Edwin Apaa’s instant rise from the Football Kenya Federation Division One side Nyota FC to Kakamega Homeboyz briefly before the 2022/23 FKF Premier League season came with a lot of promise—his star intended for greater things, and after all, his new employers had been known to spring to the fore such talent in the past. It was not going to be easy, as his immediate challenge was to wrestle his way through an already packed midfield. Coach Patrick Odhiambo’s side had just seen the previous league title slip away from them on the final day of the season to Tusker. That was a bummer, but the good news for the Kakamega faithful was that barely no one was leaving so a solid unit was still in place to try one more time. ##NAJAVA_MECA_8209474##Just a few additions to the squad and everything would be set. Apaa was one of the few yet-to-be-tried names to join. He would struggle to break through. ‘’The club already had very senior and experienced players in my position. Usually, this is motivation for one to work harder for gametime, which I did,’’ says the diminutive playmaker. Homeboyz, already boasting such names as skipper Moses Mudavadi, Estone Esiye, Hillary Juma and now-retired Ahmed Ali Bhai in Apaa’s position, began the 2022/23 campaign in earnest, eventually winning the same season’s domestic cup, the Mozzart Bet Cup. By this time, however, Apaa featured only fleetingly for the side, even being sent out to Vihiga Bullets for a loan spell in the second half of the season. This, he took positively; after all, Bullets too were in the top flight at the time.‘’In the mid-season, seeing little to no playing time, I opted out for a loan spell at Bullets, who were struggling in the league. Getting my confidence back was key and I am glad I did,’’ he continues. The midfielder’s tally, despite Bullets bowing out of the top flight, was remarkable. Managing four goals and three assists in just 11 appearances meant his parent club could now fit him into the unit. The lad was hopeful, but a case of deja vu lay in wait. Six months in and nothing to count in the way of getting off the mark on personal targets, Apaa once again ventured out. ‘’I think during the second time I truly deserved to play. I had done well in my loan spell, came back, and fit in well. So when I still found little, it was only fair that I seek it elsewhere,’’ recounts Apaa. Nzoia Sugar had had their best league finish in over two decades when Apaa was loaned to the Bullets. UPDATE:Mozzart Bet Cup winners Kakamega Homeboyz FC trio of Adnan Mohammed, Michael Isabwa and Edwin Apaa are likely to be recalled to the team after loan stint with Vihiga Bullets FC.#FootballKE pic.twitter.com/wj8vTrXmoM— Cedrick Siambi (@siambi_muyonga) July 6, 2023 In the new season, however, 2023/24, the Sudi boys looked a pale shadow of their former selves just months into the campaign. Apaa didn’t care for this and made his way out to the side midway through the campaign as they languished in the relegation zone. Three quick fixtures, with him debuting against Bandari, followed, and he felt already deep into the Nzoia system of play. And then a setback just as he was making his rise back. ‘’My first match was against Bandari, then away to the AFC Leopards. From there, Talanta followed, and I got a serious knock on the groin that sent me out. That was in March, and I was just getting started, so this was a disappointment,’’ recalls Apaa. Apaa didn’t recover soon enough to aid his new team from the jaws of relegation but has recuperated well while out. Positive start for Kenyan international and Elfsborg in Europa League qualifiersStill the quick-footed midfield maestro that he once was while at Nyota FC, he prepares for a season in the second tier with Nzoia, who have themselves vowed to be back up after just one season. The lad has huge expectations.‘’I was brought in on a one-year contract, so I still have a few months remaining. Playing in the top flight here is every player’s ultimate goal, and I am no exception. Having recovered well now, if I got a chance to begin the new season with a Premier League side, I wouldn’t hesitate. All the same, at the moment we focus on what the NSL offers, intending to earn promotion back to the top flight,’’ he concludes.It only took him a year in the third tier to be spotted by a top Premier League team, and the midfielder stays hopeful that even in the NSL, things can still work out. It will be his first time here too, having made that Div. 1 to Premier League leap two years ago. Nzoia, known for fortifying their home turf, Sudi Stadium, when it matters most, has vowed as a team to just spend one season in the cold before coming back up. They, however, drop down to a different NSL full of new faces and plenty of surprises. Not the kind they left seven years ago when they were here.
