Kevin Imo: From paralysis to handball greatness

There are no guarantees in life, only triumphs and setbacks, and Kenya men's handball team right back Kevin Imo knows this very well.

In a single moment, he went from living his best life as a handball player to being bedridden for a month.

In 2013, Imo had joined St Luke's Kimilili Boys' High School from Kamasielo Primary School in Bungoma County. He seamlessly fitted in the first team and led his school to three consecutive National Secondary School Games titles (2014,2015 and 2016), in the process winning individual awards like Most Valuable Player and top scorer accolades.

However, Imo's steady rise was slowed down by a nasty head injury suffered in 2015. During the Kibabii University Open Tournament in Kimilili in 2015, he fell head first leading to internal bleeding in his head that left his left side paralysed.

"I was rushed to Eldoret Referral Hospital where I stayed for a month. I remember the long days and nights I spent in hospital hoping to come back to my normal self. At that point, many would think of quitting the game but I was looking forward to going back to do what I loved doing, playing handball.

"The urge to walk again and do things by myself, saw me respond to treatment quickly and I was discharged. Just like any parent, my mother (Violet Muliro Nasimiyu) was worried and scared. She actually tried to convince me to stop playing but the passion and urge to continue playing couldn't let me. 

"I believed that playing handball would help me change my family's fortunes. Interestingly, later that year, I won the best player accolade during the National School Games in Nyeri. In 2014, during the East Africa School Games in Tanzania, I fractured my leg after landing poorly and stayed with a cast for almost a month. These injuries have strengthened me and taught me patience and determination," recollects Imo who is part of Kenya men's handball team that left the country Monday morning for Africa Senior Cup of Nations set for January 17 to 27 in Cairo, Egypt.

From football to handball

Imo, a natural left back, received his first national team call this year before he earned a place in the final squad of 16 players that will be seeking one of the five slots up for grabs for next year's World Championship which will jointly be hosted by Denmark, Croatia and Norway on January 9 to 27.

Imo remains indebted to his primary school teacher Milton Etyang at Kamsielo Primary School for convincing him to play handball.

"Every other pupil usually wants to play football and I was not any different. I loved football, and one day as I was passing by the handball court on my way to football pitch, handball coach Milton Etyang said I had physique for playing handball and not football and so he urged me to learn the sport," recollects Imo, who has been drafted in right back position alongside Nicholas Okore of National Cereals and Produce Board.

"Etyang coached me the basics and I picked up the sport and dumped football which was more competitive and looked like it was meant for chosen few. Of course, primary school games are not as competitive as secondary school but I played well in Class Seven and Eight and that's how I got a scholarship to play for St Luke's Kimilili. My mum was struggling to pay school fees for my siblings and getting a partial scholarship meant that the burden was lessened," says Imo who boarded a plane for the first time on Monday as the national team departed for Cairo. 

"I later got full scholarship in Form Three and Four after exemplary performance during the school competition both at the National and East Africa Games. This really meant a lot to mum and myself and that's why despite the many injuries, I have always find a reason to bounce back," added Imo who was raised by a single mother Violet Muliro. 

Transition from school to club handball has always proved difficult but Imo found it easy after Rangers men's handball team coach Gerald Abunde recruited him alongside Isaac Kololi and Edgar Wanzala while still a Form Three student back in 2015. 

"We had impressed during the National School Games in Nyeri and coach Abunde wanted us to play for Rangers who were participating in the Kenya Handball Federation National League. The teacher in charge of the sport in the school, Bernard Wangwe allowed us to join the club. On weekends, we would travel to Nairobi from Bungoma to play in the league. That was the first time I traveled to Nairobi," says Imo amid a cheeky smile. 

KDF breakthrough

His breakthrough arrived when he impressed for Rangers during a league match against Kenya Defence Forces. 

"There is a weekend we played against Kenya Defence Forces and I did well. I think I was the top scorer for my club. After the match, KDF officials asked me if I could join the club after clearing school. Playing for Rangers in the league helped to expose us," offered the 29-year-old.

With a ready job on offer at KDF, it was just a matter of time before Imo, a last born in a family of three boys (Dan and Tom) joined the soldiers. 

"I'm the beacon hope in the family. My two elder brothers don't have jobs, they do manual jobs in Kimilili while my mother is a fruits vendor at Kimilili town. Despite mum having reservations of me continuing to play after the injury scare, she was supportive after I told her KDF had offered me a job. I played for Rangers for a while after clearing Form Four in 2016 before I later joined KDF in 2017, which saw me play in the second Leg," said Imo, 29 who is attached to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, 75 Artillery station in Embakasi Nairobi.

"I was recruited in 2018 and played the full season. In 2019, I went for official training that saw me miss two seasons before I came back in 2022. It has been an interesting journey and I'm just happy that I chose to play handball when it was introduced in primary school. My life and that of my family has changed for better," he added.

National team debut

Imo is excited about making the final cut with the national team and will be looking to establish himself as a regular if selected in Cairo.

"We have a healthy competition with Okore and whoever the coach will choose to start the match will deliver. My endurance and speed has worked for me and I'm just looking forward to the competition. I hope to perform well in the championship so that I can become a mainstay in the team," said Imo.

Kenya are in Pool "D" alongside Angola, Tunisia and Nigeria.  

The open their campaign against Tunisia on Wednesday, battle Angola on Friday before they wrap up the preliminaries with a match against Nigeria on Saturday. 

Kenya finished in 15th position in 2020 in the event that had attracted 16 countries.

[email protected]