NAIROBI, Kenya, March 30, 2026 – Kariobangi Sharks head coach William ‘Kanu’ Muluya was left ruing the ‘curse of the old boys’ after one of the club’s former players condemned them to defeat in the Kenya Premier League.
Tyson Otieno, who came to national prominence through his silky skills with the slumboys, scored in the second half as AFC Leopards won by a solitary strike at the Nyayo Stadium on Sunday evening.
Muluya bemoaned the tendency where the club’s former players have been coming back to haunt them.
“I think I am becoming increasingly unlucky. Many of the matches we have lost, we have had our former players scoring against us. Against Mathare United…Makwatta (John) scored…against KCB, Richard (Omondi) scored and now today, Tyson has done the same against us. It is great to see them furthering their careers but still a bit sad to see them score against us,” Muluya said.
The heartache of losing another fixture notwithstanding, Muluya took some time out to praise his former player, saying he is in the best form of his life.
“Of course when you are in the best form, everything seems to come off for you. Even the goal he scored, it may have initially been a cross and our players also held off from him. When he was with us, I think he scored more than 10 goals. I haven’t been following him a lot while at AFC but it is not in doubt that he is in the form of his life,” he said.
Curse of the gift
Sharks have forged a reputation as a breeding ground for many of the country’s brightest talents to feature on the national stage in recent times.
Big names, such as Erick Kapaito (now at Tusker), Lebanon-based Masud Juma, John Makwatta, and Harambee Stars goalkeeper Brian Bwire are among those to have honed their art and craft at the Eastlands-based club.
This season has been no different, with the emergence of 18-year-old Humphrey Aroko as the league’s hottest property.
The national under 20 football team marksman has so far netted 12 times in all competition, providing a sparkle of joy for what has been a cloudy season for Sharks.
For all his bite in front of goal, Muluya believes the club need to reduce the reliance on the youngster.
Sunday’s loss to Ingwe was another testament that the youngster can also have off-days in which he is starved of chances upfront.
Muluya lamented that their rise as a breeding ground for football talents has turned into a curse as rivals hover over them to sign their best players.
“We have been losing our best players this season and now we are struggling with the conversion of our chances. This has been our biggest challenge…that we are playing well but when it comes to scoring, we are unable to do that. We are in the middle of the season and unfortunately, we must make do with the ones we have,” he said.
Sharks, who lie 15th on the log with 25 points, are back in action on Monday (April 6) against leaders Gor Mahia.
