The slum-dwelling schoolboys batting in the nets in Nairobi are at the heart of an effort to rescue Kenyan cricket from a seemingly endless slump, dogged by poor performances, governance issues and political wrangles.
After the heroics in South Africa in 2003, when Kenya became the first non-Test nation to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, the country’s cricket went into free fall, with little sign of recovery.
However, three brothers — all former international cricketers — are mounting a fightback by putting money into a training academy aimed at rebuilding the sport in Kenya from the ground up.
Photo: AFP
Founded by former Kenya opener Kennedy Otieno and his brothers David Obuya and Collins Obuya in 2006, the Obuya Cricket Academy offers training to youngsters from low-income neighborhoods.
It hopes to discover players and revive their national team’s flagging fortunes.
“Youth development is at the heart of cricket, and our focus was to open the doors for underprivileged children ... to play the game to the highest level and keep hope alive,” said David Obuya, a former Kenya wicketkeeper.
“The response has been tremendous,” said David Obuya, who is Cricket Kenya’s head coach, with dozens of students aged five to 19 training daily at the academy in Nairobi’s Lavington suburb.
Many parents were happy to sign their children up for lessons, especially when the academy offered to pay their school fees and provide free lunches.
Despite financial constraints, the academy has slowly grown, fielding a team in the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association Super League since 2019.
The academy has also helped other clubs with recruitment.
“As a family we have found this very satisfying, since we are able to inspire the next generation of Kenyan cricket players,” David Obuya told reporters.
The league itself has received help from an unexpected quarter, with its teams recruiting players from India.
The move harkens back to the 1980s and 1990s when Kenyan cricket benefited from the presence of Indian sportsmen who signed with clubs in Nairobi to improve their chances of selection in the national squads back home.
They included Ashuman Gaekwad and Sandeep Patil who went on to play for India, with Patil returning to Nairobi in 2003 to coach Kenya and take them to the World Cup semi-finals.
“These are people who worship and breathe cricket,” association head Kanti Rabadia told reporters. “What they bring to the game is discipline and professionalism that is lacking with the local players.”
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