•Reports have linked the experienced centre back with a move to top-flight debutants Kenya Police who are also rumoured to be eying former Simba SC midfielder Francis Kahata.
•He spent his formative years playing football on the dusty fields of the populous Kariobangi slums in Nairobi’s Eastlands while attending Kariobangi North Primary School.
Image: ERICK BARASA
Long-serving Kariobangi Sharks skipper Erick Juma has finally called time on his association with the Kenyan Premier League side after dedicated service spanning almost two decades.
Juma briskly took to his social media account on Monday evening to pen an emotional message that hinted at his departure.
He has been on and off the pitch with a nagging injury he sustained in a league encounter.
“It's been 17 years since I joined Kariobangi Sharks. I don't know how I can express my feelings and emotions. You guys have been part and parcel of my life and my daily routine, all my life has revolved around you,” the message read.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank my entire Sharks fraternity from the youngest player through the technical bench and the executive office for the good years and moments we shared together," says Juma.
“I have learnt a lot on and off the pitch through this great family. To my boys, you've really been good lads and teammates. Continue with the good work, the spirit and the level of discipline you guys showed."
“I pray that God open doors for each and every individual in the team and may the team achieve its goals and objectives. May the love we shared continue growing and bonding the team stronger so that we can be unbeatable in achieving our goals as a family."
Reports have linked the experienced centre back with a move to top-flight debutants Kenya Police who are also rumoured to be eying former Simba SC midfielder Francis Kahata.
He spent his formative years playing football on the dusty fields of the populous Kariobangi slums in Nairobi’s Eastlands while attending Kariobangi North Primary School.
Juma says that he developed a keen interest in football while accompanying his two brothers, Babu and Polly, to competitive matches. The two used to turn out for their local team called Kariobangi Sports which featured in the FKF Division Two league.
“My interest in football grew at a tender age when I would accompany my brothers to games. They used to play for Kariobangi Sports who were once coached by Zico (Zedekiah Otieno) and Amenga (Michael),” says Juma.
“I started out as a striker because my coach found it convenient to play me up front where I could easily sneak and stab in goals without being easily noticed by the opponents because of my small built.”
Juma first got to feel the heat of actual competitive football in 2006 when he penned a deal with Kariobangi Sharks in the Super Two league.
Contrary to the widespread street gossip that places him as one of the team’s pioneers, Juma says he was never part of the original Kariobangi Sharks squad.
“I’m not among the pioneers. Kariobangi Sharks was founded when I was still very young,” he observes.
It was the immediate former Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Nick Mwendwa who invited him to join the side.
“Nick would always attend our matches. He’s the one who spotted me and signed me up as a Sharks player,” says Juma.
During his first years at Sharks, he was deployed as a midfielder and in 2017, he helped Sharks get promoted to the Kenyan Premier League (KPL).
He, however, had to wait until 2018 for his cameo appearance in the league, coming on as a second-half substitute for Vincent Wasambo in their match against Posta Rangers at Camp Toyoyo.
Juma has guided Sharks to substantive titles as a captain. He wore the armband when they silenced KPL regulars Ulinzi Stars in the final of the FKF SportPesa Shield as well as when they lifted the title in Tanzania to book a date with Everton as East Africa’s representative.