NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 15 – Nzoia Sugar FC have been one of the fairytale stories of the FKF Premier League season, confounding both fans and foes with their relentless charge for the title.
With 15 games played thus far, the Bungoma-based side currently lie second on the log with 31 points, two behind leaders Gor Mahia.
They have shown an unbreakable team bond and fearlessness before their opponents, topped off by an attractive playing philosophy centred on counterpressing.
Kevin Juma (midfielder), Boniface Munyendo (midfielder), Randy Bakari (defender), Humphrey Katasi (goalkeeper) and Joseph Mwangi (attacking midfielder) are just among those who are attracting flirtatious glances from the big teams in the league courtesy of their eye-catching display thus far.
In particular, Mwangi has stood out for his appetite and eye for goal as well as his ability to get himself in dangerous areas.
His efforts have yielded seven goals and two assists, the latest, a brace in their come-from-behind 3-1 win over Kariobangi Sharks, a week ago.
The 26-year-old is enjoying life in the top tier, noting that his dream is becoming fulfilled game after game.
Mwangi grew up idolizing Belgian and former Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard, revealing that he models his game around the Uefa Champions League-winning attacker.
“Because I am a midfielder, I have always admired Eden Hazard since his Chelsea days. I have always tried to model my game around him and reach the heights he has scaled. It is unfortunate that he is currently struggling at Real Madrid but that doesn’t diminish my respect for him. These are challenges that come with age,” Mwangi says.
Locally, the Passenga Secondary School old boy looks up to Tusker’s Jackson Macharia for his intelligence on and off the ball.
“He is a composed player who knows when to make the right pass and when to up the tempo of the game. I have admired him for some time,” he explains.
With such accomplished players as a template for his career, Mwangi has set lofty ambitions for myself, convicted that he can overtake Gor Mahia’s Benson Omalla for the top scorer’s gong.
He is also eyeing the ‘Midfielder of the Year’ award.
“I currently have seven goals and two assists…my aim is to win the golden boot and also the midfielder of the award. He (Omalla) may be leading the scoring charts right now but there is still a long way to go,” Mwangi says.
Long walk to stardom
It has not always been rosy for Mwangi who admits football has broken his heart on so many occasions.
In 2015, after completing his secondary school education a year earlier, Mwangi was hoping to begin his journey as a professional footballer at Thika United.
However, this trip to the top never got off the ground after failing trials before suffering the same fate at Nakuru All Stars.
“When I finished high school, I went for trials but I failed. At that point I thought to myself that football was not really paying off and so decided to go back to school and studied for a diploma in electrical engineering,” Mwangi says.
After three years in sabbatical leave, between 2016 and 2018, Mwangi returned to the ‘love of his life’ when he signed for Nzoia in early 2020.
Previously, he had tried to join the sugar millers but did not hack the trials and had to go back to his footballing roots in Nyandarua.
“After finishing my course, I decided to go back to football and went for trials at Nzoia but did not succeed. I did not lose heart and decided to go back to my hometown and play for my local team, Griffon. Later, I went for trials at Nzoia and this time they signed me up,” he recounts.
Nonetheless, all that is water under the bridge for him as Nzoia reap the fruits of granting him a second chance.
Mwangi describes his teammates as his second family with who he has created so many wonderful memories for the future.
“We are playing as a team, fighting for each other and we are simply following the coach’s instructions. We stick to the game plan regardless of the level of pressure meted on us. The other thing is that we are simply focused on winning our games and not concerned about the other teams competing for the title,” the Nyandarua native reveals.
Sweet memories
The midfielder reveals that life in the FKF Premier League has been a learning curve for him as he comes up against different calibre of defenders.
He pinpoints Gor Mahia’s Dennis Nganga as one who has given him nightmares.
“So far, he is the one player I have somewhat struggled to deal with but nonetheless I have enjoyed the experience of coming up against different kinds of defenders. My best memory, though, would be the match against Wazito FC where I scored a hattrick in the first half,” Mwangi says.
Having started from the bottom, his clarion call to the powers-that-be in sport is to invest in talents at the grassroots, bemoaning the fact that many youngsters are going to waste because of lack of resources.
“There is a lot of talent at the grassroots. There are so many young footballers who have a passion for the game but just face a lot of challenges in their dreams. They need investment in their dreams and resources to realise their potential. I have been there and I know how hard it is,” he explains.
In recent weeks, the grapevine has been rife with word that Tusker are seeking his signature in mid-season transfer window.
Nonetheless, Mwangi chooses to keep his feet on the ground and head held high.
He may be one of the shining lights in the top league this season but Mwangi certainly knows that there is still a long way to go for him to feature in the same sentence as Eden Hazard.
Nonetheless, the story of his life thus far – and how he has overcome numerous hurdles to reach the apex – suggests that Mwangi is definitely one to watch in Kenyan football.
