Former Kakamega Homeboyz forward Gaetan Masha has once again resurfaced in the limelight only this time, donning the colours of South Sudan heavyweights El Merreikh Bentiu.Masha, having taken a top flight sabbatical upon his departure from Homeboyz after the 2022/23 FKF Premier League season, is just one month old at El Merreikh yet his impact is already being felt across the competitive league.The diminutive forward boasts involvement in four goals after just six matches, plus one man of the match performance.He says he understands his assignment.”My top priority here is to help the team play continental football, this we can do by winning the league or by winning the South Sudan cup or by just winning both of them. We are currently in contention for both so I think our goals are realistic,’’ says Masha.El Merreikh, who early in the season were eliminated from the CAF competitions by Kenyan champions Gor Mahia, lie fourth on the log but the first half of the season is yet to be completed.Perhaps this is why Masha believes his getting started will turn things around for the squad.##NAJAVA_MECA_8714303##”We still have a few matches to go before the mid season and counting the second leg, I’d say the league is still way from over. We just have to take it one match at a time,’’ continues the man who has so far encountered just one loss in Bentiu colours.But how did he get here?Masha, immediately after leaving Homeboyz, took a few week’s rest, and with enough prompting from his childhood folk, who witnessed him hone his footballing talents at the Kakuma refugee camp, joined Hillside FC- an upcoming Div 1 side with roots in Turkana county, where Masha played in the early years of his career.El Merreikh, it turns out, had been monitoring his progress all along.Signed and sealed: Odada on loan until the end of the season”I was still at Hillside when I got a call from some board members of El Merreikh. Some of them had been in Kenya a couple of years back and had known me. So they kept tabs on my progress and when I came to Hillside, they thought I was close enough to come and try out with their team. So here I am,’’ reveals Masha, who traveled alongside Keba George, who has also been signed by the Sudanese outfit.Unlike many players who find the going tough acclimatizing with new environments, Masha and Keba have taken to the South Sudan weather like fish to water, even boasting that it’s just perfect for them.”There isn’t much difference between here and Turkana where we were raised, actually it’s just like home. The club has been helpful in seeing us well settled and ready to deliver for the side,’’ continues Masha.The duo joins a team already brimming with Kenyan roots, as goalkeeper Rech Magot- Masha’s Chapa Dimba na Safaricom 2016 teammate – is also here.Masha, seasoned in the Kenyan top flight with such teams as Nzoia Sugar and Kakamega Homeboyz, is now on a path to add another feather to his cap with the South Sudan champions, and hopefully earn his place back in continental football.El Merreikh sit 4th on the 14 team log on 20 points, just six behind leaders Jamus. They next take on Olympic Renk FC.New boss for Kenyan coach in South Sudan
