This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
On Wednesday, former Everton midfielders Stephen Pienaar and Leon Osman warmed the hearts of Kenyan fans during a kit donation exercise at Kariobangi Community Grounds, a gesture that is part of the Kits for Africa initiative.
The pair, who are former English Premier League heroes, drew a large crowd that turned up to meet them and receive the donated kits.
According to the Everton FC official website, these donations are typically made by Evertonians and fans of other English clubs.
Launched by SportPesa three years ago, the Kits for Africa initiative encourages football fans to donate their old kits to communities that love sport across Africa.
Leon Osman, who has been part of the campaign since its launch, expressed his delight at seeing the impact of the initiative. 'I came here in 2017 to this same pitch in Kariobangi to meet the local people and launch the campaign. To come back and see how things have developed and seen how big the campaign has become is brilliant. A huge crowd gathered for the donation today and you could see what it meant to people. Hopefully, their teams will really benefit from what they have received. It's a fantastic scheme for SportPesa and Everton to be involved in.'
The Everton squad will be in the country to take on Sportpesa Cup winners Kariobangi Sharks on Sunday as they prepare for their English Premier League action that is set to kick off in August.
