AQUINAS BASKETBALL – THE FRATERNITY.

Two letters. AQ. Ask any true Kenyan basketball fan around what those two letters mean and they’ll be quick to let you know. If you played at AQ, then you got some serious skills. It’s like a doctor adding MD or a lawyer, LLD after his name. Basketball pedigree son! You started at AQ, you are a hooper.

Aquinas High school is located off the busy Jogoo Road in the Eastlands community close to Makadara. Right next door is the Jogoo Road police station but don’t let it fool you – around the neighborhood, AQ basketball is the law. Walking down Eastlands Crescent towards the school, there are several small businesses on either side of the road next to the Bahati produce market but nothing announces the level of basketball played here to the world. You will not see posters or billboards or even catch a glimpse of the basketball court. It almost seems like an afterthought.

The school itself resembles almost any other urban high school. Its motto reads: Veni Vidi Vici. “I came, I saw, I conquered.” Students shuffling in and out of classes in their green blazers and sweaters and black trousers. Long rows of baby-blue corridors. Soccer field to the side. School bus parked by the principal’s office. Nothing that catches the eye of the basketball fanatic.

The basketball court is to one end of the school. Still nothing spectacular. No hardwood floors or fiberglass backboards. No Gatorade coolers and full racks of brand new Spalding balls. Occasionally, they will put up nets when there’s a meaningful game. The rest of the time it’s just the cement court, the ball and the hoop.

“The court made us strive for better playing conditions. Many times, as players, we used to challenge ourselves to prove to other schools with better facilities that we could beat them with our limited resources, “says former player Samuel Arum.

Rugged lands make the fiercest warriors. Fertile lands make fat warriors.

Ishmael Awange dunks for the University of Texas Arlington

Former player Robinson Oigo recalls, “The basketball court was the United Center for most of our players. As long as there were two rims, two backboards and a basketball, life was ok for us. We did not care what kind of court we played on – it did not matter. Our focus was always on the bigger prize. In fact, when we won our first championship in 1994, we were practicing at the Shauri Moyo church basketball court while our court was undergoing renovations. It was our sanctuary from all the evils that could befall a teenager at a very vulnerable point in life.”

Aquinas has a rich history with basketball in Kenya. The school has always been competitive in basketball since the 60’s and won a national title back then. Being in the proximity of the Shauri Moyo basketball court, several generations of players in the neighborhood have grown up looking to play at Aquinas and continued on to play for the KBF leagues and further. Playing at Aquinas became a rite of passage for any decent player coming out of the area. Blessed with this splendid history, the program simply regenerates and reloads with each new generation.

Former AQ player Jack Arum

It is easy to explain why the school has had so much success and has sustained it as such a high level for so many years. When asked, any former Aquinas player without hesitation points to former coach Carey Odhiambo, fondly known as “T9.”

T9 who currently coaches Co-op Bank has been the face of Aquinas basketball for the better part of the past 15 years. It is his recruitment, his style of playing and his devotion to his players that are imprinted on the team.

Former AQ coach Carey gives instructions to Co-op during a timeout at the East and Central Africa Championships.

“Coach Carey is a person who does not underrate anyone “says former AQ player Ken Oliver, “He motivates his players on and off the court. He really values team effort so every player on the team is important no matter their role. He is very intelligent in terms of studying his opponents and coming up with plays and counter-plays that work against different team. He never underrates his opponents.”

“Coach Carey is the kind of coach who develops and molds a player until he reaches his full potential. He makes his practices so intense that you feel like it’s a real game situation. When you actually play in real games, you no longer feel the pressure because our practices are much more intense. Coach is a humorous guy.  You never see him mad at anything. We really look up to him because of everything he has accomplished with the school,” adds former player Billy Nginja.

What Coach Carey created at Aquinas is similar to what former coach Dean Smith had at the University of North Carolina: a brotherhood. From Larry Brown to George Karl to Sam Perkins to James Worthy to Michael Jordan to Jerry Stackhouse to Vince Carter and currently Harrison Barnes, the UNC basketball brotherhood has been a key factor in sustaining the program and attracting elite recruits to the school year after year.

At the center of this brotherhood is the love, genuine admiration and commanding respect that they all have for Coach Smith. Likewise at Aquinas, basketball at Aquinas is family and right at the center is Coach Carey.

