A keen follower of the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) is no stranger to the gifted midfielder Charles Okwemba, who shone with different clubs, especially 12-time AFC Leopards champions.
His self-effacing personality notwithstanding, his longevity in the beautiful game and the impact he made in all the clubs he featured for before retiring in 2018 endeared him to many.
He played football at notable clubs for 21 years after stints at Busia’s Maroon and Super Eagles in the early 90s, having attracted the attention of Shabana FC while still in High School in 1998.
In 2001, he joined Leopards where he spent two years, before transferring to Tusker FC where he remained until 2005.
He switched to Rwanda’s APR later that year, before moving to Rayon Sports. His football sojourn would then take him to Uganda’s Sports Club Villa before making a bigger leap to Oman ‘s Al Hilal in 2007, but returned with Leopards to local scene in 2008.
He went abroad again in 2009, returning to Al Hilal before returning to the KPL the following year for Posta Rangers, Rangers FC, AFC Leopards (four years), Ushuru, Sofapaka and finally Vihiga United where he retired in 2018.
Noteworthy, in almost every club for which he played, he was given the armband, underlining his professionalism and leadership in and out of the pitch.
But since calling it a career, Okwemba has silently built what he calls a small business empire, believing that only the sky can be a limit when it comes to expanding.
With the financial challenges associated with the sport locally that have made many former stars helpless to a point where they depend on well-wishers to survive, it is no mere achievement for a player to make quick steps in the business soon after retirement.
In fact, choosing a football career in Kenya has been argued that is akin to embracing a life of struggle, especially if a player retires before attracting elite foreign leagues.
For example, the most decorated Kenyan football club Gor Mahia said it hadn’t paid players for five consecutive months, as it did at the end of May 2020. Gor’s disheartening reality is justifiably just a tip of the iceberg, and players in other clubs need to go through more serious issues.
This isn’t unusual in Kenya ‘s football landscape but Okwemba, now a transportation, housing, and sports apparel businessman says there’s still optimism to make the best out of the sport.
“It is possible to do something. Of course it is not easy, but it calls for a very high level of discipline. What most players do not tell you, besides the small salaries and inconsistency in payment, extravagance has hindered many from doing anything meaningful with their proceeds from the game,” Say Okwemba, how he built his house inside the Metropolitan of Nairobi while earning Sh25,000.
He implores players to see their industry ‘s positive side and make the best out of it, irrespective of the challenges.
“It is very important to understand your industry, so that you plan without wasting time. Football is a short career, with that in mind, there is no time to waste. That’s how I started saving and investing in other ventures outside football.
“Most clubs pay allowances which if well utilized, can run the day-to-day operations so that salary savings can be maximized,” advised Okwemba.
He recalls how he was ridiculed for buying a ‘ small car, ‘his first when he returned from Oman in 2009. This he recalls was something he was used to, as teammates would call him a “fala,” (timid) whenever they would go for international matches, choosing to stay indoors while the rest would go shopping with their allowances.
Still, he says he always set aside some goodies to sell back home, if he had to shop.
“The allure of living large to the expectation of the society has punished many players, who come to know the truth when it’s too late. Many people laughed at me when I bought a Peugeot 504 after my Oman stint, saying it was a shame for a big name of my cadre to ride such a small car. These included my fellow players, who I had to ignore. That is the time I purchased the piece of land where my house sits today, every two-bedroom unit costing Sh. 2 million.”
He continued, “If you want an excuse for not doing a different thing in life, you will definitely find it. With little money, then you must plan and avoid extravagance if you are to do anything. I remember I stopped so many times when I was constructing my house, bit by bit it was until I finished.”
Part of his house is segregated for rentals, and is still expanding his estate. Amazingly, the highest he ‘d been paid throughout his career was Sh. 80,000 excluding bonuses.
Okwemba didn’t have to wait until he was completely off the field of play to venture into business.
“I started selling sportswear from the house, while still playing before I opened the first Sports House in Busia in 2016. The Nairobi one I started off this year, using my business associates who import from China, Malaysia, Oman among other countries,” explained Okwemba, who has been supplying clubs, schools, colleges and individuals.
Thus he was able to expand his shop along Kangundo Road, Feroze in Mowlem where he says customers of all walks come for sports equipment.
Okwemba also has two taxis operating in Nairobi and a goods haulage truck.
Former Mathare United and Gor Mahia forward Innocent Mutiso agrees that saving is not easy with so little proceeds but shows how it is possible.
“If a player thinks of big savings at a go, it may not be realistic in Kenya’s football. It may not be possible even to start a big business at a go. However, saving as low as Sh. 1000 in SACCOS, with patience, can be the way to owning something someone can lean on after retirement,” opined Mutiso.
The former chairman of the Kenya Footballers Welfare Association (KEFWA) also says that small businesses are good for low-earning players to venture into, as they need low capital.
“You don’t have to own the biggest business in town simply because you are a renowned personality. If you can supply eggs somewhere after training and get something, why not? Out of the proceeds something bigger will follow. Don’t be too special for what brings you clean money. I have sometimes done Ubber transport job and it makes difference,” offered Mutiso, a TV football pundit too.
Geoffrey Kataka, who has featured among others for Posta Rangers, AFC Leopards, Wazito FC, says side jobs are the secret to a decent life after Kenya’s football.
“If a player is lucky to advance to developed countries’ leagues, they can concentrate on football alone. In Kenya, you must do something extra. I pity friends who come from the village, and with first salaries they want to move to big houses. That is the money to save,” he said, further advising footballers who can further their studies using proceeds from the game to invest in the direction.
Like Kataka and Mutiso, Okwemba highlights players who have impressive goodwill with the community for who they are on the pitch, which they can leverage when they spend outside of the sport.
His heart bleeds for the stars of yesteryear who have nothing to show for the years they spent on the pitch, and he wants to change the trend for the younger generation in the sport.
“Different scenarios have faced different generations. In every generation there are players who standout in both extremes. We however have enough lessons by now, so the young players in the game right now must do their best to avoid difficult times ahead. They must plan for life after football, save and invest wisely to create income away from football,” concluded Okwemba.
In his own words, Kenyan leagues football players are not doomed in their retirement for a gloomy life of lack, but have a choice to change the narrative that has persisted for a long time.
He draws from the experience of African literature, deposited in his novel The Concubine by Elechi Amadi, “when Eneke the bird learnt man was shooting without missing, he learnt to fly without perching,” telling local players to overcome all the setbacks and invest for dignified lives.