Football is like a religion that has been played for years to bring communities together and identify and showcase talents.
Jogo Bonito, which in Portuguese translates to “The Beautiful Game,’’ emphasizes beauty, style, and individual accomplishment. It continues to help in eradicating emerging vices in different societies all over the globe.
Closer at home, Anthony Mzee Obala, 59, is a man who is passionate and committed to fighting Gender Violence (GBV) and creating lasting peace among the youth in the community.
He developed this passion from his estate mates while he was a teenager playing using ajuala (a round polythene ball woven with small ropes), as football in Jericho.
Welcome to the home of football. From his rented four-roomed office block, Manyatta Youth Resource Center (MYRC); his brainchild continues to nurture young boys and girls to hone their natural talents and skills for exposure.
Certified as a Community-Based Organization (CBO) in July 2009 by the Ministry of Sports, Gender, Children and Social Development (MYRC), has rolled out a new programme, with their partner dubbed, “Make Me Smile”
“It’s not all about winning the football or netball matches, but bringing the people together. We coach boys to men and impart knowledge to them about integrity, discipline, teamwork, and effective communication. All these are geared towards respecting and embracing girls and women in the community,’’ explained Obala.
MYRC achieves this through organizing and participating in football tournaments and teaching photography and film production. Other initiatives include deejaying, dance troupes, basic computer training, and mentorship programs on how to cope in life (skills).
“Annually,” he narrates further, “we always hold a ‘Super Sato’ in December for the Manyatta community to show them love and care. These days we give back to them by providing sanitary towels, clothes, shoes, and other necessary items. We also showcase talents through playing netball and modeling. It creates a sense of belonging and helps to put a smile on the faces of those who can’t afford to celebrate during the festive season.”
He added that every weekend from January to December, they always treat over 90 children to free lunch and they have come to like it. Armed with only focus and determination, these programmes are freely offered to all and sundry irrespective of their ethnicity, race, colour, sex, or background.
Their mission is to instill proper knowledge at a tender age, this has remarkably helped many boys and girls from GBV, run away from early pregnancies, school dropouts, and sexual abuse, and address drugs and substance abuse issues.
It is noteworthy that boys and girls are given equal access to football in schools and the provision of scholarships to advance their knowledge up to the university level. The deejaying equipment and public address system were present from some US well-wishers. These enable them to host events and get something to sustain the children.
MYRC has also received from other organizations the much-needed sanitary towels, clothes, balls, shoes, electronics, three office computers, and uniforms from Kisumu Water and Sewerage Company (KIWASCO).
“Cabinet Secretary for Sports and Youth Innovations Ababu Namwamba during his last visit to our facility in 2023, he gave us 16 balls and some cash donations,” Obala revealed.
In addition, MYRC has been conducting peace campaigns to reduce violence and extremism, but, grow with lasting peace. Some of the vulnerable people in society fall prey to advances from the perpetrators and these are the wrongs they are trying to correct.
To end this dire situation, he informed that in 2009, they partnered with AfriNov, a leading not-for-profit organization working in partnerships with grassroots communities on non-violent action in Kenya and Africa. In this initiative, they helped to pacify warring tribal neighbours due to the aftermath of the contested General Elections.
Under the skillful hands of seven volunteer coaches and administrators, MYRC has been running a football academy targeting both boys and girls Under 10s, 12s, 14s, 17s, Girls, and Senior Teams. He confirmed that mature girls normally train with the boys to harden and give them confidence while playing against other teams.
The number of boys registered by the organization for Under 10s (138), 12s (90), 14s (65), and the Senior Team (40) respectively while the girls under 14 are 52 in number.
This elaborate arrangement saw football heroines of the 2012 Girls Team produced Sophie Akinyi, who was once Harambee Starlets U17s (currently Vihiga Queens FC goalie), and Evalyne Akinyi who switched to boxing. Catherine Awuor and three others play full-time for Zetec University, Police Bullets FC (2), and Harambee Starlets (4).
The Manyatta FC boy’s heroics reads like an A-list with Benson Omalla, Ronnie Onyango, Sidney Ochieng, Rodgers Ouma (all plays for Gor Mahia FC), Tobias Otieno (Tormentor FC-USA), John Ochieng (Zanaco FC-Zambia), Yusuf Maingi (Police FC), Clinton Bulimo, and Ibrahim Ochieng (Muhoroni FC), Loise Ingavi(USA), and Duncan Omalla who has joined ABM Academy in Mali for eight-months.
“These cabinets which are laden with 30 trophies are a clear manifestation of our success stories with the boys and girls after winning various tournaments. This is our happiness,” he said as he happily pointed to where they were neatly displayed.