Coach Carey is a humble, soft-spoken and laid back type of coach. He is very keen on player development not just as a player but as a young man in the society and forms very close ties with his players. To many of his players through the years, he has been the father figure in their lives.

Former AQ player Robinson Oigo (far right) with Steve Ondiek (second right) in Oklahoma.

“Aquinas has benefitted from the simple fact that many of its players were from the same neighborhood and many grew up and played together all year around through the years. There was a flawless chemistry to their team game and familiarity to each other. It was common occurrence for former AQ players who were having success playing pro-ball to stop and scrimmage with the current team and just their regular presence alone helped reinforce to the current and future teams what AQ basketball was all about. This attracted younger aspiring players in the community to join the school when they got to high school age,” says Robinson Oigo.

He introduced a junior team system consisting of Form 1 and 2 students where he gradually builds up his players from the fundamentals, learning individual and team skills and prepares them for their Form 3 and 4 years where they will be vital players on the team.

Coach Carey chilling at the East and Central Africa club championships in Burundi 2010.Coach Carey chilling at the East and Central Africa club championships in Burundi 2010.

For many years Coach Carey shuffled between coaching at Aquinas and serving as an assistant coach with Co-op Bank. He later handed over the reins to former player Sadat Gaya so that he could focus more on coaching at Co-op.

Despite his coaching success both at the high school level and even at the club level, Coach Carey still remains underrated and underappreciated by many in the Kenyan basketball fraternity. His body of work alone speaks volumes yet he never really gets the credit he deserves for his immense contributions to basketball in Kenya.

Former AQ player/coach Sadat Gaya (middle) along with Abel Kimondo and Allan Ouma of Co-op Bank

Former AQ center Martin Ombok says, “Aquinas basketball back then was run like a professional basketball club. Players had defined roles and the sophistication of our game was beyond what many other schools had at that time. I had the utmost respect for coach T9 when I joined the team in 1997 and from watching him daily, I learnt to appreciate his degree of preparation and how involved he was with everyone on the team.”

The second reason behind the success at Aquinas is the talent. Without great talent, even the best coaching is for naught. Not even Phil Jackson could win with inferior talent. Aquinas has been great through the years because of the skill level of the players that they have successfully recruited into their program.

Either by reputation or by shrewd recruiting, Aquinas has been fortunate to have its choice of some of the best young talent of the entire East Nairobi area and beyond. The young players they receive may arrive still raw in talent but staggering in potential for greatness. In a different school, they may achieve maybe just 50% of their full potential but at Aquinas, every last ounce is harnessed.

Former AQ player Martin Ombok (#45) who played for the Lubbock Christian University Chaps in Texas.

Ken Oliver recalls, “When I joined the basketball team, it was really tough. We had some very good players and it was extremely competitive. I played alongside Macko, Johnny and Cabral Gisanda. You can imagine the competition on that court. These players were terrific offensively and defensively. I really learnt a lot from them and actually came to understand what it takes to win. It’s all about hard work and being disciplined.”

Billy Nginja also looks back to his early days, “When I joined the team, I was so excited.  I used to look up to [former AQ players] as super stars and now I was privileged to be one of them. At the same time, I knew I had to work hard in order to be at par with my teammates. I put in a lot of time at the court, waking up early with some of my teammates, playing in scrimmages and experimenting in one-on-one situations. As the weeks went by, I got better and better.”

Martin Ombok adds, “AQ had a terrific cheering squad who really gave us the morale during games. Led by Joseph Ogidi and Olita, they always had our backs and we would ride on their energy whenever we played important games. On one occasion, we played at a tournament in Machakos at the Machakos Teachers Training College. We were beating teams by such a large margin that we eventually let our cheering squad play the rest of the way and they ended up winning the tournament. It just shows you how much skill we had in the school. Our regular students had enough game to beat many other schools.”

Former AQ player Ishmael Awange of the University of Texas Arlington defends against former Baylor forward and current Golden State Warrior Ekpe Udoh.

Just like a top of the line computer that combines the benefits of a powerful and extremely versatile hardware with smart, efficient and highly adaptive software, Aquinas has been able to combine its superior player talent with advanced coaching intellect.

Former St. Mary’s player Christian Awori remembers, “Aquinas had by far the very best coach in Kenya high school basketball at that time. At that level, coaching is everything. Beating Aquinas would have been the pinnacle of high school basketball in the mid nineties.”

