This archive report was first published on 31 August 2019.
On the eve of their National Super League debut, players from Northern Wanderers, a team from Northern Kenya, are facing a multitude of challenges. The team, comprised of talented players from Garissa, Mandera, Wajir, Moyale, and Isiolo, has been forced to relocate to Nairobi due to the lack of suitable stadiums in their region.
According to team manager Noordin Badel, the team is struggling to cope with the challenges, including being accused of ignoring census enumerators and being arrested midweek. The players were suspected of being 'dangerous aliens' and were detained by police.
"All these challenges are taking a toll on us, especially psychologically," Badel told Nation Sport. "We have a good team consisting of the best players from Northern Kenya, and our plan is to finish at least in the top half of the table in our debut season."
The team has been forced to share a seven-bedroom house in Nairobi's Buru Buru estate with neighbors who are unaware of their footballer status, fearing they could be a security risk. The team has also been forced to hire Camp Toyoyo daily, which is not cheap for a team with no sponsor.
"We have been forced to accommodate the team in a seven-bedroomed house in Buru Buru and it hasn’t been an easy ride for us so far," Badel lamented. "Leaders from North Eastern promised a lot initially and we were even supposed to have a fundraising dinner but none of that has happened yet."
Despite the challenges, Suleiman Mohammed Abdi, an offensive midfielder, remains optimistic about the team's chances in the NSL. "We have very talented boys and girls in Northern Kenya but most of them never make it to the top level due to the fact that the part of Kenya is isolated," he said.
"This is a good platform to expose their talents and I’m sure some of them will be scouted by good clubs once we start competing," Abdi added.
