Clyde Senaji (R) with his brother Lameck Luhangala during their match against AFC Leopards/ HANDOUT
It’s not every day that bloodlines cross the white lines of the same pitch.
For most siblings, football is a shared dream, shouted across living-room sofas and dusty backyards, but rarely is it lived out shoulder to shoulder, under the same crest.
Yet for Clyde Senaji and Lameck Luhangala, that dream leapt from fantasy to reality at the dawn of the 2025/26 SportPesa League.
When Senaji, the elder of the two, put pen to paper on a one-year deal with KCB, joining his younger brother in the bankers’ green, it wasn’t just another transfer; it was the merging of two journeys, two hearts stitched by blood and football.
Senaji, the seasoned centre-half and Lameck, now learning the ropes as a full-back, are cut from the same defensive cloth.
Last Saturday, the brothers made history when they started for KCB against AFC Leopards.
The match ended in heartbreak, a 2-1 defeat that saw Boniface Munyendo and Christopher Koloti score for Ingwe, with Francis Kahiro pulling one back for the bankers.
But for the Senaji brothers, it was a night that transcended the score line, a moment that will forever live in family history.
“I had to call my mom and dad to tell them we would be playing together,” Senaji recalls. “The only bad side to it is that we lost.”
Senaji had started all five league fixtures for KCB, while Lameck had yet to.
That emotional milestone had been preceded by a sombre pause in Kenyan football, a week-long postponement of the league to honour the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
For the brothers, however, that break turned into a blessing in disguise.
“We were supposed to play the weekend before, but after the postponement, I used the time to motivate him (Lameck),” Senaji says. “I told him how to manage games, how to stay composed under pressure.”
Lameck, the student under his brother’s wing, was stepping into uncharted territory, adapting to his new role as a full-back, switching from centre-back.
“He is not a natural right-back, so I had to show him the ropes, what to do, how to approach the game and to also encourage him that he was capable of filling that role,” Senaji explains.
For Lameck, the occasion was surreal.
“I don’t think I have ever played with my brother, even while at home. This was our first time. It was such a great feeling,” he says.
But nerves were part of the package; the positional shift meant Lameck had to adjust quickly.
“I started the AFC game with a minor challenge because I was now playing as a full-back, a position I am still new to. Tracking back was a bit difficult for me because I don’t have that speed to quickly return and cover my area.”
“During that one week break, my brother was motivating me and pushing me in training, showing me the ropes. He knows I am good as a centre-back but he encouraged me to give my all in my new position.”
Their debut together, however, came with a cruel twist: Senaji picked up a shoulder injury late in the game.
“It was tough for my dad; we lost the game and then I got injured,” Senaji says.
Fortunately, the damage was minimal.
“I have had check-ups with the physio and doctor and the injury is not severe and doesn’t require surgery. I may be back in two or three weeks max,” Senaji adds.
For Senaji, joining KCB after two seasons at Malawi’s Nyasa Big Bullets was more than a transfer; it was a calculated move for silverware.
“Signing for KCB felt right. I have reunited with people I know, like coach Robert Matano, who managed me at Tusker and my friend Humphrey Mieno. The transition has been seamless,” he says.
He had offers from some other local teams, including record champions Gor Mahia and Bandari, but the lure of KCB’s ambition sealed the deal.
“When I spoke to the chairman, he outlined the club’s vision. I wanted to be part of something that’s building toward glory. Matano is a winner and I want to win something this season under him,” Senaji added.
And winning is exactly what the brothers have in mind. Together, under Matano’s shrewd eye, they hope to help KCB lift their first-ever League title.
“Matano has a plan and he’s the right man to bring silverware here,” Senaji says. “Walking onto that podium to lift the trophy with my brother would mean the world to our family.”
Despite a stuttering start to the campaign, Senaji insists the mood in camp remains determined.
“It’s frustrating when you win two games and lose the rest,” he admits. “We were expecting 12 points in the first five games but that plan has not gone the way we wanted. But we take what comes and just try to push on.”
KCB’s campaign began with a 2-0 win over Tusker, followed by a 1-0 loss to Mathare before bouncing back with a 1-0 win over Kariobangi Sharks.
However, their campaign took a turn, suffering back-to-back defeats to Gor Mahia (1-0) and AFC Leopards (2-1).
Lameck, echoing his brother’s belief, says the bankers are still dreaming big.
“Our target is to win the league. Looking at the coach we have now, he is a winner and he has instilled that in us, we have that hunger to win now,” he says.
The duo is also eager for more minutes side by side, their on-field chemistry still growing.
“The game against Leopards was just the beginning, we want more games together, more time to build our understanding,” Lameck said.
Determined to perfect his craft, the youngster is putting in extra work on his delivery.