“We were always so close – we never got blown out – but the outcome of all those games was determined before the games started. We believed we were a more talented group of individuals but they were always a far better team. We only ever met them in finals games, either provincial or national championship games. It happened once that we were both in the nationals by virtue of them being the then defending national champs and we were the runner’s up in Nairobi province.”

“I remember all the games we played against them. The best game I ever had against them was the closest we got to beating them at Nyayo Stadium. They played near flawless defense, made adjustments and even had role players – IN HIGH SCHOOL!!”

Aquinas players seem to have a character about them. They have solid fundamentals, the play hard-nosed basketball and they play with discipline regardless of situation, score and time.  You rarely have players who break out of this character.

T9 constantly reinforces this character in his players whether on the court or off it. He believes that each player on the team has a role to play, from the starters right up to the 12^th man on the bench. Everyone must contribute in one way or another to the success of team. You must play your role to the best of your ability.

Former AQ Dan Onyango at the Tom Munyama tournament in Baltimore, MD.

Robinson Oigo recollects, “I believe that Aquinas has been dominant for the past 15 years dude to concept of the 3 D’s: Desire, Determination and Discipline that was introduced by coach T9 when he became head coach in 1994. At the time, we were the whipping boys of Eastleigh High school who would defeat us year after year, no matter how good of a team we had.”

“Coach believed that all players on the team had a role and played as one unit. Each player had his part on and off the court and if every member played their role, we could win the championship. We really bought into this concept and committed it our daily routine. We started to believe in each other and the team. Things transformed that season and we went on to win our first national championship.”

His workouts begin with a prayer followed by a warm up session and stretching drills. The team will split up post players to one end and guards to the other and perform guard specific or post specific fundamental drills. Later on the team will rejoin to work on some shooting drills.

Next, coach installs plays drawn up with the next opponent in mind. Practice is concluded with a scrimmage with focus on running these plays and simulating real game pressure situations and how to react to these situations.

Former AQ player Antoine Chidi dunks playing for Western Oregon University

T9 never lets up. Aquinas could be playing the worst team or their toughest rivals but he will prepare the same way. He does not leave anything to chance.

“Practice was exhausting. Nothing was easy. Every single thing we did had to be done at game speed. You had to sweat for everything you did or else you would sit out. We had to be active throughout the entire practice. Coach mostly emphasized defense first because our defense generated our offense. We had enough talent to win games based on our talent alone but it was on the defensive end where we separated ourselves. It gave us a lot of confidence going into games, “says Billy Nginja.

While Aquinas’ shameless plundering of its competition went unchecked for many years, there was one school came to stand in their way to complete domination of the Nairobi and Kenya high school basketball scene: St. Austin’s Academy.

Ishmael Awange dunks for the University of Texas Arlington.

Both teams had the absolute crop of the Kenyan high school talent. Both had very effective coaches. Both played in Nairobi.

It was unfortunate that both teams were in Nairobi province and had to play each other in the provincial championships for the chance to represent the province at the nationals. But it was of great fortune to fans that they got to see the two powerhouses collide in what, for many years, was considered the “real national championship.” From 1994 to 2004, one of the two teams won the national championship in 8 out of the 11 years.

Both teams had a healthy respect for each other and realized that the other team was a true test of their championship aspirations. Despite the rivalry, games rarely ever got out of hand and almost all games came down to the last few possessions to decide the winner.

It only added on the rich history of the rivalry when former Aquinas players after graduating from high school joined St. Austin’s to pursue their A-levels and to play basketball. It became a common occurrence in later years to see former AQ players suiting up against their former mates.

Former Mombasa Baptist and St. Austin’s player Norman Oduke reflects, “Long before I joined St. Austin’s when I was playing at Mombasa Baptist, we trained extra hard knowing the only team in the country that could beat us was AQ. Our games against them were always packed no matter where we played. Fans always expected a great game when we met. AQ ruled Nairobi Province for most of the 90’s and later when St. Austin’s showed they could beat them, things became a lot more interesting.”

“I played against AQ once only before I joined St. Austin’s but when AQ and St. Austin’s played, you did not want to miss that game. I remember the 2001 Nairobi province finals at Kasarani when AQ brought their entire school to support their team and the gym was packed,” adds Oduke. “They had a very rowdy and noisy crowd while our crowd wasn’t as crazy. You could feel the tension between both ends of the floor and the terraces. Though there were many other schools in Nairobi that could ball, AQ was definitely the team to beat and I am sure they thought the same about us too. Most of the times, our coach would put us through a mini-camp just to prepare us for the game against AQ.”

