Tribute to the Origi-nal Austin 'Makamu' Oduor

Austin Oduor receives the Mandela Cup from the late President Moi in 1987. [FILE]

Kenya woke up on Wednesday, October 21, to the news that Austin Oduor Origi died on Tuesday night. Oduor is one of the unsung heroes of Kenyan football. Captaining a talented Gor Mahia side that beat Esperance de Tunis to the 1987 CAF Cup Winners’ Cup is just the icing on the cake of an illustrious football career.

Many players who shared the pitch and dressing room with him have kind words about him.

Nahashon Oluoch Lule was a good sprinter in high school until Oduor convinced him to focus on football. Mike Otieno owes his soft landing at Gor Mahia in 1988, straight from Musingu High School, to Oduor’s leadership. He was a natural leader with high intellectual and emotional intelligence.

Popularly known as “Makamu” - the deputy, for serving as the vice-captain to Peter Otieno Bassanga for many years, Oduor was born in Nairobi to parents who resided in Ziwani Estate in a family where four sons played in Kenya’s top-flight-league. Anthony Origi, Gerald Origi, and Mike Okoth were also great footballers. He attended Nairobi South Primary School and Highway Secondary School, where he captained the football teams at both schools. Austin Oduor’s discipline on and off the pitch was exemplary.

Back in the day, Ziwani was a poor but well-maintained neighbourhood. The houses did not have electricity, but the estate had street lights so children could play football, made from polythene papers, late into the night. That is how Oduor began playing football before moving with the bigger boys to the nearby Umeme Grounds. He joined Umeme FC in 1976 while still a student, where he played with Sammy Owino Kempes.

In 1979, Oduor, who was Oluoch Lule’s captain at Highway Secondary School, joined Luo Union (later Re-Union) while Lule and Kempes went to Gor Mahia. Gor Mahia had defenders like Oduor Cobra and Ogolla Kadir, with Bobby Ogolla as an understudy. Owino Kempes and Lule were needed in midfield and attack, but the defence was full for Oduor. Nevertheless, he joined Gor in 1980 and decided to fight for a spot. He also got a job with the Ministry of Works, as was common for players back then.

He was kept on the bench for some time until he had to be used as an anchorman, just in front of the defence in midfield. This is how he came to wear jersey number six despite being a defender. Back then, players kept to the number representing their position, as they did not have their name on the jersey. This did not guarantee him a position, as Gor had a horde of talented players, so he played only when the regulars were absent. Nevertheless, he waited his turn and worked hard.

His determination shone in Nigeria when Gor Mahia faced Bendel Insurance FC away. Oduor missed the first-round tie against Horseed FC of Somalia, but for some reason, he was played ahead of Gideon Hamisi in midfield. Gor Mahia won 2-1, and Oduor scored the second goal. In 1981, he began to get more matches, but the talent pool meant he still missed some games. Fullback Paul Oduor Cobra and sweeper Mike Ogolla Machine left in 1982, and Oduor moved back to defence as a sweeper.

The sweeper played as cover for the other defenders, a role some referred to as “libero.” Oduor was suited for this role because he was more tactical than the required physicality of defence. He also had an eye for a good pass, a trait picked up from his stint in midfield. He received his first call-up to the national team in 1985, when several caretaker coaches handled the national team after German tactician Bernard Zgoll left in 1984. That is also the same year Murila began to fade from the national team, and Oduor was more than ready to step in, but coaches had other plans.

Oduor was the Gor Mahia captain in 1987 when the club won a treble: the league, Moi Golden Cup, and the CAF Cup Winners’ Cup. Notably, John Bobby Ogolla was the national team captain.

Oduor was the captain, even though there were senior players in the squad. Bobby Ogolla joined Gor in 1979, and by 1980 he had proved himself and even received call-ups to the national team.

He partnered with Josephat Murila so well that Oduor couldn’t secure a spot in the national team until the mid-1980s. When Murila left, Oduor’s partnership with Ogolla was an extension of their chemistry at the club level.

He retired from football in 1993 after featuring for Kenya in three Afcon finals, between 1988 and 1992. He briefly coached Gor Mahia in 1994 but resigned due to frustration. He gradually moved on to focus on his career and family, where he raised Arnold Origi. The younger Origi played as a goalkeeper for Mathare United and later featured for clubs in Europe as well as the national team. Oduor is an uncle to Divock Origi, Mike Okoth’s son, who plays for Belgium.

The family hails from Ugenya but later moved to and settled in Makunga, Mumias, in Kakamega County.