Waw: Okumu move to Sweden well deserved

Sofapaka goalkeeper’s trainer John Waw believes Joseph Okumu’s hard work is finally paying off after the defender sealed a move to Belgian champions, K.A.A Gent on Sunday evening.

Okumu ended his two-year stay with Swedish side, IF Elfsborg after landing a lucrative deal that saw him turn down the likes of Rangers, Celtic, and Reims among other clubs. He will now play in next season’s UEFA Champions League with Gent.

Waw played with Okumu for half a season at Chemelil and he says that the hard work, the player has been putting in the training ground and during matches have finally paid off.

“His hard work is slowly paying off and I believe that he has the quality to play in the best leagues in Europe. I had the opportunity to play with him at Chemelil and he was really hard-working - he was keen to learn and improve in his weak areas and for me and it is no surprise that he is now playing against some of the best players in the world, he fully deserves it,” he told Mozzart Sport.

Waw added that Okumu wanted to learn from an early age and even trained with the Chemelil senior team occasionally while he still attached to the junior team.

“He was first with the Chemelil Sugar junior team and he would train with the seniors sometimes. You could see that he was determined to progress quickly enough and you can see that he has performed in each and every club that he has gone to, I believe that he will join even a bigger club soon. It is just a matter of time.” he added.

Another attribute that impressed Waw is Okumu’s discipline and humility.

“I think his biggest attributes away from being hardworking are his humility and discipline. He is a very humble young man and God is surely lifting him higher. I want to wish him all the best at his work station, I urge him to maintain the values already inculcated in him and he will surely join even bigger teams,” he concluded.

After completing his secondary school education at Kakamega High School in 2015, Okumu moved to the now-defunct Kenyan Premier League side, Chemelil Sugar where he played for half a season before moving to Free State Stars of South Africa. After a year in South Africa, he moved to the US signing for, AFC Ann Arbor and later Real Monarchs.

In 2019 he moved to IF Elfsborg of Sweden where he went on to establish himself as a key player for the Swedish top tier side. His good run with the club attracted the interest of some top clubs in Europe. He becomes the third Kenyan to play for Gent after former internationals, Robert Mambo and John Muiruri.