Watching Mathare United games, one player that certainly catches the eye before the kick of a ball is Kennedy Ochieng’s willowy body frame that can deceive you to swat him aside but one thing is that his lofty ambitions are not too colossal for his physique. The versatile prodigy who can either feature as a midfielder or a wingback harbours dreams emulating his boyhood hero Michael Olunga. Dreams of sending seismic shockwaves in leagues abroad, just like his hero Olunga, whose journey started from the same neighborhood as Ochieng, Lucky Summer in Nairobi. His physique has earned him the moniker “Konde Boy” from his peers and he has been one of the shining lights for the Slum Boys in an otherwise horrendous past two seasons.👷🏿♂️ | SlumBoys 20/21 NAME: Kennedy OchiengPOSITION: Defender No: 18APPEARANCES: 17GOALS: One ASSISTS: One NICKNAME: Konde Boy Kennedy came to his own this past season with his 18 appearances being the most he has made since joining the club…#SlumBoys2021 pic.twitter.com/rB6Jw8xhGu— Mathare United FC (@MathareUtd) August 27, 2021 What Ochieng lacks in physique he makes up for by eating the ground like a Pacman as he is also a graceful mover, incisive runner and a mesmeric dribbler capable of taking on players the entire of the right channel.Many who have seen him play all share the same sentiments, that he has a high footballing IQ, with runs and laser-accurate passes that slices defences like a hot knife on butter when he crosses into the opposition’s half. As far as comparisons go, Lucky Summer is the closest Ochieng comes to Olunga as the two players are worlds apart in almost every aspect.The two are, however, graduates of the famed Liberty Sports Academy with Ochieng joining when Olunga was making his move to Tusker FC back in 2013 and have also shared the pitch on a number of occasions in grassroots tournaments. “I look up to Olunga because we are from the same area. Before he left, we played with him at Lucky Summer and he has set the standards for us to emulate,”“We do not have any special relationship, we just know each other as friends who have grown up in the same area. We played together even in the MYSA tournaments and he was mentoring us as young players,” says Ochieng with an adulation smile on his face.Ochieng indebted to Ouna for bringing him to lightUnlike many footballers in the local scene, the versatile prodigy was not from schools with footballing backgrounds as he attended Baba Dogo Primary and Tueni Secondary School, graduating in 2016.With school offering little motivation to play the beautiful game, Ochieng turned to the dusty fields of Baba Dogo to hone his football skills as he drew inspiration from teams in the area.“I first developed a passion for football at Lucky Summer because it is an area synonymous with football and it really started at a young age,”“We used to watch Baba Dogo United play and they were simply the best team in the neigborhood at that time. We wanted to emulate them.” noted Ochieng.After playing a number of tournaments at Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) a move to Liberty Sports Academy soon ensued and the station is where he got the rare chance to rub shoulders with Olunga who has surprised him by his meteoric rise that continues to achieve new heights in Qatar.“I never thought he could get to where he is at the moment, he joined Tusker but did not play much and nobody thought he could get to where he is but his hard work has gotten him to where he is now and that is what motivates me to give my all and achieve success,” said Ochieng while waxing lyrical about Olunga. 26′ GoooaallllllKennedy Ochieng opens the scores here in Narok with a cross-cum-shot at goal from the right wing.Debut Slumboys goal for the youngster!Vihiga United 0-1 Mathare United #VihigaVsMathare— Mathare United FC (@MathareUtd) June 30, 2021 His footballing star continued to rise as he caught the eye of Thika United who were known as the conveyer belt of talent in the league after churning out a number of high profile signs with his path from Liberty to Thika also mirroring Olunga’s early moves in club career. Mathare came calling in 2019 after Thika United became defunct but he failed to impress former head coach Salim Ali and was therefore sparingly used. The arrival of Frank Ouna to salvage Mathare United from suffering the drop was all that Ochieng needed to kickstart his career at the Slum Boys after two years of being in the cold.He however had to undergo some transformation as Ouna deployed him at right-back despite him being a winner with regular full-back Martin Ongori pushed to centre back after Lennox Ogutu was dropped. Edwin Chahilu: The man behind the rise of Soy UnitedOchieng was thrown straight into the deep end as his maiden game came in the 1-0 loss to Gor Mahia last seen but he has never looked back, not only cementing his position but fortifying it with impressive performances. “Since I joined Mathare United I’ve been a utility player, I was predominantly a midfielder but since I came here every coach has their own style of play and I got to used to playing as a wingback,”“I’m trying my best to adapt to the position, it’s not like I have never played at wingback so I have the capability to play there since my days at Liberty,” said Ochieng. 75’| Yellow card @MathareUtd Kennedy Ochieng is booked for his challenge on LambertMathare 0-1 Bidco#BKPL pic.twitter.com/laFrE94jqr— FKF Premier League (@Officialfkfpl) July 15, 2021 The 20-year-old admitted that he is working to beef up his physique and helping the club avoid another relegation dog fight by pushing for a top-five finish. “I cannot say that I’m comfortable with my physique, football is all about learning and improving so I want to improve, physically mentally and in my performance,”“I want to finish in the top five with Mathare United because last season we had a very rough campaign we fought relegation which was very challenging,” concluded Ochieng. Despite being miles off Olunga at the moment, Ochieng continues to defy the odds and punch above his weight literally. ##EDITORS_CHOICE##
