Profiling Dan Sserunkuma
Courtesy of Daily Nation
His looks may be deceiving, his size too, but the Ugandan stands tall above Kenyan footballers. Dan Sserunkuma has been crowned Kenya’s best player.
So tiny is Sserunkuma that the trophy he was awarded was nearly half his height. But there is no denying that the 22-year-old Gor Mahia striker deserved the accolade.
He is also quite shy, but what he cannot say with his mouth, he does with his feet. He has taken Kenyan football by storm, scoring almost at will.
His prowess saw Gor Mahia come within one point of winning the 2012 Kenyan Premier League title.
And when Sports assistant minister Kabando wa Kabando called out his name during the awards gala at the Safari Park Hotel on Wednesday night, he got a standing ovation.
He had become the first foreign player to be named most valuable player (MVP) in Kenyan football.
“It’s my happiest moment. I never believed I would reach this level in my career,” he said. “I dedicate this to all the people who have helped me grow as a footballer to this point.”
The sight of Sserunkuma with the ball has constantly sent chills down the spines of many a defender and goalkeeper in the Kenyan league.
Ask Muhoroni Youth goal-keeper Josek Gituma who found three shots from Sserunkuma too hot to handle, or AFC Leopards’ Patrick Matasi, who picked the ball twice from the net.
“He is lethal and difficult to mark,” said Tusker FC defender Jockins Atudo. Those who coach him say he is achieving all this because of his discipline.
“He is always the first in training. He is keen to learn,” says Gor Mahia assistant coach John Bobby Ogolla. “This boy will go places. We are yet to see the best from him.”
The 22-year-old, third-born in a family of four, joined Friends of Football Academy in Uganda at the age of 10. He says he was inspired by Ugandan legend, the late Majid Musisi, who many Ugandans regard as the country’s best football player of all time.
Sserunkuma started playing professional football at Ugandan team Express in 2008, and after one year moved to rivals Victors FC, where he stayed for two years. The Tusker Premier League side, Nairobi City Stars, signed him up early last year.
“I had heard about Harambee Stars and top clubs. I knew little about City Stars, but they are the ones who were to bring me to Kenya,” said Sserunkuma. At City Stars Serenkuma was rarely in the news for any wrong reasons. Even when the club had financial problems, he never publicly demanded pay.
He could have joined Gor Mahia in January, but the club was not aggressive enough to sign him. “I wanted to play for a big club like Gor Mahia or AFC Leopards, but as long as nobody came for me, I was with City Stars.”
Gor Mahia finally knocked at his door in June. He had already scored five goals for City Stars, including one against Gor Mahia in the league.
Immediately, he made an impact at Gor, scoring on his debut for the club. He went on to score for the 12th time in Kenyan champions, but eventually missed the golden boot award by a single goal.
With the MVP award in his cabinet, Sserunkuma says he is eyeing even bigger things — winning the league title next season.
YOU ARE JUST A NOTCH ABOVE EVEY STRIKER IN THE KENYAN LEAGUE. YOU ARE IN THE LEAGUE OF BONEVETURE MARUTI, MIKE OKOTH ‘ORIGI’, HESBORN OMOLLO, PETER DAWO AND THE TANZANIAN JOHN BOCCO OF AZAM. SSERENKUMA YOU WILL BE POACHED NEXT YEAR BY A BIGGER CLUB IN AFRICA, SO DONT TALK ABOUT WINNING THE KENYAN LEAGUE NEXT YEAR !!!! BLOGGERS, ITS ALMOST OFFICIAL, JERIM ONYANGO IS JOINING EFUSI (AFC LEOPARDS )
Jerim seems to have feared competition from Mapunda.EC please get us Kahata,Kiongera n another defender in Eugene Asike.hao tosha.
Jerim for Ingwe?? I wonder what would the reason for that. Jerim captain? Why and who else from the rumour mills? It appears Ingwe must only feed on made material all the time!!!!!
