Jaro Soja, it was utterly shameful of you to film your dying mother 

Like him or hate him, there are very few fans out there who are quite as passionate about Kenyan football, in general, and Gor Mahia, in particular, as one Jared Abong’o better known as Jaro Soja.

Jaro Soja is without doubt Gor Mahia’s most famous fan. But while his loyalty to K’Ogalo is beyond question, he often appears to be competing with the club in brand publicity and merchandising.

So here is the paradox. You will never catch K’Ogalo’s number one fan in a replica club jersey. He ditched them a long time ago and instead settled on his ‘original’ Gor Mahia-themed military-style outfit which, I’m told, he tailors himself.

Jaro Soja also knows a thing or two about piggybacking on the club’s massive brand. He accessorizes all his outfits in Gor Mahia colours, be it his cellphone, wristwatch or cap. He also loves riding a pimped up green and white motorbike.

Manufacturing face masks

Ever the innovator, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2020, Jaro switched to manufacturing facemasks at a time when the government had made the wearing of facemasks mandatory for everyone in public places.

There’s no need mentioning the fact that Jaro Soja’s facemasks were all branded in Gor Mahia’s colours and emblazoned with the club logo. But I suspect this was an exclusively Jaro Soja venture. It’s most probable that the club was neither involved nor received its cut for the commercial use of its brand.

That’s Jaro Soja, the diehard fan-cum-enterprenuer.

Off the pitch, Jaro Soja has another persona that is tinged with a somewhat quirky sense of humour. Often his actions can best be described as toe curling, if not macabre. Like his most recent public stunt of sharing a video of his dying mother’s last moments.

Now, that’s my gripe with Jaro Soja. Even in this age where everyone is seeking validation, ‘likes’ and subscriptions on social media, I found Jaro’s actions utterly thoughtless.

The video, which was widely circulated on social media, showed his mother lying semi-unconscious on the floor as someone frantically attempted to resuscitate her.

The video also showed the mother being moved to a bed and later being loaded into a vehicle, presumably dead after the failed resuscitation efforts.

As you would expect, the video quickly became a hot subject on social media, many condoling with the bereaved Jaro Soja, others chiding him for stripping his mother of her dignity at her very final moments.

Now, how on earth does someone in his right mind go about filming and then sharing a video of his own mother’s tragic death? I would really like to understand what informed Jaro Soja’s senseless actions, because I’m of the view that as much as he may not look the part, he is surely smarter than that.

So was it just for the ‘likes’ or was that his most genuine way of sharing the sad news of his mother’s demise?

Luos love honouring the dead. Luo funerals are celebratory occasions that are incomplete without a big feast with plenty of song and dance. So to be fair Jaro, perhaps this was his way of honouring and keeping the memories of his beloved mother alive. Only he can explain his horrid actions.  

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