Gor Mahia assistant coach Samuel ‘Pamzo’ Omollo still believes he was initially cut out for cricket and might have been paraded alongside Kenya’s greatest cricketers in history had his father not nipped his dream in the bud.
Born and raised in Nairobi’s densely populated Ngara estate, where most of his age-mates took to playing cricket after they got influenced by their friends of Indian origin who had a heavy presence in the neighbourhood, Omollo says his father—an ardent Gor Mahia FC supporter— literally placed a wet blanket over his dreams and blatantly discouraged him from pursuing the sport.
“My father who once turned out for Nakuru Olympic as a striker was managing Maji FC at that time, and wanted me to become nothing short of a football luminary. When I told him I was playing cricket, he frowned upon and castigated the whole idea,” Omollo said.
Born on May 30, 1970, Omollo attended Githumu High School in Murang’a county, where his actual journey in football began to blossom. The school had stamped authority in the Kenya secondary schools ball games for a while and had appeared a record three consecutive times in the national event.
It was during this era that Omollo’s talent bubbled to the fore and clinched the attention of none other than the men’s national team coach Gerry Saurer who spontaneously drafted him into the U-21 outfit, alongside erstwhile football legends including Tom Odhiambo, Tony Lwanga, Francis Oduor, Patrick Kisanya, Terry Onyango, Tobias Ocholla, Henry Motego and Paul Onyiera.
In the same year, he got an offer to join Kenya Breweries after former Kenyan football great Patrick Naggi was mesmerised by his exceptional exploits on the pitch during the inter-school tournament and immediately recommended him to the side’s head coach for trials.
Omollo clinched a deal and plied trade with the brewers for two good seasons and thereafter crossed over to rivals Gor Mahia where he stayed until 1994 before rejoining the Ruaraka-based side.
In 1994, Omollo missed out on an opportunity to bask in continental glory when the brewers fumbled and tumbled in the return leg of the African Cup of Nations finals in Nairobi, a nightmare he says traumatised some of his teammates to their graves.
The Kenyan lads were literally 90 minutes away from clinching the coveted silverware but their opponents danced on their graves at the eleventh hour
Omollo and his teammates had forced hosts DC Motema Pembe to a 2-2 draw in the first leg of the final played at Kinshasa’s Stade des Martyrs on November 27, 1994.
Patrick Nachok broke the deadlock in the 5th minute before Motema equalised through Monka Ngalama in the 16th minute. Buawi gave the hosts an advantage at the stroke of halftime before Henry Motego drew the brewers level later in the match, giving the Kenyans the advantage by virtue of scoring two away goals.
Everybody expected the return match in Nairobi to be a walk in the park for the brewers but Motema Pembe grabbed the cake right from their mouth, instead thrashing them 3-0 at the Nyayo National Stadium on December 10, 1994 to claim the title 5-2 on aggregate.
On their way to the finals, Kenya Breweries saw off Mozambique’s Ferroviario de Beira 5-1 on aggregate, after winning the first leg 2-0 in Nairobi before posting a 3-1 away win. They later rode to the quarterfinals on the back of a second round walkover following the withdrawal of Rwanda’s Rayon Sport due to the Rwandese genocide.
The brewers barged past Re-Union’s Stade Tamponnaise, beating them 1-0 in Nairobi before playing out to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture to register a 2-1 aggregate win.
In the semis, they outfoxed Gabon’s Mbilinga after holding them 1-1 in Libreville before walloping them 3-0 at home to romp into the finals 4-1 on aggregate.
Omollo says the debacle was a defining moment for the club as the earth suddenly opened up and gobbled them alive. “We disappointed those who believed in us. We disappointed ourselves, our employers and the whole country. We were so sure we were going to lift the trophy but it never happened. It hurts to date.
“It was a sad moment. From there, many people dispersed in a bid to run away from the embarrassment. The likes of Boniface Oduor and Patrick Nachok died from depression while Vincent Kwarula and Tom Odhiambo travelled to the USA. Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee and Paul Onyiera both retired from football,” said Omollo.
It is during this period that he briskly jetted out of the country to India after an opportunity to turn professional came knocking right on his door.
“I signed a professional contract with Indian side East Bengal FC in 1996 and after two seasons in India, I moved to Mohun Bagan A.C. for another three seasons,” says Omollo.
When his contract with Mohun Bagan finally ran out, Omollo returned to Kenya and joined top tier newbies Kenya Pipeline first as a player then as an assistant coach. He pitched tent there for three seasons and joined Securicor at the end of his contract.
Omollo made several appearances for the Kenya national football team, including five Fifa World Cup qualifying matches. He was part of the squad that flew the nation’s flag at the 1992 African Cup of Nations finals.
As years went by and his energy began taking a slump, Omollo ultimately hang his boots and turned to coaching. His first major task was to guide Mahakama in the Kenyan Premier League. He was later appointed head coach at Tusker in 2010 and guided the brewers to the 2011 Kenyan Premier League title.
Over his chequered coaching journey spanning almost a decade now, Omollo has managed at least seven top tier outfits, including Mahakama (2009–2010), Tusker (2010–2012), Oserian (2012- 2012), Sony (2012–2013), Zetech University (2014-2015), East Bengal (2015–2016), KCB (2018–2019) and Posta Rangers.
He currently serves as the assistant coach at Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League reigning champions Gor Mahia, where he finally got a long-term contract after stints as a stand-in coach.
Squeezed between a rock and a hard place, the club had resorted to him for assistance during their Champions League assignments after the Confederation of African Football prohibited head coach Roberto Oliveira from sitting in the dugout due to inferior coaching qualifications.
Married to Vera Omollo, the father of two children 22-year-old Stephanie Dora and 16-year-old Dickson Omollo says he likes traveling a lot and spends many hours watching cricket during his free time. Omollo is urging his colleagues to exercise a lot of patience when handling footballers.
“Avoid putting unnecessary pressure on players to perform. Success doesn’t occur overnight. Exercise patience and be ready to learn from the best. We have a number of veteran coaches who have gathered sufficient experience to serve as perfect role models, including Robert Matano, Zedekiah Otieno and Francis Kimanzi,” observes Omollo.
BIO
Full name: Samuel Omollo
Date of birth: 30 May 1970
Place of birth: Kenya
Position(s): Defender
Club information
Current team: Gor Mahia (Asst. Coach)
Club career
1990–1992: Kenya Breweries
1992–1994: Gor Mahia
1994–1996: Kenya Breweries
1996–1998: East Bengal
1998–2001:Mohun Bagan
2002–2005: Kenya Pipeline Company
2005–2006: Securicor
National team:1992–2000
Teams managed
2009–2010: Mahakama
2010–2012:Tusker
2012–2012:Oserian
2012–2013:Sony Sugar
2014–2015:Zetech University
2015–2016:East Bengal (assistant)
2018–2019:KCB
2019:Posta Rangers
