A boys’ football team from Garissa county with coaches in their early twenties and a girls’ football team from Wajir county that is breaking societal norms were the endearing storylines from the North Eastern regional final of the fourth edition of the Safaricom Chapa Dimba competition.

Wajir All Stars who had advanced to the finals after edging out Marina FC from Mandera 3-1 on post-match penalties after a baren draw in the semis were crowned the new boys’ champions after beating Lyon 04 FC from Garissa 2-0. Lyon 04 had no opponents in the semis. In the girls’ category, Wajir Queens were given a walkover due to lack of opponents at the regional level.

While the footballing results were clear, a peek underneath reveals stories of overcoming tough odds and changing the narrative of football in the Northern part of Kenya.

Mohammed Abdikadir wears many hats. The 22-year-old is a Certificate in Information Technology student at the Garissa University. He is also the Lyon 04 FC assistant coach and team manager. As one of the 4 players who founded the team in 2018, he is driven by his quest to put Garissa on Kenya’s footballing map.

At the start Lyon 04 could only have one substitute and it did not have enough kit for all its 12 players. After a period of stability, the team had to be rebuilt in 2020 due to players dispersing because of school and work commitments.

Mohammed who has been with Lyon 04 through thick and thin shares his secrets of managing players who are not that much younger than him or the head coach Abdi Suleiman who is 24.

“Among the things that have really helped me be a good coach is forming a good relationship with the players, being friendly to them, asking them what they like, what are the problems they have. The other thing is I’m a good listener to them. Another thing that has helped me is although I’m a student, I’m always punctual. In terms of training, and games I’m always punctual. Whenever they are coming to train, they will find me there, they will find everything set, they will just start training,” said Mohammed.

Football in North Eastern comes with numerous challenges. The hot weather makes training hard, the prickly vegetation plays havoc on the balls, the dusty pitches are a cause for injuries to players and on the mental front, there is the feeling of isolation and marginalisation.

Amidst all these obstacles, Mohammed and his charges keep positive, “It’s challenging, but we cannot just complain. We are on our own but we have to push on with the spirit and with the mentality of reaching higher levels.”

Balancing between his studies and his coaching has been tough for Mohammed but his love for football reigns supreme.

Having been a spectator during the last edition of Chapa Dimba, he was excited to be a participant as an assistant coach in this edition. Wins in six matches saw Lyon 04 emerge as the best in Garissa earning a ticket to the regional finals. With only 3 boys’ teams, Lyon 04 sailed into the final without kicking a ball but they fell 2-nil to Wajir All Stars in the final.

So, no fairytale ending for Mohammed who draws his inspiration from a coach leading a team in the North of England, “In my coaching career, I would like to be like, Jurgen Klopp because of the way he manages the team, the way he stands on the touchline controlling the players, the way when Liverpool scores a last-minute goal he celebrates with them, going into the pitch. That mentality is why he inspires me a lot.”

While boys have it quite rough playing football up in Kenya’s north, girls definitely have it much tougher. Cultural and religious norms play a huge part in keeping women from chasing their footballing dreams in North Eastern that comprises of Wajir, Garissa and Mandera counties.

Only Wajir County had representation in the Safaricom Chapa Dimba regional final and this was no easy feat as explained by Mariam Mohammed, the Team Manager of Wajir Queens who also works in the sports department in the county government.

“The biggest challenge is the Somali culture and tradition. It is hard to convince the parents because they will even tell you that you yourself, you don’t play football so why do you expect my daughter to play? It was really tough at the start,” said Mariam.

For Mariam, changing minds in her society is a work in progress and tournaments like Safaricom Chapa Dimba with equal cash rewards for boys and girls go a long way in softening hearts, “Football is not even considered a career here but once they see girls can earn from it, they will start to agree to let their daughters to play. As the regional winners we were awarded KES 250,000 divided by the players who are around 25. This is their money, their own money. This will be really helpful to the players.”

Dust may have only been kicked up in the boys’ competition at the North Eastern regional final for this edition of Safaricom Chapa Dimba, but hopefully the seeds planted will enable girls’ football to flourish like the desert rose in future.

Wajir All Stars and Wajir Queens will represent the North Eastern region in the National finals slated for April at Kisumu’s Mamboleo Stadium.