The Rise, Fall And Then Rise Of Sony's 'Buffalo' Agwanda

NAIROBI, Kenya- When Enock Obiero Agwanda re-joined Sony Sugar FC in the mid-season SportPesa Premier League (SPL) transfer window in June, even he did not envisage the impact he would have in their march towards securing top flight status following their flirtation with relegation.

Agwanda was simply returning home to the club where his journey as a professional footballer started having enjoyed mixed fortunes in his career that oscillated from the highs of winning trophies to the lows of failed moves abroad.

At Sony, the lanky forward was suddenly liberated, taking the second leg of the SPL by storm, rattling the net nine times to help the team charge up from the bottom of the log into the top 10 with three games of the campaign left.

His exploits made him the first player in history to win the SportPesa/SJAK Footballer of the Month Award twice, collecting the July and August gongs in succession, another groundbreaking achievement.

His star-struck peers have a suitable moniker for him, ‘Jowi’ which in his Luo dialect, translates to The Buffalo, perhaps a testament of how he has helped the sugar millers gore the opposition into submission as they fought off the threat of relegation.

Born in Kisumu, Nyakach to be precise, Agwanda recalls always wanting to play football from the moment he could walk.

The abject poverty in his village pushed him and his friends to make footballs out of plastic bags and string just to fulfil their urge to play since they could not afford to buy those made from synthetic material.

While in primary school, Agwanda joined a local youth team called Grade Sango and that where turned his raw love and passion for the game into a talent that could be moulded into a professional art.

He continued to play until completion of his primary school education and afterwards joined Migori Boys High School where he began playing for the Migori Youth Football Association.

“I remember not having a permanent position on the pitch until I finally settled on being a striker,” Agwanda told SportPesa News in a tell-it-all one-on-one interview at their Awendo base.

“When I joined high school, I started playing for Migori Youth after classes and my love for the game became even more profound as I realized how much I enjoyed that level of competition,” he continued.

The 24-year old forward left Migori Boys in his second year of secondary school and moved to Koderobara High School in Rongo constituency.

Four months into his third year in high school, the then 17-year old Agwanda signed his first ever contract with Sony Sugar.

Enough motivation

Despite lack of playing time, being part of a professional team was enough motivation for the upcoming striker and it did not take long for Agwanda to move into Sony’s first team where it all started clicking.

“I was the top scorer for the under-19 team and when other teams started to show their interest in me, Sony finally began to give me playing time,” he reminisced.

Agwanda got his official Kenyan Premier League (KPL) playing card in 2011 and joined Sony full time after completing his O-Levels, ready to take on the challenge of realising his dream to play professional football at the top.

He stayed at Sony for a year, getting acquainted with the domestic league and duly scored thrice but the low return did not dent his aspiration to become one of the most feared strikers in the land.

After leaving the Awendo-based club, Agwanda joined 2009 KPL champions Sofapaka FC on a four-year contract where his capabilities as a top class striker started gaining traction.

His pace, strength, agility and keen eye for goal helped him become a regular in the Batoto Ba Mungu starting line-up where the supporters’ affections grew with every goal he netted.

“My time at Sofapaka was great and I appreciated the support I received from my teammates and the fans.

“I stayed at the club for two and a half years, after which I sought a different challenge and decided to leave seeking greener pastures,” Agwada remarked.

The pastures that Agwanda sought indeed were green, as the record league champions Gor Mahia FC came calling and shortly after, he would be unveiled as a K’Ogalo player.

Nutall eye

Then Gor coach Frank Nutall had his eye on Agwanda for some time and had experienced difficulty in trying to contact him but after sending emissaries, a deal was finally struck.

Sofapaka had landed into a financial mess during the period following the exile of club president, Elly Kalekwa, leaving a playing unit distressed by non-payment of their salaries and bonuses.

Agwanda still had a year and a half left on his contract and Gor took advantage of the dire situation by buying him and in the process, his fee helped alleviate some of the cash woes facing the 2012 domestic cup winners.

Nutall was not looking to sign Agwanda because he lacked attacking options up front, with the 2015 KPL Player of the Year Michael Olunga and Meddie Kagere, providing a potent forward line.

His sturdy physique and the fact that he was young prompted Nutall to seek his services, with the aim of turning him into one of the most revered strikers in the country.

“Joining Gor was the biggest achievement of my career at the time, it was a dream come true.

“I knew the calibre of players in the team and the heights that they had managed to get to and just being a part of this great team would do a lot for me as an upcoming player in the domestic league,” Agwanda stated.

At Gor, the forward reached a peak achieved only two times prior in domestic football history, winning the league unbeaten as K’Ogalo clinched a hat trick of titles with a record haul of 78 points.

Interestingly, Sony set the previous standard of 76 when they romped to the second of their successive league successes in 2006.

Agwanda also won the KPL Top 8 tournament with Gor, adding silverware to a resume that was expanding in prominence.

During his first few months at Gor, his stake for a starting place was curtailed by a nagging thigh strain and when fit; Nutall used him as an understudy for Olunga and Kagere.

