Soy United fan opens up on 350km charity walk to Nairobi and mission to uplift club

Soy United super fan Augustine States has opened up on the motivation behind his remarkable 350 km charity walk to Nairobi, shedding light on the challenges facing the club and his determination to make a difference.

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The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) personnel embarked on the five-day journey between April 1 and April 5, trekking from the Soy training base in Likuyani to the capital in a bid to raise funds and awareness for his beloved side.

Speaking to Mozzart Sport, States revealed that the initiative was driven by three key objectives, chief among them being the need to mobilize financial support for Soy United, a club he says struggles to attract consistent backing from its own fan base.

“According to me, I saw that was the only way of raising money for Soy United. You know us, Soy fans; most of us do not give money, but most of the people who give money are strangers. So I saw by the time I get to Nairobi, while doing the walk, at least I will have interacted with a lot of people, and also along the way I have friends; for example, in Timboroa and Burnt Forest I have friends, so I told them to help me mobilize people along the way to help me contribute the money,” he explained.

The physically demanding journey proved worthwhile, with States confirming that the initiative raised over Ksh 100,000, with additional contributions going uncounted due to the spontaneous nature of donations along the route.

“According to me, I have achieved what I wanted; we raised a lot of money north of Ksh 100,000, but some we did not even count, going by the nature of how fans were pampering us with money,” he added, clearly satisfied with the outcome of the effort.

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However, beyond the financial aspect, the Likuyani-born fan emphasized that the walk was equally about pushing the agenda of local football and encouraging fans to shift attention from European leagues to domestic competitions.

He noted that many Kenyan supporters passionately follow clubs such as Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal while neglecting local teams that need support the most.

“Yes, it was a success; I even got a surplus. The walk was not all about money; it was also to create awareness among people. You know, most people do not support local football clubs; you will get a lot of people supporting Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal, so it was a way of urging them to also support local football,” he said.

States further pointed to the need for greater involvement from local leaders and government structures, insisting that the sustainable growth of grassroots football depends on support from all stakeholders within the ecosystem.

“Also, we wanted to raise our voice so that our local leaders can also come out of their cocoons and support these local clubs. For example, if you check the county government, there are funds meant to support sports and teams like Soy, but there is no support that is coming from the county government. That voice we made has made some impact; even in the last match, the area Member of Parliament came and gave a bus for the team to use against Mwatate and Mombasa United, which is a success to us,” he noted.

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Encouraged by the impact of the initiative, he is now setting his sights on engaging the corporate world and attracting long-term partners to support the club.

He believes that with proper outreach and structured engagement, Soy United can unlock sponsorship opportunities that will improve player welfare and club stability.

"The plans I have at the moment are to reach out to more partners, because I understand a lot of people are willing to support Soy United, but if we do not approach them, they will not know the kind of problems we have for them to help us. I need support to see Soy United make it out and their players live better, just like me, let them get salaries every end of the month, not only allowances,” he said.