Tyson Juma: From cusp of disaster to remarkable comeback on the pitch

Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) Rugby winger Tyson Juma is glad to be back to rugby action after a two-year hiatus.

Juma suffered a head depression injury during the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) Championship semifinals against University of Nairobi's Mean Machine in 2020 after helping MMUST qualify for the Kenya Cup. The doctors described it as a skull depression, making it difficult for Tyson to go back to play because the depression was quite deep.

The incident constantly reminded Tyson of rugby’s perils, and he was unable to put his health at further risk. It was then that he made the decision to shift his energy to sprinting. For Tyson, sprinting gave him an outlet for his enthusiasm for athletics without having to constantly worry about suffering another injury.

Mozzart Sport had a chat with the speedster who made a comeback during Tisap 7s and according to the former Chipu player, being back to the familiar rugby pitch was an overwhelming feeling.

“It feels good to be back with the team after two years. I am taking it easy, and enjoying one day at a time,” Tyson, popularly known as Chuma said.

He observed that while the current MMUST Rugby’s players were giving their best, they were slowed down by the lack of senior, experienced blood. The Makakas are currently placed 14th on the log with 21 points. Their highest performance in the circuit came during Prinsloo 7s where they collected 8 solid points.

“I feel like the boys’ spirit is now getting back. They needed some old players to bring the spirit back, and comparing the margins that they lost in their previous tournaments and today, there is a good improvement. However, we need to step it up more,” he offered.

For Tyson, the difference between rugby and sprinting was basic. Rugby entails lots of contact and movement, unlike sprinting where only speed and power are key.

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“The physicality in rugby is crazy. There is a lot of contact. Sprinting has no contact so one has to be strong and powerful, just as rugby. It is almost the same, but rugby is a bit of up and down movement but sprinting is just one way. It feels good to be in rugby,” he explained.

When asked about what fans could expect of him, the speedster said; “Let God lead the way. Nothing is in my power. I was not expecting to be here, but I have been training, so I am really looking forward to it.”

During his heydays, Tyson won the 2017 Braeburn Open, five University 7s’ circuits in 2020, and was MMUST 7s’ top scorer in 2020. He finished in second place in the KRU Championship and was also the club's top point scorer from 2018 to 2020. He is a graduate of disaster management and emergency response from MMUST.