Teen sensation eager to partner idol Olunga in Harambee Stars team
Benson Omala signs for Gor Mahia.
What you need to know:
- Omala grabbed media headlines last December when he scored five goals for Western Stima in three Kenyan Premier League matches.
- As a result, he was named the competition’s LG Player of the Month by the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK).
Teenage forward Benson Oluoch aka Omala says he is eager to partner his idol Michael Olunga in attack when Harambee Stars host the star-studded Comoros’s Les Coelacantes in a 2021 Africa Nations Cup qualification match.
The up and coming 19-year-old Kisumu Day student is among 40 players called up by new coach Jacob “Ghost” Mulee for the back-to-back clashes with Comoros.
The first encounter will be at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, on November 11.
The return leg is slated for Moroni on November 15.
Oluoch, a Form Four student, will Tuesday morning formally request for leave of absence from his school Principal Daniel Mwaturo to travel to Nairobi to honour the call to represent his country.
Local-based players are expected to begin training Wednesday. All players, technical bench members and administrators will first have to undergo mandatory Covid-19 tests.
With Zambia-based forward Jesse Were omitted, Omala will compete with North Africa-based duo Masoud Juma and John Avire, plus Ulinzi forward Oscar Wamalwa for a strike partnership with Olunga.
“I expected to be called up,” the youngster from Nyamasaria, in Kisumu, told Nation Sport Monday.
“I was called up by (Francis) Kimanzi for the Cecafa games last year and again against Zambia but didn’t make it to both squads because I was in school. I am looking forward to training with Olunga and Wanyama.”
Omala grabbed media headlines last December when he scored five goals for Western Stima in three Kenyan Premier League matches.
As a result, he was named the competition’s LG Player of the Month by the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK).
