Former Kenyan football legends turned up with one voice in support of a campaign to call on President William Ruto to honour former Harambee Stars captain Musa Otieno with a Head of State Commendation (HSC) award.
During an open sports day on Sunday May 11, 2025 held at Lower Jericho football grounds during which a high octane football match between friends of Musa Otieno select team played against Ex-Harambee Stars legends.
During the match, Otieno, partnering with Sammy Omolo Pamzo marshalled a solid defence as the legends led upfront by Nicholas Muyoti grabbed a 2-0 win to cap the day.
More than 5,000 people signed the petition seeking to make a formal request to President William Ruto to award former legendary Harambee Stars long serving team captain.
The signature collection drive was a culmination of the exercise aimed at having at least 1000 people append their signatures towards the course.
Former Harambee Stars forward Peter Lichungu underscored the importance of recognizing former players noting that Otieno deserves a presidential honour, perhaps even more that a Head of State Commendation.
“Musa Otieno deserves all accolades. He was a wonderful player in Kenya for the national team. He went to South Africa where he made Kenya proud and came back home to educate other coaches so he is a great legend. He has made many coaches and has also provided opportunity to the youth through the Kick off to Hope Academy,” Lichungu said.
According to Shabana FC head coach Sammy Omolo Pamzo, the longevity of Musa Otieno in serving the national team is enviable.
“He played for 15 years uninterrupted and has 105 caps for the national team. This is a feat that no other player has matched so we truly celebrate a legend. It takes a lot of discipline and professionalism to reach those levels. Musa is now paying back to the community by giving the youth an opportunity to hone their skills. These youths could be hooked to societal vices but Musa has given then a chance to have a good education and mentorship,” Omolo said.
“The Kick off to Hope Academy has given the youth a chance to develop and we can look out for better players. Musa deserves the award since he has done it all as a player and as a coach and instructor.He could be doing other businesses but he chose to come and give back to the sports that opened up opportunities for him by giving hope to others and that is what greatness is all about,” Pamzo added.
National Super League side Nairobi United FC Head coach Nicholas Muyoti praised Musa Otieno as a towering figure in Kenyan football noting that his consistency sets him apart from the rest of the players from his generation and the current generation.
“He is one of the most consistent players Kenya has ever had. He is capped 105 times which is the highest for any player in Kenya . The current generation cannot match the achievement of Musa and his leadership on the pitch is unmatched. We can always remember that he did the best for the country and deserves to get this country’s top honour,” Muyoti explained.
“As a coach he is doing very well and as a FIFA/CAF instructor, he is top in educating our coaches. We can only hope that the current FKF administration will continue with the coaching courses and grow more qualified coaches. From the academy, we are also seeing good skilled youths coming through the ranks and his contribution continue to impact society,” Muyoti added.
Kenya Professional Boxing Commission KPBC Secretary General Franklin Kukaa Imbenzi added his voice to the calls to honour legends noting that Musa has made immense contribution to the country as a player, coach, instructor and through the Kick off to Hope Academy.
“We all unite behind the legend. He is our own and his contribution is all out for everyone to see and appreciate. He truly deserves to be recognized and that is why I have also joined this gathering to sign the petition and add my voice,” Imbenzi said.
The chairman of the signature drive committee Martin Kang’ara said that it is time legends like Otieno who played 105 times for the national team in a career spanning 15 years consistently get the honour they deserve.
“We are really happy that we started this initiative to honour Musa Otieno and against a humble target of just 1000 signatures, we have been able to surpass by far getting to over 5000 signatures. It is our prayer that Musa will get the honour from President Ruto and this should be a call that we should be honouring our legends and encourage them to impact society,” Martin said during the event.
A group of football enthusiasts, fans and stakeholders in the sports industry in Nairobi led by Martin, former Football Kenya Federation Head of Communication Kenn Okaka, football stakeholder and Eastlands community opinion leader Boniface Munyao and other like minded people, with the support of Makadara based online content creators Cartel TV began an initiative to collect signatures towards an appeal to President Ruto to award former legendary Harambee Stars long serving team captain Musa Otieno with the Head of State Commendation (HSC) medal.
Tens of former Harambee Stars players graced the event all with a clarion call in support of Otieno and the bid to ask President Ruto to award the towering legend. Among the legends present today included Peter Lichungu, Nicholas Muyoti, Ibrahim Kitawi George Sunguti, Sammy Omolo Pamzo, William Oloo Rodgers Kadeng, former harambe starlets goal keeper Veronica Achieng’ and former harambee starlets defender and Captain Mary Adhiambo aka “Busu” among others.
Also in the event were two time Olympian and Common Wealth silver and bronze medalist in boxing Benson Gicharu and the Kenya Professional Boxing Commission (KPBC) Secretary General Franklin “Kukaa” Imbenzi all who called on ex players to be honoured.