Jerry! captain! Please confirm to your fans that this is not true. Otherwise it will be the height of betrayal to people who have made you who you are and your supporter as well.
It’s healthy for Kenyan football and speaks volume that professionalism has by passed the ethnographic and socio-cultural thinking of associating certain players with communities. All the best Jerry in your feature endeavor at EFUSI. But for me I remain part and parcel of K’Ogalo family.
Wacha aenda , rember one Masika? we begged he didnt here , we have had the last laugh , may be Thikas goal in the draw wasnt a flux
blogger now this is simply unacceptable for the club !!!!!!……..Gor Mahia Coach Zdravko Logarusic is among the seven Coaches that AFC Leopards have reportedly approached as a possible replacement for Jan koops .
thanks to sserenkuma and the entire gor mahia family. we are proud of you
Guys nothing is unacceptable. It’s all proffessional. RVP left for ManY when nobody least expected. Though it’s romours if Jerry gets a deal too sweet to refuse, why not. Some of us have left our jobs for rival companies , so why not Jerry?
All the same it’s healthy for Kenya football
true colours of hooligan talk. so what’s wrong with jerim talking to afc leapards. was jerry going to play soccer for the rest of his life or is anyone who is bad-mouthing him here, going to pay him for the rest of his life. this dude has to take care of his future. personally, i thought afc would go for mwapunda. afc poaching from gor for a keeper was rather to going to be obvious. they had one of the most clue-less keepers and it’s was fitting that the first thng they were going to shop for was a keeper. now where else to do it? gor has three good keepers and only a clown was going to agree to sit on the bench. jerry go for it. personally i would not coz i am not sure of leopards shaky management style but if they will pay you go for it. if ur good then it’s not the end of ur carrier. unfortunatley gor has some fans ‘who like to return to the stadium after two hrs’, so jerry watch out for them coz they will make ur life unbearable. jerry has given gor very good service. if he is to go it will hurt but ‘this wacha aende talk’ really shows the kind of characters that some gor ‘fans’ are. nowonder it’s like a crime with some fans to talk about hooligans in this site. why not sign up to be the gor keeper urself instead of insulting jerry?
Logarisic too, how greedy and destructive can a leopard be? I thought they should hunt for their own. Brothers they could take whoever they want, but LOG? EFUSI MUST STOP THESE JOKES, they appear bent on reviving the old hostiliteis between the clubs. Who could be behind all this, who wants Kogalo destroyed? was the success of the club in the just ended season too much for some people to bear? Am highly suspicious, there could be hidden but very strong hands behind all this.
I wish to put it that these are professional times when performance speaks louder than words. It shows Jerry’s performance over the years have won him adoration from many including the Shemejis. It may only dawn on GM later when Jerry gets a transfer to bigger teams in the south or north or even further. You realise GM players have extremely short contracts making them cheap!Rumours has it that the Head Coach was really pissed of with the goal against Thika and trouble started from there. This is football.
To me Jerry is an 85% Goallie. With the 15% balance for his death value blunders. Jerry is a very good goallie for me. But i believe Ingwe is not a good team for anyone keen in developing an important career owing to their very shaky management and tribal theatrics on professional things.
As much as i fear for him, am equally happy coz definately he’ll secure an improved cotract value. I also think its not wrong at all for Loga to be approached by AFC or any other team. Anyone professional worth his salt needs to move from level to level with time. Let him develop as a person.
Its imperative too that GM should move forward in strides to achieve physical, financial and technological advancment instead of crying year in year out with fundraiser bowls and the notion of so and so used his own money for this and that yet structures to account for income are neglected and obvious commercial streams remain ignored over the years. Lets move up as a club.
A few weeks ago i posted on our blog a contribution asking if we have secured our players with long term contracts. Have we? We lost Berry Cheaply, Masika cheaply and mark my word, we will loose another great player cheaply and not this ‘fake’ Jerry.