“Kahiro told me I am a good fullback, the only thing I am missing is that weight of cross, to deliver the ball into the box for the strikers,” he says.
“I am pushing myself to ensure that by the time we get to the 10th or 12th game, I am well versed with my new role and can easily track back.”
Their next test is on Sunday, against Murang’a Seal at St. Sebastian Park, a fixture Lameck believes could reignite KCB’s campaign.
“The mood in training now is very lively. After the loss against AFC, the coach came and told us we need to be calmer,” Lameck said.
The Senaji, Lameck story began far from the league’s manicured pitches, in the dusty streets of Ziwani, where football was not just a game but a way of life.
Born to Martin Navade and Judith Luhangala, in a family of five siblings (four boys and one girl), the two were brought up in a football-loving family where the sport runs deep in their veins.
Senaji, the second-born and Lameck, the youngest of the boys, share that unshakable football bond.
Born on July 26, 1996, Senaji’s love for the game sparked at Juja Road Primary School.
“I started playing football way back, while still a kid in primary school while in class five. I used to play for an academy called Kabanze Soccer Academy in Ziwani. My parents supported me so much,” Senaji recalls.
His talent blossomed through high school and college.
“From there, I got a scholarship to join Kakamega High School, but my dad advised I go to Cardinal Otunga in Kisii, then went to Sigalagala after high school to study automotive engineering. That is where Edward Manoah (current Mara Sugar head coach) spotted my talent during one of the tournaments,” he says.
Soon, he joined Vihiga United in the 2016/17 season, helping them earn promotion to the top flight under Manoah’s guidance.
“At that time, we had someone who loved football a lot, Governor Moses Akaranga; he was so invested in the team. Coach Manoah also scouted good players and I think the two pushed us to the Premier League.”
His composure and leadership caught Matano’s eye, leading to a move to AFC Leopards in 2018/19.
“Juggling football and studies was quite a challenge. From there, Matano took me up to AFC. I was doing my degree, so I had to defer. I did not finish my degree. I joined AFC,” he says.
Ironically, Senaji didn’t start as a defender.
“I started as a midfielder at AFC but there was a game, against Sofapaka, where all our defenders were injured. I was assigned to play at the back. From there, I played like five games consecutively as a defender and played well.”
The rest, as they say, is history.
Senaji went on to reunite with Matano at Tusker, playing three stellar seasons (2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22) and winning the 2020/21 KPL title, before returning to Leopards (2022/23) and later Nyasa.
“Winning the League is a highlight in my career. It was a truly humbling and incredible feeling. Not many people can boast that they have lifted the league title,” Senaji says.
Meanwhile, Lameck, born January 28, 2004, was carving his own path.
His spark came early at Juja Road Primary and St. Francis Hambale in Vihiga before his big break at Musingu High School in 2020.
“I captained Musingu to the regional games in 2023; we fell short of making the nationals. It was also there that I met coach Brendan Mwinamo who believed in me. He was instrumental in pushing me to realise my talent on the pitch,” he says.
After high school, he earned trials at KCB and impressed.
“After high school, I got a chance to do a trial for KCB, about a week after I was done with high school. It was somehow a challenge because I was stepping into the elite and meeting with players I only heard of and saw on TV,” Lameck says.
The then-head coach, Bernard Mwalala, saw his potential and promoted him.
“Mwalala believed in me and I got to join KCB at the end of the 2023/24 season. Just five games were remaining and I got to feature in the very last one, against Nairobi City Stars, my debut in the Premier League,” he reveals.
“I remember that game so well because I scored the match-winning goal from a set-piece. We won 3-2. Mwalala had told me I would play in that game so I was mentally ready. The experienced players guided me,” he recalls.
Later, in the 2024/25 season under Patrick Odhiambo, he was converted from a centre-back to a full-back.
“Coach Odhiambo took me from a centre defender to a full-back. I think he saw I had huge potential. I took it positively and pushed myself.”
In the first leg of the 2024/25 season, KCB had started with conviction, looking like real title contenders; however, lapses in the second half saw them drop down the table, finishing ninth on 42 points.
“We played well in the first leg but lost a lot of matches in the second. That, in a way, killed the morale among the players,” he says.
Their father, Navade, says it’s been a roller-coaster ride raising two footballers in the family.
“I remember when Clyde was in primary school. He gave me a tough time. He used to sneak after school to go play. I wanted him to focus on studies but after I saw his passion, I decided to support him,” he says.
The family is firmly behind the duo.
“Most of the family supports AFC Leopards but now that the boys are in KCB, I told them to choose between supporting Leopards and our boys at KCB. They said family comes first, so we support KCB fully,” he says jokingly.
“When KCB have a game in Nairobi, I always ensure I get some family members to attend and cheer them on,” he says.
