• It is this recent rise that has given stakeholders hope that even greater successes could be on the way, with talk of a maiden appearance at the World Cup in 2023 on the lips of many, including head coach Cliff Owuor.
• I believe Kenya has great potential in sports and our youth can benefit from sports tremendously. With sports, I think there are endless opportunities since the industry is so large — Kiganya
Image: /COURTESY
In the recent past, Kenya’s basketball standards have improved greatly with Morans advancement to the 2021 Afro-basket qualifiers one of the major highlights.
Morans beat South Sudan 74-68 in a pulsating final game at the Nyayo Stadium in January to book a slot in the qualifiers where they are set to face hosts Senegal, Angola and Mozambique in a two-phase tournament starting November.
A year ago, Morans reached the final of the AfroCan Championships in Bamako, Mali, succumbing 82-61 to DR Congo in the final. It is this recent rise that has given stakeholders hope that even greater successes could be on the way, with talk of a maiden appearance at the World Cup in 2023 on the lips of many, including head coach Cliff Owuor.
But to achieve something extraordinary, former international Peter Kiganya believes youth programme will be key.
He observes that most if not all team sports depend on how a club or a nation treats their upcoming stars, opining that this should be the next sphere for basketball authorities in Kenya to dig into.
This, the US-based former player says, will only be achievable if Kenya — and even the region — develop a sound youth system where young players identified through the various grassroot tournaments; including schools, will be nurtured. Kiganya, a former Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and Co-operative Bank of Kenya forward, has taken the maiden step, leading from the front through the establishment of Hope Basketball Programme, whose purpose is talent identification and development.
“Every time I am out here, I think about home and how I can help the youth,” says Kiganya. “I have big plans for youth basketball in the country because it is by playing basketball that I got to the USA. I want to give back.”
He observes that Kenya has immense talent but it will be through joint effort by the stakeholders, both in the country and abroad, that the future of the various national teams can be safeguarded.
Kiganya plans to come home in November where he has organised a basketball camp for the U18s, targeting 500 kids, who will benefit from a basketball each at the conclusion of the clinics. The clinics will be held in five towns including Eldoret, Maralal, Kisumu and Siaya in a continuation of a programme started in 2018 in Yala and conducted by international Fiba referee Mary Oriaro.
Apart from Yala, they have also toured Nakuru, Kisumu, Nairobi, Mombasa and Makueni.
“At the Yala Basketball Academy, our main targets are primary school-going children aged between four and 16. Other than Kiganya, the academy has benefited mostly from other well-wishers,” says Oriaro, adding that apart from Kiganya, Bonnie Salano, Agina Wesonga, Ronnie Owino, Everlyn Kedogo and Eunice Afande have been of great help too.
Kiganya adds that they will have a top 50 U-18 camp for 50 boys and 50 girls at the same time.
“It will be a five-day camp and the highlight will be the All Star Game, where 20 boys and 20 girls will be chosen from among the campers to play in an All Star game,” he says. “This year, our expectation is that every child who attends our camps/clinics will go back home with a basketball. Our target is 500 kids from all locations that we intend to visit.”
Many local coaches will be involved in the exercise. Kiganya says his ambition is to create a basketball academy in each of the 47 counties with adequate coaches to handle the players.
“The Basketball Hope Tour came into being because of conversations with coaches who were doing so much for the youth with so little,” he says. “We are happy to supply basketballs, shoes, uniforms and knowledge.”
Over time, Kiganya has continued to attend basketball camps throughout the USA to get information and materials just to help Kenyan youth attain their dreams. Popularly referred to as ‘PK’, Kiganya was born on September 26, 1972 to a single parent, the late Leah Wanjiku Kinyua. He just has a sister, Jane Wanjiru Kinyua.
“My mum is my hero. She raised us and never complained about anything. She instilled in us the ethics of hard work at a very young age. She didn’t like excuses and always told us not to worry about what we cannot control,” he reminisces.
Kiganya schooled at Muguga Green Primary School in 1978-1986 and proceeded to Eastleigh High School in 1987–1990.
He reveals that he started playing basketball while in Form Three after watching former Posta and national team guard Peter ‘Kalulu’ Otieno and Equity Bank head coach David Maina star for the school.
He also attended classic league every week, where the prowess of national team and Strathmore University tactician Ronny Owino and former KPA guard Lawi Odera impressed him.
Between 1991 and 1995, Kiganya played club basketball at Kimbo, Kenya Airways and KPA. Later, he moved to Co-op Bank, Stormers, Burky International and KCITI.
Within that period, he also appeared as a guest player for Rwandese top side, APR during the Genocide Memorial tournament in Kigali. It was while playing for KPA that American Tony Mauldin, who was doing missionary work in the country, got impressed by his talents and asked him to join KCITI.
“Coach Mauldin was forming a team and he scouted players in Kenya to join KCITI. I happened to be one of the identified players and alongside coach Owuor, they came to Mombasa to talk to me”.