In as much as i agree he needs to develop his career, i don’t agree with the timing and especially someone who is still walking around as our captain. Those saying Van Persie and Man U need to understand that he tried to talk to Wenger first as a respectable captain and player. Even if Ingwe do not sign him, he needs to go as he cannot continue as a General in KDF.
Let Jerry go to Leopards. There should be no bad feelings at all and his stupid primary school mistake cost us the KPL log. You all saw how my brother Rama wept…and the equaliser he scored?
There are still many goalkeepers that can come and shine in Gor Mahia. Gor is the only team that make players shine due to the big fanbase.
I think let as live this topic of Jerry going to our noisy majirani alone,i dont see what impact he is going to make in EFUSI,remember one JOHN OKELLO ZANGI WUOD NYAKACH KOGERO,he left for EFUSI and just within two year these wonderful player was smocking bang in kisumu and eventualy died,just the other day PPO MASIKA mwenyewe left and we all cried that we are done what hapened? Masika is not seen anywhere on top who new AGUCHWA aka BESIGYE will take the best defender award? so if Jerry wants to go let us wish him well,and lets not call him names so that if he fails to shine in EFUSI aanze kutulaumu eti ni sisi tumefanya akue hivyo,i rest my case
Sorry bloggers but you are really missing the point. If any of these rumours materialize than there only the over bloated EC to blame.
Its not a question of “let him/them leave” rather is why is the EC so laid back.Remember even Logarusic is not happy.If Loogarusic leave then expect the chaos in the squad during Zico days to return.
That aside I hear the loss of the league title was due to betrayal.Hence sacking of TM and now maybe Jerim.
dear ‘fans’, it all adds up to sponsorship. pls take note of one or two thng. Cricket is a sport played in kenya. they make the most trips outside kenya, hire foreign coaches have been pro for ages and have never begged the goverment for a coin. the attendance during matches even in countries where there is cricket madness is not much to write about. Rugby can be said to be the same. They never get a sent from the govt. whats the point here. it’s about sponsorship. european clubs hold and buy the best players coz of sponsors. so ‘fans’ pls realize that ur so called fanbase you keep yapping about does not help gor match in the modern world. yes it’s provides moral, but when it comes to buying players you need deep pockets. if afc beats gor on logars signature then probably u will understand. but unfortunately these ‘fans’ are so wound up with their numbers to see the reality. gor ends up signing these short contracts coz of the issue of money. in short gor needs some serious sponsor. if logar or jerry go, it’s coz someone sees how good they are and is simply BEING BANKROLLED to give them more than what they are getting now. so ‘fans’ now realise that it’s not just about kujaza stadium. unfortunately some will never … and it’s not necessarily about mumias and tuzo. example; afc as ‘broke’ as it is was able to offer masika an offer gor could not match and was able to buy a better bus than gor. so what happened to gor and all the fanbase. the same ‘fans’ who almost built a stadium? bytheway what happened to the stadia plan?under these circumstances gor simply could have bought a jet! my take here is with these so called ‘fans’ who are so over themselves and fail to see reality. so ‘fans’ , one thng ur good in is insults…lets see how it solves this tranfer window issues.
@ DINGA YOU SHOULD BE ON THE GOR MAHIA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE…I REST MY CASE
@Dinga and many mourners, please spare us time. Jerry and Loga can both go but Gor Mahia will still remain Gor Mahia. I only pity Loga for AFC is Always Firing Coaches.
0Ogango trailer once said coaches come and go, I do echo and agree with his phrase too. I Mwakio will remain an ardent Gor Mahia fan. I cannot leave Gor Mahia because Jerry and Loga decides to join Ingwe.
I can assure our fans that Gor Mahia will still get a white foreign coach even better than Loga.
Goal.com has reliably learnt that club chairman Ambrose Rachier on Thursday night held a meeting with the award winning tactician in a bid to thrash out a new improved deal but the two parties could not reach an agreement.
“What happens is for the future, I cannot foretell tomorrow but I can confirm to you that I held talks with the chairman (Ambrose Rachier) on Thursday night, but we did not reach an agreement.”
