Wanyama’s Insight: nurturing Kenya into a talent hub
Reading Time: 6min | Thu. 19.10.23. | 08:12
In an exclusive interview, the former Harambee Stars skipper called on the national government to invest more in sports
Famously known as big Vic, while some will brand him as the Lion of Muthurwa, former Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama, who donned the Celtic jersey, eventually became the first Kenyan player to ply his trade in one of the most competitive premier leagues globally, to eventually establish himself as a midfield maestro at White Hart Lane, Tottenham Spurs side, and now CF Montréal.
Wanyama's soccer anecdote calls for a notebook and a pen. Remarkably, Wanyama not only perceives soccer as a social activity but also as an investment platform, pulling all resources together, nurturing talents from a tender age embedded at the grassroots level in competitions and schools, and utilizing them in every tournament. He further recalls that a very lucrative opportunity for Kenya to establish itself as a soccer powerhouse is beckoning and sheds light on strategies the Harambee Stars can embrace to successfully organize and lift the 2027 AFCON on home soil.
Where it all began
Wanyama rose from nothing to rub shoulders with the best in the world. His journey to greatness traces back to his days at the Nairobi City Stars and also a short stint at the AFC Leopards before the wind of change blew his way and he grabbed it. Earlier in 2010, I was in the company of Sally Bolo, the former Gor Mahia treasurer, to witness the Mashemeji derby. At that time, Wanyama’s brother Macdonald Mariga had just won the Champions League with Inter Milan, managed by the special one, Jose Mourinho. Sally whispered to me how Wanyama would go to greater heights and even better than his brother years later, and the Tottenham call came and history was inscribed.
The former skipper hails from a sporting family, with his father having donned the Ingwe jersey as a player and later on as a coach. His brother was the first Kenyan to lift the 2nd most lucrative sport in the world, after the World Cup and the Champions League; his other brother played for Sofapaka; and his sister plays basketball.
Sports as an employment tool
Sports can turn fortune, and according to a Eurostat report, in 2022 across Europe, the sports sector had accommodated 1.5 million people, with men leading at 54.6 percent and women at 46.4 percent, which raises the question of gender disparity. The amount of employment that sports have accrued is equal to 0.8 percent, which poses a major question of what sports can do to salvage the issue of unemployment.
Here at home, the level of unemployment is a major concern, and according to a report by Netherland and You, an international NGO, the youth represent 75 percent of the population who are aged below 35 years old, and 35 percent of youth are unemployed as compared to 10 percent of the national unemployment rate. Well, Wanyama believes a sport is an essential commodity, but to secure a niche and be lucrative, focusing on several concepts, such as nurturing talents, is vital.
Time to nurture talents
In an exclusive interview, the former Harambee Stars skipper called on the national government to invest more in sports and, more specifically, “create a league that can be used to nurture talents all over the country. The concept of league can be based on age, which will go a long way in nurturing talents.’’ Wanyama adds, "We used to have Coca-Cola under-17, a league that you can spot and nurture more talents.” The concept can lead to identifying and nurturing more talents who will go a long way in exploring the sports sphere, hence having more Wanyamas. Also, there will be more people not only working as players but also in several administrative capacities as a result of upgraded leagues.
Another platform for talent identification is school sports. The recent secondary school sport held in August this year, Aldrine Kibet, caught the attention of all soccer lovers. The midfield kingpin led his side, St. Anthony's, to clinch the soccer title for a record six times and went all the way to winning the Sports Journalist Award of the Month. To cream it all, Kibet, together with two other colleagues, Allan Kasavuli and Amos Wanjala, are now in Spain, at the prestigious Nastic Soccer Academy, as players and also students, for the national exams, KCSE.
Wanyama lauds the role of sports in secondary school but adds that a lot can be done to make it more competitive. “School sports is important too, and I would also call upon the government to pump in more resources,’’ apart from the government support and also the present league; Wanyama believes if schools start, "I know the tournament exists, but I would love to see them play in a league format. That would allow them to mature into professional footballers who can play at any given level.
Kenya sports’ barriers and AFCON 2027
As the nation prepares to host the 2027 AFCON, assure Sports CS Ababu Namwamba that the stadiums will be ready at the right time and will also build on a strong team to challenge Africa's football supremacy. The nation can utilize the opportunity and have the best facilities. As Wanyama pointed out, the lack of infrastructure and professionalism are some of the major obstacles that bar the East African nations from engraving their authority around Africa and even the world as a sports hub.
Wanyama also called on the national team to focus on key areas to build a team that can even win the tournament on home soil: "It is easy to say, but it can be archived by building a team with a philosophy and sticking to it, a team that plays with purpose and also motivates players to have the hunger to go play for our country."
Kenya’s qualification for the AFCON has been hampered by a string of poor results, and for the 2023 editions, the EA African co-host partner Tanzania will be in action. Whereas, Kenyans who treasure football and now refer themselves to as msee wa ManU, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea's, and now ManCity fans who defected from Arsenal and Chelsea will follow the AFCON tournament courtesy of their television sets or smartphones.
However, the nation can build on a strong team to challenge for glory on home soil, but that can only be achieved by coming up with proper infrastructural development and instilling a sense of professionalism to stir Kenya to greatness, as emphasized by Victor Wanyama. In yesterday's friendly clash in Russia, the Harambee Stars held the host nation to a 2-2 draw. The 2018 World Cup host nation grabbed the lead before Anthony ‘Teddy’ Akumu equalized for Kenya in the 15th minute, and Masud Juma added a second goal in the 37th minute to give the East African nation a lead before halftime. In the second half, Harambee Stars held on to the lead, but a lack of concentration in the last phase gifted Russia a goal courtesy of Ivan Oblyakov scoring in the 89th minute. Kenya will now take on Gabon and the Seychelles in November for the crucial FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier matches.
The author, Dan Sudi, is a seasoned sports journalist.
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