Former AQ center Samuel Riak of the Catholic University of East Africa Knights (standing, second right)

“It was great seeing former AQ players coming to St. Austin’s for their A-Levels. Coach Jesudason had a great eye for talents from other school and always ensured that these players would fit into our system. It must have been difficult for former AQ players to face their old teammates. It was especially rough for former AQ center Agel Arring who lost to St. Austin’s in the 2000 finals and then moved to St. Austin’s in 2001 where AQ finally beat St. Austin’s in the finals to win the championship. During the finals at Kasarani, the AQ crowd never stopped calling him names but he still had a solid performance.”

Billy Nginja adds, “The rivalry between our two schools so intense that when we knew were playing St. Austin’s, we had to bring our A game. Many of the players on the St. Austin’s side were former teammates so we had to execute everything to perfection because they were familiar with our plays besides being a really good team that picked up the best of the best players from all over the country. We had to be at our best to beat them.”

 

GREAT MOMENTS, YEARS AND PLAYERS IN AQUINAS HISTORY.

Going by the Ministry of Sports records, Aquinas high school has won the national title 3 times: 1994, 1995 and 2001. It does not record the number of times Aquinas was a national runner-up or reached the semi-finals. It also does not record the number of tournament championships and provincial championships that the school has amassed over the years.  The trophies alone would need a hall to fill up.

1994 is the year that all the pieces of the puzzle came together for Aquinas to win their first championship. Before that year, they toiled in the shadow of Eastleigh High school, looking good early in the season before inevitably crumbling to the experience and tenacity of Eastleigh. They were always so close but lacked that last piece that would put them over the top.

Coach Carey

Coach Carey Odhiambo was introduced as the head coach early that year. He brought with him an entirely different set of rules. Before this, the team relied on its five best players and maybe a couple more to relieve the starters when time and score allowed. Practices were haphazard and hardly ever with any purpose. Basketball seemed to be just another outlet for physical activity after classes.

T9 quickly put an end to this. From then on, you had to have the desire to be a better basketball player. You had to have the determination to succeed no matter who you played against. You were expected to be disciplined at all times whether on or off the court. Playing basketball was more than the game. You had to live the values too. The team would utilize all its members. Everyone had to be ready to participate. Being on the bench did not mean getting a free ride and the best seat in the house. You had to work your ass off to earn your seat on that pine.

It did not take long for the transformation to happen and soon enough Aquinas started reeling off wins when the season began. The trophies kept coming in and the goliath schools like Mangu, Jamhuri, International School of Kenya (ISK), Highway, Rift Valley Academy (RVA), Chuka High, Eastleigh and Nyeri Baptist and St. Mary’s school kept falling along the way. The team would ride this the entire season without losing a single game in any tournament or on its path to the national title. This was a remarkable feat for a first year coach but if anyone could do it, it would be Coach Carey.

Many of the players on this team practiced together at Buru Buru Crusaders and MYSA therefore the chemistry built was preternatural. Spurred by the versatility of center Cabral Gisanda, the excellent point guard leadership of JohnMark Otieno and the all round talent of Robinson Oigo, Ken Oliver, Job Nyangoya, David Omwando, Martin Ogwang, Marcus McOdongo and Daniel Owiti, AQ was a handful to deal with. Their balanced attack came from all angles that it was impossible to focus in on a single threat.

In the 1994 national finals, Aquinas faced off Mangu High school which featured Dennis Ondeng, Bosire Bogonko, Allan of the Code Red DJ’s, Kambona and Paul.  When all was said and done, they were the new champions of the Kenya high school basketball.

They were not done yet. To prove to the world and mostly to themselves that ’94 was not a fluke, the team set its sights on the 1995 title. AQ had the benefit of most of the team returning for the ’95 season.

AQ winning team at the Shauri Moyo tournament in 1995

Using the same momentum from the 94 title season, AQ continued its unstoppable domination of the Nairobi basketball scene, cementing their status as the new sheriffs in town. Aquinas took part in the Shauri Moyo open tournament and made it to the finals where they played team composed of CBK and Postbank players who were currently the top teams in the KBF league at the time.