According to the coach, Rachier offered to pay his monthly wages, but the tabled offer was not ‘good enough.’
“The club chairman offered to be paying my wages but so far everything is deadlocked. I will be waiting to see if they make contact again in the next 48 hours.”
“If it does not happen, then I will be flying back home. I have respected my contract which expires on Sunday and will always remain a professional. I love the club and the faithful fans which I will forever cherish.”
The Croat however, remained coy when quizzed on reports that bitter rivals AFC Leopards are trying to court him.
“Nobody has contacted me from Leopards camp. As for now I am heading for holiday, but in this industry you can never rule out anything. Nobody knows what may happen in the next two or three years.”
We had great Tacticians like the great Jack Johnson and the ever legendary Lens Julians,they all came and go and GOR still won cups brother,so if LOGA and Jerry feels that they can get better option somewhere lets pray for them,i rest my case
Mr. Dinga, with all due respect, what do you want. Yes i do agree i don’t hold monopoly of what people should write in this blog but i can’t understand what you’re ridiculing the fanbase for! 1. Are the fans a problem when they attended the match for a collection of 5m on 10th nov. 2. Is it not the same fans who’ve been pleading with the ec to professionalise GM operations to no avail? When the same chair engaged wells fargo the diffèrence is there for all to see! 3. Who is against sponsors and sponsorship? Remember GM had the highest sponsorship and if GM cannot afford things and a good bus then where do the fans come in even after fundraising? I dön’t need to be persuaded any bit to know that the basic existence of any comodity is its passionate consumers in the case of GM its the fans. 4. If loga is professional then what happened to the five times offer given to him by a big club elsewhere? And if you discussed with the chair so what? Respect man. On both Jerry and loga leaving just suit yourselves, its the way the industry works enjoy your better offers. We’re happy for you.
we need to retain the coach and the playing unit at all cost for continuity and consistency bringing another coach will be a disaster because he may be better than loga as some people have said but it may take him long to master the players and the kenya football environment and i know our fans will not be patient enough especially if the results don’t come ,the reason we have not won the league for the last 17 years is because of always starting things late and always expecting different results, i hope Rachier and team now is aware of that and next season we will do things differently,i always believe that a bird at hand is better than several birds in the bush.
I think we should all come down from our roofs and reason. In Gor we don’t have an unlimited budget.Our budget goes one on one with the level of football development in Kenya. We definitely cannot pay a coach the levels of Zamalek and TP Mazembe, or even Yanga and Simba. Meaning if Loga got a better deal than we can afford then let’s get one we can afford without breaking the bank. Tusker has a local coach and so is Thika. So long as our fans, EC and players change their attitude we can still get the results with a local or cheaper coach. On players leaving that’s a sign that the environment churns good players. We can convince them to stay but if a player is determined to go then so be it. We can use the same funds to bring in another unknown and still get the same results. So bloggers let’s not say ‘si aende’ we should find out why they want to go. If it’s a better pay package then which blogger will not be tempted to go for double what they earn if there is an offer. Or is it a case of it’s good for me but not good for the players to leave where they can uplift their life. Jerry, If AFC offers more then don’t leave it, go for it. Once you leave footy these bloggers will not be there to feed your family. But if in doubt please stay as we still love you. And this goes to all our players and TB.
This is the more reason why we should always believe and invest in our own. One of our own would be patriotic to the club and the love of the club would dissuade them from crossing over particularly to Ogwang’.Let us build the team around Sir Bobby. Send him out for a coaching course in Germany or The Netherlands. We need stability to be able to forge ahead. Sadly, we cannot achieve that stability if we lack the financial clout to hire ‘moneymakers’ in the name of professional coaches. I agree that if we cannot keep the Log then we happily allow him to go. I am sure Gor Mahia will still wallop that team that shall hire him even if it is Ogwang’. He has been one great achiever in Gor Mahia but I know that deep inside him, the Log also admits that his extraordinary achievement is partly due to his calibre and partly due to something special that can only be found in K’Ogalo.
