• Had the player been armed with a personal cover, he would have sought treatment earlier.
•On Friday, photos of a debilitated Wanjala, who joined the sugar millers from Posta Rangers in January, emerged online with reports suggesting that he was battling reoccurring stomach problems.
For the umpteenth time, Kakamega Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula has challenged Kenyan Premier League players to seek personal health covers to supplement their employers' efforts to cushion them when disaster strikes.
The business was speaking when he went to check on ailing Nzoia Sugar attacking midfielder Jeremiah Wanjala, who is admitted at the Nala Hospital in Kakamega.
On Friday, photos of a debilitated Wanjala, who joined the sugar millers from Posta Rangers in January, emerged online with reports suggesting that he was battling reoccurring stomach problems.
Shimanyula said after receiving the photos from a friend, he swung into action and necessitated the players' search for medical attention at Kakamega Hospital where he tested positive for typhoid and malaria.
Despite pledging to support the September 2017 player until he is back on his feet, Shimanyula insisted that players must invest in health covers.
"Players should understand that their health matters a lot and it's time they invested in it. Their clubs could be offering some assistance but will not extend the same to their families. After receiving Wanjala's case I had to facilitate his admission and treatment at Kakamega Hospital and later we were referred to Nala," said Shimanyula.
"Had the player been armed with a personal cover, he would have sought treatment earlier. He was once my player and we will continue to support him until he fully recovers," he said.
"Health covers are not expensive and our players should realise that when things are thick, most of their friends — whom they spend their earnings with — will abandon them. Clubs should also ensure the well-being of their players is taken care of."
A Nzoia Sugar official said: "He joined us in January and played two matches against Gor Mahia and Ulinzi Stars before falling ill. We took him to the hospital where our players are attended to and we have been monitoring him closely."
"We were in constant communication with his family who assured us he was responding well to treatment but it seems things have drastically changed. We will team up with the rest of the well-wishers to help him recover."