In 1997, after months at KCITI, Kiganya left the country for USA and joined Frank Phillips Junior College in Texas. After a year, he moved to Abilene Christian College (ACU).
“My sister and her husband were actually the first people I talked to when I was approached by coach Mauldin about going to the US to pursue my career and education,” he says. “They supported me and talked about life after basketball. They really helped me in making my decision to leave KPA and join KCITI.”
He adds that his ‘American mum’ Shirley Garner and her family were also instrumental as they opened the door for him and many other Kenyan players, helping them settle with ease in a foreign land. Kiganya made a name as a key player for the ACU ‘Wildcats’ team where he became the 17th player in the history of the school to score more than 500 points in a season. He also posted the fifth best scoring game in the history of ACU with 41 points and 22 rebounds.
“I was one of the five selected by fans as the top Wildcat players during the tenure in the Lone Star Conference. To crown it all, I was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016,” he says. “For someone who started playing basketball as a junior, to make it to the HOF it was unbelievable.”
“I had the fifth best scoring game in the history of ACU. I scored 41 points, grabbed 22 rebounds in a game, scored 515 points in a season becoming the 17 player in the history of the school to score more than 500 points in a season.”
He says another great moment during his basketball career was when he travelled with Charles Maina to Hollywood for the audition of the The Air Up There, a 1994 American documentary directed by Paul Michael Glaser.
“I met so many basketball legends and got to watch the ‘92 Chicago Bulls play. We watched two NBA games at the Great Western Forum and took pictures with stars like Sam Perkins, Bob McAdoo and Alex English.”
Kiganya quickly advanced to the NCAA Division II level playing for ACU, recording 10.5 rebounds a game (fourth in the nation), a season high of 41 points, 19.8 points per game.
After graduating at ACU, he left for South America in 2001 starting a professional stint that took him to Chile, Peru, Uruguay and Paraguay in a four-year stint. His first club was Espanol de Talca in Chile where he regularly posted 29 or more points per game, he was voted Best Import player and the Chilean press nicknamed him Leon Africano - the African lion.
He then moved to Liceo Mixto (Chile), Regatas de Lima (Peru), club Welcome and Olimpia (Uruguay), Deportivo San Jose, Feliz Perez Cardozo and Sol Americano. On the international front, Kiganya featured for Kenya at the 1993 AfroBasket at Moi Stadium, Kasarani where they finished fourth. “This was my first experience with the national team and since there were taller and experienced players like ‘Big’ Sam Omole, Mike Kimani, Ben Wanjara, Elvis Ochieng and Alex Aluga, in terms of depth, I knew getting minutes would be tough,” he says.
“They were better than me but I believed in what I brought to the table. It was tough coming off the bench and not getting a lot of the minutes and after the tournament, I swore that I would not be coming off the bench in the next outing.”
When he returned to KPA, he worked on his dribbling and shooting. He got inspiration from Senegalese Etienne Preira, who at 6ft 8, was playing as a guard and had a great tournament.
“I averaged 14 points and 13 rebounds a game. I was the best rebounder not only in East Africa but the whole of Africa,” he says.
Interestingly, he returned to coach the Kenyan side in 2011 and 2013. Between 2010-2012 he came back to the country and had stints with Cooperative Bank of Kenya guiding the bankers to two successive national titles as well as the East and Central Africa Club Championships, where he was crowned the most valuable player.
Kiganya is married to Jacqueline Atieno and they have three kids Leah Wanjiku, 23, Peter Kiganya Jnr 13 and Levi David Kiganya, four. They are called “The Simba family.”
“My wife has been my best supporter and critic all along. Without her I don’t think I would be where I am today. She made it possible for me to pursue my dreams of playing pro, keeping me level-headed and never allowing me to be too high or too low,” he observes.
“She kept me connected to the family even when I was overseas. It’s tough being away from the family. Due to the time difference and busy schedules, communication was also a challenge. She worked tirelessly to ensure that we had family time each day which helped me focus.”
Sports can open doors for our youth if we approach it as a compliment to education, he observes.
“If someone, from Mwiki like myself, can travel the world because of bouncing a basketball, anyone can if they just have a big dream and pursue it without fear,” he says.
“I believe Kenya has great potential in sports and our youth can benefit from sports tremendously. With sports, I think there are endless opportunities since the industry is so large,” he concludes.
Name: Peter Kiganya
Nicknames: PK, Simba
Date of Birth: September 26, 1972
Education: Muguga Green Primary (1978-1986)
: Eastleigh High (1987-1990)
: KCITI (1996)
: Frank Phillips Junior College in Texas, USA (1997)
: Abilene Christian College (1998-2001)
Career: Kimbo, Kenya Airways, KPA, Co-op Bank, Stormers, Burky International and KCITI (1991 — 1995)
Pro Career: Espanol de Talca (Chile), Liceo Mixto (Chile), Regatas de Lima (Peru), club Welcome and Olimpia (Uruguay), Deportivo San Jose, Feliz Perez Cardozo and Sol Americano.
National team: 1993
Height: 6ft 6in