and signed a contract with AFC Leopards.

On March 13, 2021, Shichenje made his debut for Kenya's national team when they hosted South Sudan (1-0) at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi. In February last year, Sichenje joined PAOK Salonika in Greece but did not get playing time.

Otieno and Meja also had their playing careers developed at Green Commandos.
AIK starts its 2022 league (Allsvenskan)  campaign against hosts Hacken on Saturday.