• Muyoti took up a career in coaching after toiling for years on the pitch as a top-flight player.
• "I used to train the youths morning hours before embarking on my training sessions with the senior team," he said.
Image: MARTIN OMBIMA
For Nicholas Muyoti, his coaching job at Kakamega Homeboyz is probably what comes most naturally to him.
Coaching football is something the 44-year-old father of two says he is so passionate about.
"Coaching to me came as a passion with an aim to help most of the youths to nature their talents," says Muyoti.
The veteran tactician who guided Homeboyz to a second-place finish in the previous season looks up to former Real Madrid and World Cup-winning coach Vicente Del Bosque for inspiration.
Muyoti began cutting teeth as a tactician at AFC Leopards where he was in charge of the U13 side. His first real test, however, came when he joined former Kenyan Premier League side Thika United as head coach.
Image: MARTIN OMBIMA
"I used to train the youths morning hours before embarking on my training sessions with the senior team," he said.
Muyoti took up a career in coaching after toiling for years on the pitch as top-flight player. He first had had a stint with Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi's lower tier, before he tried out for AFC Leopards.
“In 1999 and 1997 I featured for Kenyatta Hospital for the last time before now moving to Leopard,’ he said.
Born in 1976, Muyoti attended Our Lady Mercy Primary before transferring to Mumias Boys’ primary where he sat for his K.C.P.E.
He proceeded to Amukura Secondary in Busia for his high school education but again transferred to Upper Hill School in Nairobi.
His efforts to move to Horizon FC in Uganda was cut short after Leopards failed to release him after five years of stay at the den. He later joined Thika United.
Muyoti says he is not in a hurry to secure a role as a national team coach.
"Coaching the national team is something every coach would wish to do, but for me as a coach, I am not just aiming to be at the national level only but am also aiming to coach overseas," cited Muyoti.
The Kakamega Homeboyz tactician hopes to travel overseas someday for further training and believes doing so might open the doors for upcoming coaches.
“You see if I make it overseas that will give much hope to others, that if Muyoti did it why not them,” he said.
Muyoti also believes that local tacticians should strive to secure jobs abroad in a bid to arrest the trend whereby only foreign coaches find opportunities to guide local clubs.
He says his eyes are trained on this season's Kenya Premier League trophy.
Homeboyz are currently placed 15th on the log after nine matches.
Though Muyoti has successfully performed with several local clubs in the country, he had to seek a new challenge at Sporting Afrique club in Singapore.
“After getting a new contract with the Sporting Afrique Club in Singapore, I was given a chance to coach the Flamingo kids under sporting Afrique Club,” he said.
He said at Sporting Afrique the league was meant for gambling purposes and most of the players from Kenyan side were not for that.
He said that most of the players could easily sell the match for money without concern.
Most Kenyan players were dropped failed to make it to the first eleven because they refused to comply with that match-fixing.
He later moved to Churchill Brothers FC for one season, and later joined Sporting Club De Goa of East Bengal both in India.
Image: MARTIN OMBIMA
Muyoti never featured for Sporting Club De Goa of East Bengal after sustaining an injury during a friendly match.
He travelled back to Kenya after sustaining an injury and started serving as a coach to Thika junior team.
“After the injury, I joined Sher Karuturi for one season, then to Sofapaka and in 2010 I joined my former Club AFC,” Muyoti said.
However, transiting from the playground to coaching has remained a hard nut for many players to crack. In Muyoti's case, the transition to coaching started while still on the pitch.
Through his experience as a player and captain, he learnt to understand not only his teammates but the opponents and match officials.
“When you understand someone it becomes easier to relate with them,” he said.
Muyoti took up the challenge on the touchline when he was announced as AFC Leopards assistant coach by Alex Ole Magelo at a time he was still the team captain.
Magelo was the club chairman by then when they were heading to pre-season at Mumias.
Muyoti was to deputise Jan Koops who was the club head coach by then.
“My appointment as an assistant coach was accomplishments of a player development program that will see many other senior players make it to coaching and football management at the end of their career,” he said.
Muyoti later joined Oserian FC in Naivasha after being dismissed by Leopards' management.
He was later recalled at AFC under head coach Tom Olaba who was later dismissed for poor results leaving him as an Interim coach.
Muyoti further served as an assistant coach under Luc Eymael.
“We were both dismissed due to poor results and I moved to Zetech University for two months then to Thika United as an assistant coach for a period of one year,” Muyoti said.
Image: MARTIN OMBIMA
He would later be promoted as the head coach at Thika united after James Nandwa was fired due to poor results back in 2016.
He said since he took over Thika United where things could not work out for the team as the club was hit by a financial crisis.
“So to me as a coach I had to hang up my boots to save my image as a coach with the club second last nine points in 13 games was not that easy,” he said.
Muyoti left Thika to join Nzoia for only eight months before linking up with Kakamega Homeboyz.
Apart from his job as Homeboyz coach, Muyoti says he owns Teams of Hope Academy in Busia that participates in the county league.
He is also the chairman of Imara FC in Mwiki ( Nairobi) and vice-chairman of Interdjinamory in Nairobi County League as well.
Best Moments: Leading the national team to win the last edition of the castle cup held in Tanzania in 2002.
Serving as a coach Muyioti says being voted as the best coach in January 2020 and finishing 2nd in the premier league also were his best moments.
Worst Moments: Sustaining an injury that nearly ended his career in 2002 while attending trials at Swindon Town — a Division One side in England.
BIOGRAPHY:
Name: Nicholas Muyoti
Date of Birth: 1976
Education: Our Lady of Mercy Primary, then Mumias Primary
Amukura Secondary, then Upper Hill
Family: Married with two kids
Coaching
2012-2013 Assistant coach at AFC Leopards
2013-2014 Interim coach for AFC Leopards
2015-2016 Oserian coach
2017-2018 Thika United coach
2018- 2019 Nzoia Sugar coach
2019 - to date Kakamega Homeboyz