Ndung'u raids football fields to unearth Kabaddi talents

Zachariah Ndung'u had always dreamt of playing a pivotal role in the growth of Kenyan football into a multi-billion shilling sport. 

In his mind, he believed that every corner of the country was a goldmine of talent just waiting to be excavated and polished into world-beaters. 

However, the wrangles and mismanagement that has been part of the football script in the country put paid to this dream.

Exasperated and frustrated, Ndung'u turned his attention to another sport that is not as popular as football or athletics in Kenya but is equally brimming with talent that is just waiting to be guided in the right direction. 

The former football administrator is now a passionate Kabaddi coach who is currently working towards the growth of the relatively unknown sport in Trans Nzoia County. 

“We would train our young people but football did not take them anywhere due to corruption within the sport. Some would attend trials for the national teams but could not be selected no matter how talented they were," Ndung'u recalls. 

Originally played in India, kabaddi is a contact team sport that consists of two opposing teams, each comprising of seven players. 

A member of the attacking team — known as a raider — is supposed to venture into the opposing side's half and tag as many opposition players as possible to earn points for his or her side. 

Additionally, the raider must make it to his team's half without being tackled by members of the opposing team at which point the opposing team earns a point. 

Any player who has been tagged by a raider must stay out of the game and can only be bailed out when a raider has been tackled by his or her teammates.

Kabaddi in Kenya 

Having transferred his passion from football to Kabaddi, Ndung'u set out in November 2017 to popularise the sport in Trans Nzoia County focusing on young footballers and basketballers who were disillusioned by their respective disciplines. 

However, considering that the sport was virtually unheard of — except in Nairobi and Mombasa — Ndung'u sought the assistance of top Kabaddi officials in the country. 

With the help of Kabaddi president Laventa Oguta, he set up structures for the sport in Trans Nzoia. 

Furthermore, Ndung'u had to do a lot of homework on Kabaddi because he was also a newbie to the sport. 

"I went to the gymnasium at Moi Stadium, Kasarani where I found several Kabaddi players in a training session. It is then that I realised it is a sport suited for football players, including the retired ones," Ndung'u said.

Considering that Trans Nzoia is a country renowned for maize farming, Ndung'u further believes that the local talent already had enough ingredients to prosper in the sport. 

"It is a game that needs too much energy just like wrestling. At the same time, our youth in Trans Nzoia are strong and can play the game. That is why I decided to market and popularise the sport in  Kitale and that has worked so well,” he says. 

Granted, recruiting players into the new sport was not a cup of tea but an exercise that required determination and patience. His persistence paid off eventually as more local footballers warmed up to the idea.

"I would go to football pitches where the footballers were training and sell the Kabaddi idea to them. I would encourage them to experience it and luckily many of them liked it and subsequently joined," Ndung'u says. 

He started off by establishing Kitale Fortune and Kibomet with the aim of enlisting both in the national league. 

As per 2019, the league includes teams from Mombasa, Makueni, Machakos, Nairobi, Nakuru, Kisumu, Kakamega and Trans Nzoia. 

Ndung'u's teams accommodate players from all the five sub-counties in Trans Nzoia.

Dividends of determination

Ndung'u's crowning moment came in 2019 when two players he had nurtured made Team Kenya the 2019 Kabaddi World Cup in Iran, where they won a bronze medal. 

Samuel Wafula and Carlos Wanjala — both former Bikeke FC players — were among Ndung'u's pioneer disciples who bought into his Kabaddi gospel. 

Wafula, formerly a goalkeeper, was the second-best scorer at the global meet, which helped build his profile at an international platform. 

He describes his decision to switch sporting careers as the best he has ever made in life. 

"I saw that my chances in prospering in football were minimal because of the millions of talented footballers in the country. Kabaddi is a new sport in the country and so I took my chance, which paid off because I was able to play for the national team at just 17," Wafula says. 

Apart from playing at the World Cup, Wafula has also visited Thailand and India for a series of friendly matches. 

His experience left him Sh100,000 richer, which he channelled into bettering the livelihood of his family. 

For Ndung'u, nothing makes him happier than to see the young lads repay the trust and time he invested in them — and many others.

"The lives of these young people have changed. One of them bought a motorcycle for his father whereas the other decided to go back to school. They are so focused," he says. 

Apart from Wafula and Wanjala, two more of Ndung'u's proteges — Mark Opondo and Patrick Khaemba— made the national team although they did not make the final squad to the World Cup. 

Nonetheless, the heights scaled by the four has heightened other youngsters' attention on Kabaddi. 

Since 2019, Ndung'u has been bombarded with numerous calls from locals inquiring about the sport with the intention of a career switch. 

“When they call I direct them to Bikeke training field. We want the county to give us a training facility in Kitale town, where each person willing to play can join with ease. I am now am working on that to ensure that it is a game of inclusivity,” he says.

Hurdles abound 

Nothing good comes easy and Ndung'u's path as far as the growth of Kabaddi is concerned has been laden with many hurdles.

As he strives to take the sport to the summit, these hurdles still remain — chief among them being financial inadequacy. 

"We lack suitable training equipment and pitch. Kabaddi is often played on a special carpet and importing one from India costs at least Sh600,000, which can rocket up to a million when duty fees are included," Ndung'u says. 

Efforts to enlist the help of the county government have hit a brick wall as the county itself grapples with the hard economic times. 

"They said that their budget is a bit tight at the moment and so they cannot afford to spend the millions required to purchase the training equipment," he says. 

Nevertheless, necessity is the mother of invention; Ndung'u has had to make do with sawdust that is sprinkled on the pitches to cushion players from injuries. 

However, the current Covid-19 pandemic continues to present a headache as Kabaddi is among the high-contact sports that remain suspended as per the Ministry of Sports' guidelines. 

He is worried about the fitness of the players and their psychological wellbeing although he is conscious of the consequences of throwing caution to the wind by resuming training. 

"With Covid-19 here with us, we have to follow the Ministry of Health protocols and therefore we cannot train or play. We can’t risk players by flouting the regulations," he says.

The future

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the resumption of Kabaddi activities, Ndung'u has already envisioned the future of the sport in the county and country at large. 

He is an optimistic man who believes that challenges are just opportunities to be innovative and inventive. 

Part of his plans post-corona is to market the sport to as many secondary schools in the county as possible. 

"My intention is to talk to schools so that they can set aside good playing fields. We will also organise a tournament bringing together different schools.  We believe that schools will buy the idea because the president is discussing with the Ministry of Education to try and introduce the sport in those institutions,” he says. 

So far, Ndung'u says, discussions are ongoing with St. Anthony’s Kitale and St. Joseph’s Kitale.

At a professional level, his vision is to provide many talents with opportunities to showcase their abilities. 

Ndung'u's vision is undoubtedly a Herculean task that will require more determination and patience. 

Nonetheless, the far he has come in his Kabaddi journey is enough evidence that this determination and patience will eventually pay off.