I was young and now I am old but I have never seen any player leave Gor Mahia for another club and flourish. I don’t see what would change things now. Any player wishing to leave of their own free will should not be badmouthed. Let’s wish them well and pray that they prosper. It is only unfortunate that we may not be in a position to send them off with pomp, peagentry and colour.
They have given us happiness and joy and we do love and appreciate them so much. They should go but be free to come back if they miss home. We have not chased them. We wish they could stay and share with us the moments of great joy and achievemnet that the future holds for K’Ogalo in great abundance.
Oooh…!.Laa….. La…!!….
The transfer window is still closed officially but that does not mean clubs will not make unofficial contacts to individuals that they think suits there interest. For me I would appreciate very much if AFC or even any other team can buy players from GOR instead of offloading them free of charge. Football is no longer business as usual guys.
And that is why players and coaches are rated and valued. It s as simple as that! And guys believe me or not GOR DOES NOT HAVE FINANCIAL MUSCLE…!! Or rather rather let put it straight and square….
1. The Ma – Donkey and his magical TOWEL is a storm and climax of season 2012 It has caused Jerry his self belief and the confidence to regain his moral standings and status as the owner of the “ARM BAND” after the his ” high school blunder” on the day that it mattered most on his career. As a player he can not accept to be relegated to the bench after displaying some out standing performance that made him as the team leader to enjoy applauds from the fans through out the entire season.
2, This was GOR MAHIA season of pain,hope and despair. I will not dwell on Logarusic cause I think he has done his part and the best thing is for him to do is to look for greener pastures if GOR can not give him a better offer.
3. But during the entire duration in this very struggle that made GOR to fight tirelessly in order to earn the ultimate price of the championship title in the highest ranked local football
Competitive league in Kenya many talents have been appreciated right from AWARDS nomination and winners , and so goes to consideration for national team duties. Let some of this talents excel else where so as to create room for others that are so “BEAUTIFUL but are yet to be “BORN”.
Good luck to who ever wishes or wants to leave K’Ogalo during the forth coming transfer window and I wish you all the best be it all the gossiping bloggers, villagers, the players ,coaches,Ma-fans and all Ma-hooligans of this blog be it K,OGALO -moniac or phobia.
Allow me again.
What makes Logarusic special is that apart from his good soccers skills he is a better administrator,not shy to take on the bloated ineffective and corrupt EC.
Currently we have no local coach able to stand up to and EC like Logarusic.See the circus at Harambee Stars-Nyamweya,Michel & Nandwa
Therefore we may get a better coach technically (I believe Sir.Bob is at par) but then we will go back to administrative ineffeciencies of EC recruiting, bloated squad, and player wrangles like in the Zico days etc,etc. Selenge earning a salary for 6 months without being fielded,the afro -sinema star Nwosu recruited by Bwana just to jog your memory.Awilo on the technical bench with no qualification/ experience or being attacked at training.
From my last count- Fans had raised 16.5m+ 2.7m +5.1m(against Thika)that about 24m without including FKF cups (Why has Nyamweya not released the figures). Anyway the point is GMFC is not a poor club but IS NOT RICH ENOUGH TO FILL ALL THE EC STOMACHES. Ask your selves how much of the gate takings is paid to GMFC security. Why should the chair pay the coach alone what are the other officials bringing to the table?
Logarusic: I wanted to run away after two days
Updated on 24/11/12 | By TIMOTHY OLOBULU
Croat Zdravko Logarusic has revealed that the main reason he stayed at K’Ogalo even after a stressful start was because of the supporters. Logarusic says that he wanted to run back to his native Croatia after two days.
“It was crazy. My thought after two days was to run away back home. It was very difficult but after that I gathered some confidence and I decided to take on the challenge. The main reason I stayed behind was because of the supporters. I have never seen such passionate fans in my life who fail to eat and cry because of the team. I said to myself “Zdravko stay for a while and make these people happy then see what happens from there.” I was scared because I had never seen anything like this,” Logarusic says.