Robinson Oigo remembers, “I had one of my best games against the KBF’s best players. I made 7 of 10 three-point shots that game and finished with 28 points. That’s the day they gave me the name “Robbie 3 pointer.” I loved the fact that we beat a team with national league players. The win took the AQ name to a whole new level.”

They would continue their march all the way to the national finals where they met St. Mary’s high school for the title. St. Mary’s featured the high-flying forward Edmund Nabutete, Peter Kibe and Okila. Using their versatile post player Cabral Gisanda to draw Nabutete out of the paint, AQ worked the middle and received their trademarked balanced scoring to clinch their second straight title.

With this success came the added pressures of winning and more importantly, they became the team to beat in the nation. They had the bull’s eye on their backs wherever they went. Teams played them extra hard and winning became harder and harder. Most of the dominant 94-95 team had graduated and in their places were new faces.

Although the school still remained a dominant force, they seemed a step behind and this allowed upcoming teams like Mombasa Baptist and Serani to sneak in a couple of titles. These Coast Province teams were no walkovers either. Mombasa Baptist boasted a star-studded team of Fredrick Odongo, The late Steve Biko, George “Pewa” Omondi, Paul Oloo, Farah Warsame, Haroun Karim, Norman Oduke, Alex Maleko, and Wilberforce Odera. Serani High school was no joke featuring the then national player of the year candidate Furaha Odari and teammates Joel Chai, Yahya Mohamed and Mohamed Liwali.

Former AQ player Ken Oliver (second left) of the Ulinzi Warriors with teammates Simon Mugambi (far left), Dieter Okoth (far right) and Mwangi.

Ken Oliver remembers, “If I recall the nationals that we lost in ’96, there were many good teams at that time. St. Mary’s had Edmund “Nabbz” Nabutete and Christian Awori. Mombasa Baptist had a powerhouse lineup that was already playing pro ball. Many of the AQ players were also signed to teams in the KBF league. My worst memory is when we lost to St. Mary’s in the pool matches at the nationals. We played and I had one of my best games where I made 13 straight three-point shots but we still lost to them. There was a lot of pressure.”

Aquinas featuring Ken Oliver, Joash “Starks” Kobia and Ken Omondi would lose to Mombasa Baptist in the championship game in Kakamega in 1996.

Around this time, St. Austin’s academy had slowly been creeping up onto to the basketball scene and establishing themselves by recruiting talented players that had graduated Form 4 and looking to pursue their A-Level education. They also added a few international players on their roster. It was only a matter of time before they would seriously compete with AQ for the Nairobi crown.

The 97 nationals were held in Mombasa where the home team Serani enjoyed massive home support and heavily favored to win. With only one spot for Nairobi province to the national, the provincials came down to Aquinas vs St. Austin’s, as it would be for almost the next decade.

The game was played at Nyayo where St. Austin’s depth and experience of older players prevailed to see them through to the nationals where they would lose to eventual champions Serani.

The meteoric rise of St. Austin’s put a roadblock on Aquinas championship plans for a few years. A few AQ players around this time include the dynamic Sadat Gaya, Sameul Riak, Martin Ombok, Cyrus Mutiso, John Ofuk, Alvin Omondi and Steve “Diggo” McOdongo. They would win the next three championships before Aquinas rebuilt their roster and developed into a national contender in 2001.

The 2001 Aquinas national championship team.

The 2001 AQ team is a story of determination and perseverance. The three-time defending champions of St. Austin’s featured Mike Mbaabu, former AQ center Agel Aring, Norman Oduke, Peter Were and Hulute Yoga.  Aquinas had Dan Onyango, Zaddock Adika, Kevin Achevi and Ishmael Awange amongst others. The teams met in the provincial championship at Kasarani where Aquinas bussed in their entire school to cheer for the team.
Agel Aring who played at Aquinas the previous year and moved on to St. Austin’s became the target of AQ fans’ jeers but still managed to play an impressive game and help St. Austin’s to beat AQ convincingly to proceed to the nationals. The only relief to Aquinas was that they got to participate in the nationals by virtue of being runners-up to the defending champions.

Former AQ player Dan Onyango of the 2001 national champs, here at the Tom Munyama tournament in Baltimore, MD.

At the nationals played at Strathmore and St. Mary’s high schools in Nairobi, the field featured Musa Odari and Serani High school from the coast, Njoroge and Brian Oduor of Kisumu Boys, Lewis Muya of St. Patrick’s Iten and St. Austin’s.

