McDonald Mariga

McDonald Mariga Wanyama (born 4 April 1987) is a Kenyan footballer player who plays for Italian Serie A club Internazionale. Mariga made history as the first Kenyan footballer to play in the UEFA Champions League on 17 March 2010.

Club career

Early career

Mariga started his playing career at Ulinzi Stars before moving first to Tusker FC and then to Pipeline FC while still at school. Mariga was a member of the Kamukunji High School ‘Golden Boys’, which also included Kenyan striker Dennis Oliech (Auxerre, France), who won two consecutive National Championships in 2002 & 2003.

The central midfielder went to Sweden in 2005 to play for third Division side Enköpings SK. After only one season at ESK, he signed for Helsingborgs IF before the 2006 season. His success at Helsingborgs was immediate. Following initial interest from Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp, Mariga looked set to sign for the Premier League team, but work permit issues held up the deal which was supposed to have cost around €2.7million.

Parma

He moved to the Serie A club Parma initially on loan in August 2007. The Italian club had an option to buy him in the summer for a fee of 20 million Swedish kronor (around €2million).^{[citation needed]} Mariga agreed to a four year deal to keep him at Serie A side Parma for four years until the end of June 2012, after the club paid a transfer fee for Swedish Kronor 18 million (approx. 1.94 million euros). The deal, brokered by former Swede great Martin Dahlin, now an agent, falls short of the 20 Million Kronnor asking price initially set by Helsingborgs. 25% of the transfer fee will go to Enkopings SK, the club that first got Mariga to Sweden in 2005.

Mariga played 35 times for Parma in the Serie B during the 2008–2009 season scoring three times to help them back to Serie A for the 2009–2010 season.

In January 2010 he was set to sign for the English Premier League club Manchester City, but he failed to obtain a work permit. It was later stated by Kenya‘s Prime Minister Raila Odinga that 22-year-old Mariga had eventually obtained a UK work permit but only after the transfer window for the Premier League had closed. Had Mariga successfully signed for Manchester City, he would have been the first player from the Premier League-mad East African country to sign for a club in the top English league.

Internazionale

On 1 February 2010, the last day of the transfer window, Mariga moved to Internazionale in a co-ownership deal however he initially attempted a big-money move to Manchester City until a work permit was turned down by the FA. The transfer fee was a cash plus player deal which Parma got half the registration rights of Jonathan Biabiany and the loan of Luis Antonio Jiménez. Following the move, Internazionale president Massimo Moratti hailed Mariga’s move as the “best thing that could have happened” to the club in the January transfer window. He made his debut for Internazionale in the 1st leg of the 2009 Coppa Italia Semi Final against Fiorentina. Inter narrowly won the match 1–0. In March 2010 Mariga became the first Kenyan to play in the UEFA Champions League, when he entered the field as a late substitute against Chelsea.

Mariga thought he scored his first goal for Inter on April 24, 2010 against Atalanta when he netted Samuel Eto’s back pass into the roof of the net. However his shot deflected off Sulley Muntari and the goal was credited instead to the Ghanaian. He also scored a thrashing header against Genoa for the Nerazzuri in a game that ended 3-2.

In June 2010, Inter bought him outright and bought back Biabiany for a reported fees near to €9.5M.

On the 30th of July, McDonald played against his brother’s new club, Celtic, In the Dublin Super cup, a new friendly tournament. His brother did not feature at all in the inter game but played on the following day against an Airtricity League XI, where Celtic Won 5-0.

International career

Mariga scored his first international goal for Kenya against Swaziland on 25 March 2007.

Personal life

His father Noah Wanyama, a left winger, played for AFC Leopards and the Kenyan national football team. Mariga’s younger brother Victor Wanyama is also a professional football player currently playing for Scottish Premier League side Celtic F.C., while another brother Thomas Wanyama plays for the Kenyan Premier League champions Sofapaka, Another brother Sylvester Wanyama Plays for the Kenya premier league club Sony Sugar. Their younger sister Mercy Wanyama is the captain of Langata High School basketball team, previously she played football and netball.

Robert Mambo Mumba

Robert Mambo Mumba (born October 25, 1978 in Mombasa) is a Kenyan footballer, who is currently playing for Dalkurd FF.

Career

His previous club (up until the spring of 2006) was Viking FK in Norway. His previous clubs include Örebro SK, BK Häcken and K.A.A. Gent, and he played for Coast Stars, Nyoka FC and Kenya Pipeline FC before moving to Europe. On 8 February 2011 resigned his contract with GIF Sundsvall and joined to Dalkurd FF.

International career

Mambo Mumba has played 50 international matches and scored 15 goals for Kenya. He played in the 2004 African Nations Cup. Mambo Mumba is skipper of the Kenyan national team after the retirement of Musa Otieno.

Joe Kadenge

Joe Kadenge is a Kenyan former football player and coach. He is regarded by some as the finest footballer ever produced by Kenya.

Career

Playing career

Kadenge played for Maragoli United, and scored the fastest ever goal in the Kenyan Premier League. He also played club football for Abaluhya United, winning the Kenyan Premier League in 1966.

In addition, Kadengde was part of the Kenya national football team.

Coaching career

Kadenge managed the Kenya national football team in 2002.

Personal life

Kadenge suffered a stroke in January 2006.

Dennis Oliech

Dennis Oliech
Personal information
Date of birth	February 2, 1985 (1985-02-02) (age 26)
Place of birth	Nairobi, Kenya
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Midfielder, winger
Club information
Current club	Auxerre
Number	14
Youth career
2001–2003	Mathare United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003–2005	Al-Arabi	17	(12)
2005–2007	Nantes	32	(4)
2007–present	Auxerre	122	(13)
National team
2003–	Kenya	37	(27)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21 May 2011. † Appearances (Goals).

Dennis Oliech (born on 2 February 1985 in Nairobi) is a Kenyan professional football midfielder currently playing for Auxerre.

Club career

Dennis Oliech started playing football for Dagoretti Santos in his earlier years, then Mathare United club and later was the top scorer for the Harambee Stars – Kenya’s national team, scoring in almost each game.

He turned professional in 2003 playing for Al-Arabi, Qatar until late 2005. In 2004 he was offered to change his citizenship form Kenyan to Qatari. but he refused the offer.

In 2005, Oliech signed a four-year contract with the French Ligue 1 team FC Nantes and started playing for them at the start of 2006.

However, FC Nantes were relegated in 2007 after finishing bottom of Ligue 1 and Oliech was signed on loan by Auxerre who were in need of goals after a bad start to their season. In January Auxerre signed him from Nantes.

International career

His first international match was in 2002, when Kenya lost to Nigeria 3–0.

Having come on in the second half Oliech scored which was the winning goal for the national team in the African Cup of Nations qualifiers for the 2004 finals against Cape Verde Islands. He played at the 2004 African Cup of Nations. This was the same year he was voted as one of the most promising talents alongside Wayne Rooney of Manchester United.

Personal

His older brother, Nixon Onywanda, is the coach of the Kenyan Nationwide League side Dagoretti Santos (for which Oliech once played).

Simeon Mulama

Simeon Mulama (born 6 August 1980) is a Kenyan international footballer who plays for Mathare United, as a midfielder.

Career

Born in Nairobi, Mulama began his early career in his native Kenya with Mathare United and AFC Leopards; he was captain at the former. He later played in Egypt for Ismaily, in the United States for Park University, and in Sweden for Skellefteå FF. He returned to Mathare United in 2009.

Mulama earned eleven caps for the Kenyan national side,^[2][3] and appeared in one FIFA World Cup qualifying match.

Personal life

He is the twin brother of fellow player Titus Mulama.