Former Harambee Stars Taiwo Atieno disclosed the vital role that Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party Leader Raila Odinga played in saving his dream to play for his home country.
Atieno came to limelight through his father, Moussa Awounda who was a former NTV journalist. His father, however, succumbed to cancer in 2009.
In a lengthy Instagram post, the footballer revealed his aspirations of playing for Harambee Stars. He decided to pursue his dream in 2009, after his father’s death, when he came back to the country from England. Having played for English lower-tier sides, he decided to try out for the national team selection.
File
Former Harambee stars Taiwo Atieno “After two months of trying out (with the national team), I was selected in the final squad but did not play because the law (at the time) didn’t allow dual citizenship,” he explained.
Seemingly undeterred by the move, he spent two months at the immigration offices to no avail. However, a friend recommended him to Raila. He detailed his plight to the former Prime Minister urging him to look into the matter.
“I explained to The Right Honourable Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, that my late father was a Kenyan Journalist and asked why is it people with African heritage living in Europe/America with no western heritage can play for western countries in football tournaments but a British citizen with Kenyan heritage cannot come back to Africa and play for Kenya.
“Thankfully he agreed and granted me my passport pursuant to the new Constitution, which Parliament ratified but enacted in 2010,” Atieno stated.
The footballer narrated that through Raila’s intervention, he was able to live his dream. In 2009, he made his debut for Harambee Stars as a late substitute in the 2009 African Nation’s Cup qualifier against Mozambique.
The Kenyan team lost 1-0. Atieno made numerous appearances for Kenya between 2009 and 2012 before eventually returning to England.
The footballer has played for England sides such as Walsall, Rochdale, Chester City, Darlington, Torquay United, and Barnet in a career that has spanned over a decade. He later retired in 2013.
Raila has been known to use football references while addressing crowds during past political campaigns. This has seen crowds cheer for him as he entertains the audience with said remarks.
Further, the former Prime Minister is known to make appearances when the national team is playing, recently when Harambee Stars drew 1-1 against Comoros in the AFCON qualifiers.
ODM leader Raila Odinga (left) and DP William Ruto cheer at Nyayo Stadium on October 3, 2020.
Twitter
