Nairobi Water keep flowing despite challenges

The successful journey of the Nairobi Water Company women’s handball team for over a decade has resonated internationally.

The key person with the most important contribution behind the proud achievements, coach Jack Ochieng has attributed their glorious performance to hard work and the quality of players in his squad.

Since he was appointed as the first coach of the team, also known as Queens, 12 years ago, Ochieng and his players have gone through many meaningful journeys, with seven consecutive national titles.

“The performance from the team has been outstanding and we see it as a miracle. This has been such a wonderful achievement but it has not been that easy. I think everyone in the team has done a really good job in their respective roles,” Ochieng said.

Referring to the remarkable progress of the team that has seen them also call the shots in the region with a number of titles under his guidance, the former national team player said the secret to success is simply from the quality and ability of his players.

“I would say the success is as a result of the players’ strengths which revolves around solidarity, pride, smartness and fighting spirit. We work as a team and not as individuals. As the head coach, I have been trying to build confidence and trust in the team,” he affirmed.

According to Ochieng, who also doubles up as the national women team coach, ‘winning mentality’ is his coaching philosophy. “I guide the team to win as many matches as we can. Without good results, it wouldn’t be easy to get support from the management, players, fans and all the stakeholders. Of course, to get good results, hard work is the most basic aspect.”

Months after their formation, Ochieng managed to lead Nairobi Water to third place in the league before finishing runners-up in the 2012-13 season. A year later, Ochieng charges went a notch higher, winning the title and they have held on to it until today.

With the local dominance, Nairobi Water has had the opportunity of playing at the continental stage,  where, according to Ochieng has given his girls a lot of exposure.

“Attending the Africa Club Championship has given the players a lot of exposure and experience that has, in turn, made them dominant at the local scene. We have not had any worth opponent in the last seven years, thanks to the experience we have gained at the continental level,” he said.

For the six years they have been at the Africa Club Championships, the 2016 performance in Burkina Faso, where they finished fifth, remains their best on the continental stage.

The Pumwani Secondary School alumnus maintains that the lessons learned and experience gained as a player and as school coach moulded him into the successful tactician he is today.

“There is no doubt that I’m the coach I am today because of the time I spent at Black Mamba,” said Ochieng, who began his coaching career at Nile Road Secondary School. “It was an invaluable experience for me and this has really served me well as my coaching career has advanced.”

Ochieng, 52, spent a successful stint at Nile Road, winning the national secondary school handball title for three years in a row. When he hung up his boots, he moved to the Black Mamba bench and was an assistant and head coach for seven years.

“I spent pretty much my whole youthful time playing and about half of my handball career coaching. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the chances I got as a player and my early coaching stint at Nile Road. Black Mamba gave me my start both as a player and a coach and I believe the platform that the two institutions gave me is what has made me what I am today,” he noted.

While still on the courts, Ochieng attended a number of coaching courses that equipped him well ahead of what has turned out to be a very successful career.

“I began coaching as soon as I joined secondary school. In most cases, we found ourselves on the pitch without a coach and with a handball background, I had to take charge. With this, I developed an interest in coaching and I ventured into coaching courses while still in school,” he explained.

“This enabled me to change gears from playing to coaching when I finally quit playing,” he said.

Apart from attending the locally-organised coaching courses, Ochieng has attended a number of top International Hockey Federation (IFT) courses in South Africa, Egypt and Qatar.

The relationship he developed with the schools while coaching at Nile Road has made his players acquisition an easy task as he usually gets the best players from the national secondary school games.

“We normally get the best players from the schools. Due to the success, we have had for some time now, coaches do send a number of players with the hope that they would improve their game and eventually play for the national team. We have also set some standards of the calibre of players we need and so this has enabled the coaches in schools to adjust to our demands,” Ochieng said.

Among the players that have come through Ochieng-schools relationship and have gone ahead to play for the national team include Maryanne Andala, Gladys Chilo, Tracy Awino, Michelle Ayoo, Melvin Akinyi, Brenda Musabai, Elizabeth Mukemei, Winnie Miyenda and Modesta Ouma.

“The transition from school to the national level has been an easy one for this girls because they get here (Nairobi Water) having been through good basics and with the right exposure, owing to competitive handball at the school level. This makes it easier for us to get them to the next stage once they are here. This has played to our advantage over the years,” the tactician said.

Balancing both as both club and national team coach has always been a challenge for Ochieng especially when it comes to Team Kenya selection. With the success in the domestic league, Nairobi Water players form the bulk of the national team ahead of any international assignment.

But Ochieng, who has been in charge of the national team since 2012, has always found a way not to look biased in his selection.

“Naming the final team has usually been one of my biggest challenges. But I am happy that I have managed to use some wisdom that has made my selection less controversial,” he said.

“At times, I am forced to drop Nairobi Water players especially those with average ability. I am forced to do this not because the players from other clubs are better than Nairobi Water but because I expect them to be on the same level with their team-mates owing to the exposure they get at Club Championships. I also do that to allow the players from the other clubs to get the exposure that they hardly get at their respective clubs,” he noted.

Ochieng decried falling standards of handball in the country—attributing it to lack of sponsorship and interest among the players.

“Handball in Kenya has to keep up with changes in the sport all over the world. Initially, it was more voluntary and getting a national team call-up was an honour. We used to work very hard to get into the national team but today, life has changed and everything from training to matches revolves around money,” he said.

He added: “It’s high time the local handball officials went out of their way to invest into the sport.  Dishing out trophies at the end of a tournament will never help in improving our standard. We have seen a lot of talent go to waste because somehow somebody feels the sport won’t offer what he or she needs.”

The 1989 East and Central Africa Championships final tie between Black Mamba and Tanzania’s Ngome remains Ochieng’s most memorable match since venturing into handball in 1985.

“Initially, Ngome was the handball powerhouse in the region with big names and won a number of championships. We fought tooth and nail to win the match with just seconds to go. I also emerged top scorer in the tournament with seven goals,” he recalled. 

Ochieng, who also coaches the national deaf team that finished fifth at the World Deaf Championships in Brazil is looking to finish on the podium at both the national and club continental shows before calling it quits.

“I still have some goals that I need to achieve before I can think of retiring from coaching. I still want to finish among the top three teams at the club championships and at either the Africa Championships or All African Games. We have the players with the ability to make this possible and I would like to actualise it,” he said.

He said: “This will, however, depend on the national body. They need to come up with plans that will expose the players to the international level. Playing local league and tournaments will never be enough. If our teams can get exposed, then we have a chance of doing.”