Some of the notable tournaments won by Manyatta FC include the Coca-Cola Regional under 15s (2013) where two of their players were chosen to represent Kenya in South Africa and the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Division 2 (2018).
They also clinched the Safaricom Chapa Dimba Boys and Girls Runners-Up (2019), BetSafe (2021), and SHOFCO Cup Boy’s Runners-Up (2021) which was won by Nyalenda FC.
The CBO’s other achievements include managing to empower over 20 youths to take care of themselves in life, managing to pay direct school fees to over 10, and giving scholarships to over 50 children; some up to the university level.
“We are glad to have more than five boys and Dr. Sharon Lavender of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital who graduated through our college assistance,” Obala noted.
With his ancestral roots traced to Samia in Busia County, Mzee Obala was born in 1965 and he went to Heshima-Web Primary School in Eastlands-Nairobi. They used to play at Owanjosoo (currently named Camp Toyoyo) where they gained a lot of exposure and built partnerships. He joined Sigalagala Technical in Kakamega for his Form One and Two, but, unfortunately, he dropped out due to a lack of school fees.
“I stayed out of school for one year and I later joined Sigalame High School where I did Form Three and Four, and was the Games Captain. At St Peter’s Mumias High, I did my A Levels and played for the football team. For the first time, we won the Inter-Schools District Championships and went up to the Provincials stage for regionals,’’ Obala recalled.
After school life, he was a prolific player for clubs like Bungoma-Utawala FC, Maziwa FC, and Shamako Babes FC. It was owned by Mr Shaaban Olum Mabuko and was based in Uthiru-Kinoo in Nairobi. He recalls that their arch-rivals were Mumias Sugar, and he once turned down a chance to play for them alongside his eight other schoolmates but opted for Shamako Babes.
“During my footballing period, my role model locally was Ouma Chege of Luo Union, internationally I admired the Brazilian national team and loved to watch Pele, José Maa, Careca,” he happily remarked.
Obala had a one-year stint with Kenya-Re and later switched to Pan Paper Fc where he was an employee-player until it was closed down in 2009.
Jobless and eager to make ends meet, he decided to visit his cousin in Kisumu and due to a lot of idleness, they formed a boys’ club known as Sacrena FC based in Manyatta. Together with some friends from the US, they later developed the idea of creating MYRC.
“They were conflict and dispute resolution intern students who had come to look into the Kenyan perspective after the polls debacle. It was formed on that basis because 2007 was a bad situation for the country,” he divulged, adding that they had to undergo training on Peace, Leadership and Governance under the AfriNov team.
It gave them insights into understanding what peace entailed and had a better opportunity to teach the youth on; “What is peace? It’s good and how do you stay away from chaos?”.
They aimed to ensure that the youth aged between 12 to 14 years grow, embrace, and bring lasting mutual co-existence without animosities through football.
One such beneficiary is Victor Ochieng aka Marcelo, player-cum-tutoring coach, who joined MYRC in 2013. He attests that he has hugely acquired different life skills which have enabled him to co-exist well with people.
“I was the Deputy Captain during the 2016-2017 seasons and in 2018, I was fully handed the armband to present day. I took the leadership roles with gusto and we only lost two matches in that season,” remarked Marcelo, a former Bishop Abiero High School student who also doubles up as an office assistant.
Marcelo who hails from the Kakan location, Alego-Usonga in Siaya County, added that the key is to remain disciplined and this continues to steer us to several successes in winning tournaments.
Some of their off-the-pitch achievements have seen seven youths who are now skilled deejays in various clubs and events MCs. Bruce Onyango aka DJ Bravia who graduated in 2020 has become a household name in Lakeside City.
“I don’t know where some of these boys learn these things but those who already know come here and volunteer to teach others how to do it right. They also have that sense of unity and purpose,” Obala said.
Since its inception, MYRC has partnered with the National Authority for the Campaign against Drug Abuse (NACADA), Kisumu Children’s Department, YWCA, and Blue Cross among others.
Some of the challenges facing the organization include inadequate funding to run programs and these leads to giving walkovers to their opponents. Others include a lack of coaches to train the teams, capacity building, scholarships, and equipment and most players concentrate elsewhere for greener pastures.
Obala advised both tiers of government to elevate sports facilities up to the ward level, to engage, motivate, and facilitate community coaches for positive results. They are the ones who know the children’s behaviours.
He heaped praises on Gor Mahia’s talisman Benson Omalla for always coming back to talk to the youth, bond with them, and help to change the mindset of those who are still in the organization.
“I am urging school drop-outs, those who are unable to pay school fees, high school graduates to come and learn more from us. We are also here to motivate those who have got natural talents,” he encouraged.
By Rolex Omondi
