They left the game for ‘siasa’

[Photo: Courtesy]

Kenya enjoys several sports disciplines although the most followed are football, athletics and rugby in that order. Remotely we also have volleyball, boxing, cricket and motor racing. Famous sportsmen and women who also threw their hat into the political arena are:
Elijah Masinde
Arguably the first footballer to become a politician. Masinde was born around 1912 in Kimilili, Bungoma County. He was the captain of Bukusu FC but also represented Kenya in the famous Gossage Cup. He was an activist who led protests against any injustice by the colonialists. He founded Dini Ya Musambwa, a protest movement which became a religious sect. Legend has it that as a footballer, he could do extra ordinary things. He played for the Kenya team that played against Uganda in 1930. It is alleged that Masinde once kicked a ball high into the skies only for fans to wait for it in vain. It never came back to earth. Although he did not seek any politically elective position he was considered more of an inspirational spiritual leader among the Bukusu community. His protests against perceived injustice earned him detention stints during the Jomo Kenyatta regime. Latter day politicians have on many occasions trooped to his burial shrine apparently to seek blessings and divine intervention. He died in 1987 in Bungoma.
Joab Omino
Popularly referred to as ' Omino Boli' he is arguably the first Kenyan to combine academics and football. Born in 1940 in Maseno Kisumu County, Joab Omino came from a more or less aristocratic family. His father, Joel Omino was a long serving civil servant in the colonial government. He ended up as the chairman of Kisumu County Council the equivalent of the current Kisumu County.
As a student at Makerere University, Joab Omino played for both Kenya and Uganda national teams. He also served as Permanent Secretary in various ministries in Kenya before joining elective politics at the turn of multi-partyism in the early nineties. In the eighties he was the Patron of Gor Mahia FC a position which maybe came in handy when he joined politics to be MP for Kisumu Town. Omino knew how to use the football as a political symbol to endear himself to the youth in Kisumu.
Chris Obure
A few years after Gor Mahia was formed in 1968 as a community club it welcomed it's first non-Luo player in Chris Obure then a Bcom student at University of Nairobi. He played on the right wing as his favourite position. Later on Obure became an official of a caretaker federation named to handle soccer administration countrywide. In between he served as the founding member of Bata Bullets FC. His love for soccer did not stop there, he joined Kenya Breweries as the Company Secretary but would never miss any opportunity to mingle with soccer lovers at the stadiums. When he joined politics as Member of Parliament for Bobasi, Obure was a well known name. He rose to the positions of Cabinet Minister and Senator for Kisii County where he also contested for the governor's position in 2017.
Dan Shikanda
Born in Maringo Estate, Nairobi Shikanda like Omino and Obure combined academics, soccer and politics with ease. Although there were other medics like Dr David Olima and Dr JJ Masiga ahead of him, Dr Dan Shikanda plunged into elective politics in 1997 when he tried to be MP for Makadara. He lost to the late Dick Wathika. He did not stop there and was back on the ballot for bigger things. He tried this year's Governorship as running mate to Peter Kenneth. In his soccer days he played for both AFC Leopards, Gor Mahia and Harambee Stars.
Peter Kenneth
Born in 1965 at Bahati Estate in Nairobi, Peter Kenneth had to naturally pick up interest in sports. He opted for soccer where he played as reserve goalie for Re-Union FC. He wasn't really your flamboyant type of player but somehow he was on their line-up. This would become his stepping stone to soccer administration when in 1999 he vied and won the position KFF Chairman. His becoming MP for Gatanga and vying for governorship came in handy for someone who was now a household name in soccer administration and also a corporate executive.
Jerry Onyango
Jerry was Captain of Gor Mahia FC when they did managed a hat-trick KPL win in 2013, 2014, 2015. According to soccer circles he was a celeb of sorts, what with being also goalie for the national team. In the eyes of many, Jerry had achieved more than his local contemporaries. Not to the voters of Ugunja Ward, Siaya County. They showed Jerry that politics was a different ball game. His being in 'party ya baba' did not help matters. They proved that owning a good portion of the cheering crowd is never equivalent to owning voters.
Alfred Khang'ati
He played volleyball for the Kenya national team and became their top official. Khang'ati used his visibility to endear himself to the electorate in Kanduyi, Bungoma County. He managed to get elected to be MP in 2013. He upgraded to vie for governorship for Bungoma County.
Judy Wakhungu
If serious sports people were to be counted in Kenya's political arena, very few Kenyans under the age of 40 would include Prof Judy Wakhungu the current Cabinet Secretary for Environment. That is how private and guarded she is on her sporting background. With her sister Susan they were international lawn tennis contenders at the 1978 All Africa Games. They excelled in both singles and doubles competitions. They represented Kenya in various high level tournaments including playing at the famous Wimbledon courts. Although she finds herself in an appointed political position as Cabinet Secretary she may have scooped it purely on merit as a great academician with a Phd in her area of specialty. It would be ironical to imagine that she used sports to achieve politically.
Dick Wathika (RIP)
The former MP for Makadara was once a competitive boxer at Maringo Boxing Club. Although his exploits rarely propelled him to the national level, it gave him the visibility he required to navigate political storms in the volatile Makadara Constituency. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Wathika was instrumental in pioneering what has now become a national craze, sports betting. What a mix of sports, business and pleasure?
Reuben Ndolo
It is believed that Ndolo was once a heavyweight boxer, businessman and MP all rolled into one. Well, when I tried to dig into my archives I did not find any material or reference to support the boxing bit. My discussion with Stephen Ongaro a re-known boxing historian did not reveal much either. Anyhow what kept on popping up was his role in establishing professional boxing in Kenya. As an official he tried to bring a revolution by making boxing competitive financially.
Joe Akech
Like Ndolo above, Joe was instrumental in the early years of professional boxing in Kenya. They both tried to attract sponsors into the game that had been considered not paying if it stayed amateur. Well beyond that records indicate that Joe was a boxer by association and interest.
GG Kariuki (RIP)
The late Laikipia Senator who was laid to rest about a month ago was a great follower and practitioner of Karate. Although he picked it up well after joining politics he managed to convince many that he was committed to its advancement.
Wesley Korir and Elijah Langat
These two athletes were famous world beaters before they joined politics. Whether that gave them the necessary edge we cannot tell. What we know is they acquired the necessary visibility and instant recognition that is key in politics. Commonly referred to as the 'brand recognition' that gives any any politician a head start. Korir defeated Joshua Kutuny in the 2013 elections to be MP for Cherangany in Trans Nzoia County. In parliament he was not that visible until the Rio Fiasco made him evoke the age old adage that 'it is the wearer of the shoe who knows where it pinches most'. He came out strongly to explain the poor treatment athletes were subjected to.
Musalia Mudavadi
Now more famous nationally because of his charged 'NASA hao' campaign slogan. Musalia played competitive rugby while in Nairobi School and the University of Nairobi. At that time nobody would imagine he would be a national political figure. Forget the figure you see in 2017, Mdvd was a nimble and swift player who could breeze past opponents with ease. He was a key member of the UoN Mean Machine squad 'when Machine was Machine'. Unfortunately politics beckoned so fast. At 28 he became a Machine legend and MP simultaneously. Wonder which came first, sports or politics?