Months after Kenya’s all time top scorer Dennis Oliech pulled out of retirement to play in the Kenyan Premier League, former Harambee Stars goalkeeper Wilson Oburu has hinted of following suit after almost two years in the cold.
Oburu hanged up his gloves in 2017 after featuring for the current league leaders Bandari for four years and would later be elevated to rank of team manager at the club following the demise of his predecessor Alfred Obwaka who succumbed to heart attack in January last year.
The stylish custodian who has two premier league titles, two Shield Cup silverwares and a handful of national team caps against his name is the latest legend to announce his return to the local scene after Oliech who is currently plying his trade with champions Gor Mahia. Oburu opened up on his looming comeback to the league as a player—a move he said was engineered by his undying love of the game and his fitness levels which he attributed to the drills he undergoes daily with the club’s custodians.
Even though he declined to reveal his expected date or season of return, the former Sofapaka man said he would comfortably navigate both as the team manager and goal keeping roles courtesy of his experience in the two departments.
“I am working towards a return to competitive play despite being out for long. I am fit enough to make saves just like during my playing days. I train daily with our three goalkeepers who have been doing good since they joined the club. As you are aware, I did not retire but was elevated to the rank of team manager and I feel I will be able to balance the two when I begin playing. I am always grateful to the management of the club for believing in me and promoting me to serve in the technical bench but I think I still have years to play competitive football.”
Oburu launched his football career from the then hub of talents MYSA while at Muthurwa Primary School before joining Mombasa Heroes in 2001 while at Hamisi High School in Mombasa. His heroics at Heroes attracted a number of clubs who jostled for his signature but it was Tusker who landed the rookie at Ruaraka where he stayed and won the league with them in 2007.
He returned to the Coast and penned a one-year long deal with Bandari in 2008 before heading to the then free spending Sofapaka the following year where he aided them to win the league in their debut season. He also won the Shield Cup with Batoto Ba Mungu in 2010
A nasty knee injury in 2011 almost crippled his career and consequently saw Sofapaka loan him to Sony Sugar to regain his reflexes but after rediscovering his form, he returned to Bandari in 2013 where he featured for the club till 2017 and was instrumental in their 2015 Shield Cup glory.