Tedium Rogers, popularly known as Teddy, was a household name in the Kenyan football scene back in the 1990s. He was an admirable dribbler who made mince meat of opponents on the pitch. Most teams wanted him – and those that could not land his signature – feared him. Teddy, who played for Mathare United and Utalii FC did not thrive in the beautiful game because of his dalliance with crime, something that saw him serve 19 years in prison for robbery with violence. This is his story.
You have been free for two year now? Did you ever see freedom coming?
I never thought I would taste freedom again. That thought left my mind immediately I was sentenced to hang.
You were a great footballer… Why crime?
I remember I had a young family that depended on me and being off the pitch at some point in my football life, I had no idea how to sustain my family. I was stressed, and was slowly moving me into depression. It’s there that I was tempted by my friends to join crime.
You grew up in Nairobi?
I was born and raised in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area, raised by both parents. That’s where my dream of becoming a football star begun. I was one of the best footballers at the time. That was back in the 1990s.
You had everything to lose…Why?
I was desperate and broke. That’s why gave into my friend’s suggestion that I join their gang. Unfortunately, my first attempt was my last. I got caught after a robbery went wrong in Kiambu. There was commotion, and I attempted to escape, but a mob that almost ended my life caught up with me. I was beaten to a pulp, and survived by whisker after police rescued me at the verge of death. I was never into crime before and how I ended up making a wrong decision is one thing I will live to regret.
Do you still take time to kick the ball?
Football was and still is in my veins. I argued with my parents a number of times because of my love for football. I loved it more than I did my books. Football was a gift, a talent given to me by God. It was supposed to elevate my life status, unfortunately things went the opposite way.
Then you went to court…?
I was arrested and charged with robbery with violence, which is a capital offense that comes with life sentence, but by then it was death. I was awaiting death.
That meant your freedom had left you…
Yes. I lost my freedom in August 2000. I knew I was never coming back home. It was such a tough moment for me and my wife who was left to raise my son alone.
How was prison life?
The horror I witnessed in prison when I first arrived there made me kick myself mentally for my wrong decision to join bad company. I had heard horror stories of what happens inside a prison – but here I was experiencing it for the first time. Sodomy is one of the worst nightmares in the prison cells.
What’s your greatest regret?
Losing my freedom for all that time. It’s one of the most painful things you can lose. Imagine being denied a chance to meet or interact with your family members. After I was sentenced at the age of 24, in a short duration of time, I lost my wife, my dad and my two sisters and I couldn’t even get the chance to give them the last respect. It haunts me.
How did your freedom finally come?
It happened in 2009 after former President Mwai Kibaki commuted my sentence from death to life. The new constitution also helped. It’s there that I took the chance to appeal, and luckily I got to be heard and later released in 2019 after 19 years in prison.
Tell us about the football team you started in prison?
I started a football team to help me kill stress…I had already developed stomach ulcers and was depressed and living in denial. We started as a small team because of the stiff laws that govern prisons, but slowly the team grew to appoint that we started playing against premier league teams.
After my release, I began a mentorship program given I am a certified, trained coach. This has helped me to guide youths and make them shun crime.
What advise can you give the youths today?
Value your freedom crime doesn’t pay, always make the right decision and be patient, success doesn’t come on sliver platter.