Nicholas Kipkirui put his name into the history of Gor Mahia Legends after he scored the third goal against Egyptian giants Zamalek last weekend. The boy from Kericho had announced himself on the big stage.
Even though the post match conversation switched to Denis Oliech who scored the fourth goal, Kipkirui deserves some attention, in fact all the attention.
We are living at very exciting times as Kenyans. Since March last year, everything has been about the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his brother Raila Odinga. That is why someone suggested that Kipkirui was also enjoying himself at Gor thanks to the handshake.
Gor Mahia is supposed to be a Luo club, but Francis Kahata, their best player is a Kikuyu while their Captain Haron Shakava is a Luhya from Kakamega. And now a Kalenjin is their most promising player. Isn’t the handshake amazing.
The fact that coach Hassan Oktay decided to hand Kipkirui a starting berth in the high profile match ahead of Denis Oliech speaks a lot about the young man.
Kipkirui scored 13 goals for Zoo Kericho last season. He signed a four year deal with Gor in October last year. But if he keeps on with this form, then he may not stay long at Gor Mahia before he is picked by an International club.