However, he still battled to net four times in his first six months despite lacking playing time.

The most memorable goal for Agwanda in the green and white of K’Ogalo was a fantastic effort in a 2-0 victory over eternal rivals AFC Leopards SC in the Mashemeji (in-laws) Derby.

Six goals in all competitions was the return in 2016 as Gor went on to lose their title to Tusker FC and after plenty of thought and consideration, Agwanda decided to leave K’Ogalo in search of regular football.

Grateful lessons

“Though I didn’t play as much as I would have wanted to at Gor, I will forever be grateful for the lessons I learned while I was there.

“Training and sharing a locker room with such experienced players really helped me as a player to grow individually and I learnt quite a lot from them,” Agwanda underlined.

Following his departure from the most decorated club in Kenyan football history, he left the country for trials in Scotland but bore no fruit and he returned home to join Bandari FC on a yearlong contract.

His move to the Dockers did not go as planned as the injury ghosts that have plagued his career returned when he suffered a hamstring snap in his second training session at the club, keeping him out of action for six weeks.

The start of the league was delayed as the battle over the constitution of the league took centre stage, affording the striker time to hope for the best when action eventually got underway.

“When I pulled my hamstring, I felt very disheartened because I hadn’t even fully settled into the team.

“Though God was good and with proper rehabilitation, I was able to fully recover and return to training a couple of days before the start of the league,” he recounred.

The budding striker stated his intentions when he made his debut against Nakumatt FC and scored a fantastic goal in a 1-0 victory over the retailers.

A dark cloud quickly overshadowed his joy as he suffered a horrid ankle injury during the match that saw him waltz in and out action for months on end.

His spell at Bandari was a disaster, making only five appearances without ever playing the entire 90 minutes.

“My injury was very bad. The most I ever played continuously for the club was 45 minutes and that saddened me.

“Every time I would come back, I would have a good game and score but afterwards I would be ruled out for weeks, if not months,” he lamented.

Agwanda confessed that he will always be grateful to one of his closest friends who is also the goalkeeping coach at his current club Sony, known as ‘Bonke’ among his players.

“He told me that he knew how talented I was and wanted me to go back to playing football. At the time he was at Western Stima FC.

“I had no intention to join the club at the time mainly because they play on an artificial turf most of the time and that would take a toll on my already injured leg,” Agwanda explained.

Club search

Snubbing Stima was not the end of his career though as he decided to stay on in Nairobi to look for a club in the capital.

Most coaches knew the goal threat Agwanda possessed but none were willing to take the risk in signing a an injury-prone player.

After plenty denials and even more false promises offered to the now 25-year old forward, a blessing in disguise came in the form of Ushuru FC head coach Ken Kenyatta.

“I will always be grateful to Kenyatta because he trusted me and despite everything, he signed me and I became an Ushuru player,” Agwanda offered.

He remained at the taxmen for six months before his decided to leave after another spell of limited playing time and following his rollercoaster career, there was only one place left for the striker to go- his boyhood team.

“I did not want to just get paid to sit on the bench so I decided it was time for the next chapter of my career.

“Returning to Sony seemed like the best option for me because of a couple of reasons; firstly, the club will always have a special place in my heart and it is located very close to where my family is.

“The pressure was not going to be as much, having already established myself there as a youngster and despite being close to the bottom of the SPL table, a chance to feature in the top flight was more important for me,” he explained.

His move turned out to be a charm, with Ushuru’s loss Sony’s gain. With the relegation axe swirling above the Awendo Green Stadium, the Prodigal Son soon had them off the stable and flying to safety.

SJAK double

Agwanda immediately clicked into gear, scoring twice and providing two assists as Sony beat Nzoia Sugar FC (2-0) before stunning former club Sofapaka (2-0) and Mathare United FC (2-0) in July where their only defeat was a 0-1 reverse to Leopards.

In August, his form got even better, bagging four and creating two as Sony secured their top flight status with victories over Thika (3-1), Ulinzi Stars FC (1-0) and Kariobangi Sharks FC (2-0) rounded off with a 0-0 draw against Tusker FC.

There was therefore, no doubt in the minds of the judging panel of the SportPesa/SJAK monthly award when Agwanda’s name topped the voting twice.

“I’m very happy that I have been an integral part of Sony’s rise to the top this season.

“Many people who doubted me and what I am capable of now only have nice things to say about me and that is a very satisfying feeling,” he stressed.

Speaking on his future at the club, Agwanda emphasized that as long as he continues to impress, he knows there will be offers but until the proper channels are followed he has no intention of leaving Sony.

“I’m happy at the club now and nobody ever knows what the future holds. If the club wants to let me go and they reach an agreement that suits my best interests, that is when I will consider making the move,” Agwanda underscored.

Agwanda retains the ambition of being one of the most prolific strikers in the land. His role models paint a picture of nothing less for the striker.

Ex Harambee Stars and Nantes forward, Dennis Oliech, is the striker that he looks up to locally and the controversial OGC Nice striker Mario Balotelli is his international inspiration.