The position of striker requires a physically strong and powerful player who should be endowed with a sharp football brain. The striker or No.9 as the position is known, plays the role of the last man upfront responsible for changing the outcome of any game.
Kenya’s first post independence No.9 was the legendary William Ouma. As a youngster, he was drafted into the national team by coach Ray Bachelor who also brought in other Pumwani teenagers like James Siang’a and Steve Yongo.
These guys played for Luo Union FC, a pre independence welfare outfit that brought together members of the Luo community. Ouma was tricky, athletic and with a deadly football brain. He was known for his ability to hide from defenders and only pop up to score. A goal poacher who could use both the left and right foot effectively.
When he emerged as a great striker, he acquired the nickname ‘Chege’ from his estate friends in Ofafa Jericho, Nairobi. Chege was in the Gor Mahia founding team of 1968. He was also in the squad that represented Kenya at their maiden Afcon appearance in 1972 held in Cameroun. In 1975, he was the lead striker for Harambee Stars that won the Senior CECAFA championship. He doubled this up by helping his club Luo Union to win the 1976 and 1977 CECAFA Club championship. In 1979 he was back in the Gor Mahia squad that reached the finals of the African Cup Winners Championship where they played against Canon Yaounde of Cameroun. When Gor Mahia won the 1980 Cecafa trophy in Malawi he was in his twilight years but was retained in the travelling squad. Chege played for the national team for thirteen years from 1963 to 1976.
After Chege, the No 9 position was held by several players until Joe Masiga joined the national team proper in 1980. In between his studies at the University of Nairobi medical school, Masiga’s exploits were exhibited when Marshall Mulwa called him to the historic Senior Cecafa squad that did duty in Kampala Uganda in 1981, 1982 and 1983. JJ as he was popularly known, was physically strong, an advantage he used when he played rugby for the Kenya XV team. He could wear down defenders and score great goals for both his club AFC Leopards and Harambee Stars where he actively did duty for about a decade.
Next in line for the striking position at Harambee Stars was Peter Dawo. Not much was seen from Dawo when playing for the national team. Unlike his fame and goal scoring prowess when playing for his club Gor Mahia, he rarely scored winning goals for the national team and was unable to fit. His stint at Harambee Stars was rather colourless and not very exciting.
Enter Mike Okoth, goalkeeper turned striker. The man was solely responsible for Harambee Stars qualification to the 1994 Afcon after he scored memorable goals during the qualifiers. Mike did duty for Kenya for about a decade.
The striking mantle was taken up by Dennis Oliech, one of Kenya’s famous exports to Europe after he joined Nantes Fc in France. He will be remembered as the player who single handed took Kenya to the 2004 Afcon tournament where Mike Okoth played at age 36. Oliech was to be the lead striker for the next 10 years before he handed over the baton to Michael ‘Engineer’ Olunga the current striker .
Indeed, most of the strikers Kenya has had have been able to serve the country for an average of one decade.