The national title game was played between St. Austin’s and Aquinas. This time Aquinas managed to keep the game close right up to the very end where they won on a last second shot to defeat the team that had trounced them in the provincial finals. Aquinas was once again at the top of the mountain.

Many AQ players look to this year as one of the outstanding years in Aquinas basketball where the team was able to bounce back despite their prior loss to win it all at the nationals.

It was a sad affair for Agel Aring who had lost to St. Austin’s the previous year and now lost to his former team while playing for St. Austin’s.

Aquinas is yet to win another national title but still remains very competitive and it should not be too long before they are back in the books. Despite this, the school still produces top-notch players ready to play in the leagues and they have also sent a few players overseas to colleges.

The late Kevin Samora, talented AQ guard.

Some of their more recent players include the late Kevin Samora, Evans Ochieng, Kenneth Wahome, Richard Ndong, Antoinne Chidi, Billy Kamau, Boniface Okullo, Bill Omaya, Simon Oyamo, Billy “Shotta” Nginja, Samuel Arum, Evans Omondi and Simon Ogwang.

Over the past 15 years, Aquinas has produced numerous talented players who have had much success playing professional basketball. The list of stellar guards include JohnMark Otieno, Joshua Kobia, Marcus Mcodongo, Robinson Oigo, Steve Mcodongo, Dan Onyango, Ken Oliver, Morris Njoroge, David Omwando, Sadat Gaya, Zaddock Adika, Richard Ndong and the late Kevin Samora.

The list of great forwards includes Cabral Wanje Gisanda, Daniel Owiti, Martin Ombok, Martin Ogwang, Samuel Riak, Agel Aring,Martin Okwako Oundo, George Parish, Karongi and Ishmael Awange.

Former AQ center Cabral Gisanda.

Ken Oliver sums up his experience at Aquinas, “Playing for Aquinas is such a blessing. One had to rely on hard work to make the team and even more work to stay on the team. Your spot was never guaranteed. Basketball took us places. Apart from all the tournaments, provincial and national championships we participated in, we also had the opportunity to travel to Uganda to play in the Abe Lincoln International tournament. We won the schools category. From my success at Aquinas, I had the opportunity to be selected to the original Team Sprite with JP Okelo, Kingsley Makokha, Mike Lopokoiyit and Christian Awori. We toured the country spreading the game of basketball and promoting the soft drink.”

Martin Ombok reinforces this, “If it was not for Aquinas and Coach Carey, I would not be where I am today. He saw the potential in me early and developed me into a much better player. From AQ, I received a scholarship to KCITI where I got the connections to a US college scholarship. It all began with coach T9.”

“I am proud to be a part of the Aquinas basketball fraternity and an alumnus of the school. Aquinas basketball had done so much for us as players and young men growing up in the society. Coach Carey was a father figure to all of us even though we all had our fathers. He taught us life skills through basketball and was very involved and concerned about all his players and their lives and not just focused on the basketball aspect. He implemented a system that became conducive to all members of the team and everyone felt included and had a role to play. We learnt to approach life the same way he taught us to approach basketball. As a person, he is very caring, generous, intelligent, humble and best of all, an excellent teacher. It cannot be overstated how much Coach Carey means to Aquinas basketball, “says Robinson Oigo.

When looking back at the long history of such a storied basketball, it is difficult to pick a moment or a team or a player that supersedes all others. Each one means so much to that particular collection of individuals or to that particular time-frame.

The one thing that is indisputable is the value that the Aquinas basketball program has added to Kenyan basketball. Without Aquinas, the country likely misses out on about 50, if not more, very talented individuals and quality young men.

For all its success, the school still retains much of the character of its former coach: humility, inclusiveness, determination, team first, character and substance over flash. These are the reasons why the Aquinas will quietly continue to churn out basketball players year after year, win a title here and there and still be a force to reckon with at the Kenya high school basketball level.

 

[Much thanks to the following for their generous time in providing long-forgotten memories, anecdotes and information for this article and allowing me to shamelessly steal their pictures: Robinson Oigo, Sadat Gaya, Ken Oliver, Martin Ombok, Samuel Arum, Billy Nginja, Simon Ogwang, Christian Awori, Norman Oduke, Steve McOdongo and Dan Onyango.]