His lowest point of the league is, “When we didn’t win the league. That was my lowest point. We had the bird in the cage but somehow we couldn’t manage to hold it in our hands. But all the same, other people also ought to be happy and maybe the man above thought, No, not this time. What I am happy about is that during the Footballer of the Year awards we had a player in at least each category winning something. It makes me feel proud, Like a Luo,” Logarusic adds.
Anguyo, Akumu, Dan”Flava” and even Logarusic all want to stay because of the FANS why should the EC ruin spoil a good thing. Branches, Supporters MUST SAY NO!
wow! just back; i would like that we organize a get together. can i propose a date and venue. this includes all asunder. it’s not a question of what i want! it’s a question of whats good for gor. what i am trying to say is this. but first note that my address was to the ‘fans’. sijui wengeni hamuoni quotations? rugby et crictket, and let me add golf, get so much money coz of goodwill. NO SPONSOR WANTS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH VIOLENCE. why would such a boring sport like golf get so much money? why do sponsors fall over themselves to give golf money? why has cricket (and i watch cricket) never begged for money. pls ‘fans’ take note that gor has a bad rep(yet this is not diserved). todays paper had a gor fan ‘defending’ the smashing of his windscreen by ‘fans’. my point is about goodwill. gor lucks goodwill coz of fans, we really have to show these ‘fans’ that they are a liability. i will never stop talking against hooliganism. sponsorship is about goodwill from the money makers. there are so many eyes on gor. two kinds of ppl rely on eyes. politicians and companies. gor draws crowds these two would kill for. i will go no further.
todays game kenya et uganda was a good show. for once i will not complain about kenya losing. it’s a matter of time before kenya beat ug. but the influence of foreign coaches is contributing for the better. to afc, a club that i also support after gor, don’t get kimanzi… but thats my opinion. my take is that logar will stay at gor but i might be wrong, logar is hungry to make his name known, not necessarily to lift gor. so pls watch out! just my opinion. otherwise to YOU gor FAN, you have lifted this club and you know urself, congrats.
and @mwakio: ur support for gor is not in question. but when you fail to see why logar and jerry might go, that’s my worry. gor needs these two guys. i hope you read about the manager who ‘fired’ the ice-cream man.
they are not going coz they hate gor.
they are not going to question ur loyalty to gor.
they are not going to bring gor down.
i.e. if they were going which at this point we don’t know yet.
Hello, Gor mahia fans its time to start paying your players and coaches well football is business we are not in the 80 when football was based on tribal and pride any more. Jerem and loga need to stay at Gor Mahia but if they are not being paid well they will leave and head to where the money is (Ingwe or Simba TZ). Gor will need to increase Logas pay for him to stay, because i believe he loves Gor and i think Gor need him more than Loga need Gor. for Jerem he can go because he can easily be replaced but its hard to find a good coach that quick.
@Dinga, you are right about hoologanism at Gor. It’s causing us alot. most of the top corporates whould like to sponsor gor but they are taken aback when results don’t go our way and chaos occurs. But my take is that this thing is bigger than the EC. It’s a matter for the police to handle as well as community leaders from thr gor bedrock of support. There was an article about the siege mentality of some gor fans due to the long political stigmization. Not sure if it’s true but only socialogists can prove it wrong or right. To prove us wrong let gor take some of their games to kisumu and we see if there is any conducive atmosphere before and after the game. I know they played there some Africa matches way before.
On Jerry leaving we should take it in good faith, since we also took Danny from a strugling City Stars, PPO left us but his for fell. So that’s the nature of this game and those who are still leaving in those days of Luo Union, Abeingo, Lake Warriors, Maragoli FC etc had better wake up and know that we are now in the 21st Century and football is a career to the TPL players. How many of us have left our jobs for some high paying job. For Loga he is actually making his CV and the moment a better deal comes he will go. The sooner we align ourselves to these facts the better. But GM will still be there maybe even stronger
I am a player too can you organize for me a team plz