Tusker FC assistant coach Charles Okere is savouring his newfound treasure as the best-qualified tactician in the country.
Okere was named the top trainee out of the 18 coaches who received their CAF A License after a six-month training that concluded last month.
He scored an impressive 70.38% to finish first out of 25 students. Gor Mahia Queens' head coach Jackline Juma came in second with a score of 68.91% while Posta Rangers head coach Bernard Kawinzi took third pace with 68.86%.
Other standout performers in the course included former Ulinzi Stars captain Stephen Ochola, Tusker FC assistant coach George Maina, and Kariobangi Sharks assistant coach Ezekiel Seda.
Okere is one of the few Kenyan football tacticians who can proudly display a stellar four-page curriculum vitae.
Despite being in his early 40s, he has an impressive amount of coaching expertise. In an interview, Okere revealed that he had to work additional hours to get to where he is now.
The vivacious strategist was born on April 23, 1981, in Nairobi's Eastlands district of Jericho where he rose above his parents' disapproval of pursuing a football career.
“I loved football and played a lot of it, but my parents did everything they could to discourage me from the sport, believing that I was wasting time that would have been better spent on education,” Okere stated.
“It even got to the point where my mother would select my football-related accessories and discard them,” he added.
Never one to back down, Okere persevered, encouraged by his older brother Eric's accomplishments playing for some of the nation's best teams, such as KCB, Mafuko Bombers, Utalii, and KCC.
“My mother would get upset with me for spending too much time playing football, and there were times when I received severe reprimands, but my brother gave me a lot of inspiration and pushed me to follow my dreams, Okere said.
