•After finishing his secondary education at Chesamisi High school, Maelo joined Nzoia Sugar then under coach Rogers Kadenge (current club chairman).
•“After my time at Police FC, I moved to Sofapaka in 2016 with the blessing if my superiors who understood my desire to also succeed in football.”—Maelo
A decade and a half playing top-flight football speaks to the professionalism and self-discipline of George Maelo, the National Police Service officer who called time on his playing career last week as skipper of former Kenya Premier League champions Sofapaka.
Maelo was not necessarily born into the game when he was brought into this world in Nyeri, Kingajo Police College, where his father was a police instructor. What he was born into was a call to serve.
From a very early age, he was taught the values of discipline in whatever he did. The chain of command, he learnt was not to be broken under any circumstances.
In 1993 when his family moved to Bungoma—his ancestral home of Bukembe— the first seeds of a budding footballer were planted.
“I started playing in Bukembe Junior team called Red Devils coached by one Gideon Wanekeya, a former Nzoia Sugar goalkeeper. I just loved football and playing the famous ‘lifundo’ (football made from polythene papers and woven together with sisal or manila),” recalled Maelo.
The would-be defender added: “I loved watching Robert Carlos (retired Brazilian 2002 Fifa World Cup winner) play as a fullback. That is how I decided to become a defender.”
His love for football blossomed as he grew and continued into his schooling. After finishing his secondary education at Chesamisi High school, Maelo joined Nzoia Sugar then under coach Rogers Kadenge (current club chairman).
“Later, I joined Red Berets, a club made up of General Service Unit officers, as a civilian after Nzoia was disbanded. I was later recruited in 2006 and joined the team permanently in 2007 after training,” narrated Maelo.
His time at the paramilitary outfit would not last long as the side was relegated from the topflight league and disbanded in 2009. That period gave him an opportunity to re-configure his priorities. “I stopped playing and continued with my studies as I knew the value of education in furthering my career,” said Maelo.
In 2014, the uniformed officers keen to give their crop of talented servicemen an outlet to channel their talents formed the Police FC which started off in Division One of the Football Kenya Federation pyramid. The team went on to qualify for the National Super League in 2015.
“After my time at Police FC, I moved to Sofapaka in 2016 with the blessing of my superiors who understood my desire to also succeed in football,” he added.
For a service officer, it was not easy for Maelo to juggle his responsibilities as a member of the disciplined forces while at the same time playing competitive football sometimes with civilians from different backgrounds.
In fact, his peers and the then fellow GSU officers Wycliffe Kasaya and Eric Ochieng left the service to pursue their football ambitions. Equally, he had to balance his love for the game and his call of duty.
“It was hard but through military training of managing time and good planning, I was able to cope,” he said. “There is no road without a bend. There were challenges but I thank Deputy Inspector General and GSU Commandant Mr Kanja for their support that enabled me to play. I also thank the Senior Superintendant of Police for allowing the police to interact with civilians in sporting activities just like our athletes do, to sell the image of the police service and the country.”
Though he excelled on an individual capacity at his former clubs to the extent of being bestowed the captaincy in his different stations, Maelo never got the opportunity to play for Harambee Stars.
It is a missing honour in his otherwise impeccable career and he reckons as much.
“It is the dream of any player to play for the national team but, unfortunately, that time I was doing my Inspectorate course. All in all, I thank God because I served the national team in another capacity providing security for players during big games,” he said.
Image: FILE
Indeed, a picture of Maelo in his full police gear keeping guard during a match at Moi Stadium, Kasarani trended on social media sites last year. He also represented Kenya in the East Africa Police games where they emerged victorious last year.
In his long time in the game, the 35-year-old passed through the hands of many reputable coaches. But it is current Harambee Stars coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee who left a lasting impression on him.
“Ghost had an early influence in my career when he came to coach Red Berets. He triggered a strong point to believe in myself. But I can’t forget my coach at Sofapaka, John Baraza. He is great,” said Maelo.
Being a defender as a youngster to the end of his career, Maelo came up against some of the best strikers on the domestic scene. He, however, could not pinpoint a single player who sent shivers down his spine every time he came up against.
“There were many tough opponents and I cannot single out one individual because every game had different challenges and each opponent had a unique style,” said Maelo in his characteristic diplomatic style.
Despite the different ambitions of his clubs, Maelo had the unique responsibility of attempting to help his two sides avoid relegation.
Though he was unsuccessful in the survival battle with Red Berets, he managed to help Sofapaka avert a damaging drop. It stands out as one of his achievements and stood him out as a key player for ‘Batoto Ba Mungu’.
Image: COURTESY
“The match against Thika United in Machakos stands out for me and being part of the ‘survival team 2016’ with Sofapaka is one I look back on with pride in the twilight days of my career. In addition, the 2019 East Africa Police Games at Moi Stadium, Kasarani, which we won to become the first Kenyan champion, stands out for me but I have many other fond memories in my career,” he reminisced.
Maemo also decried the poor management in clubs by officials as a great impediment to the growth of football on the continent. Now that he has hung up his boots, the defender has set his sights on serving Kenyans as a police officer with different management skills.
“I also want to improve the standards of sporting security in the country. We have to aim at the best standards in the world to curb hooliganism and make going to stadiums family-friendly,” said Maelo.
The service-man added: “I am also keen on building young talent through motivational talks and fighting crime through sports. I remember Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast and Chelsea football legend) stopped civil war in his country by going live on media and asking his people to support them in Africa Cup rather than killing each other and promised them the cup.”
Maelo further noted that he wants Kenyan youth to embrace talent for the sake of their future.
MAELO BIO
Name: George Maelo
Career: Inspector of Police, Sultan Hamud Police Station
Age-35yrs
Marital Status-married
Education: Nzoia sugar primary, Chesamisi Boys High School,
Qualifications: Egerton University, BA Criminology Specialized in Forensic Investigation
Clubs: Nzoia Sugar FC, Red Berets, Police FC, Sofapaka FC
Position: Defender
Honours-Silver(2017) and bronze(2018) in Gotv tournament; won gold in East Africa Police Games