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Recently signed defender Andrew “Roma” Juma is the man Kogalo are counting on to man the central defence after the departure of Vice Captain Joash Onyango.<\/p>\n
He tells the Star Newspaper that he is up to the task<\/p>\n
When Harambee Stars\u2019 head coach Francis Kimanzi named a 34-man provisional squad for the upcoming friendly match against Zambia, it wasn\u2019t surprising that the lanky Andrew Juma was among the selected defenders.<\/p>\n
The Stars\u2019 tactician will soon be testing\u00a0\u00a0his mettle on the highly rated Chipolopolo at the Moi International Sports Complex Karasani and Juma will be central to the success of his defence.<\/p>\n
Juma\u2019s ability to read the game and impeccable partnership with other center-backs has made him one of the most sought-after central defenders in the country.<\/p>\n
Born on August 7, 1994, in Pumwani, Nairobi, Juma was nine when he took to playing football, linking up with a development side called Scarlet in the Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA)-organised league in Dandora.<\/p>\n
There, he cut his teeth in the sport under the watchful eye of youth coach namesake Antony Juma.<\/p>\n
At the age of 12, he grabbed his first silverware after Scarlet clinched the MYSA Dandora Zone league.<\/p>\n
After sitting for his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams in 2008, Juma proceeded to join Jogoo Road High School in Nairobi\u2019s Eastlands area where his skills in football became evident.<\/p>\n
He was in Form One when the school team secured a third-place finish in the county edition of the Kenya Secondary Schools Ball Games after being eliminated by eventual winners Upper Hill in the semifinals.<\/p>\n
Juma plied his trade for Dandora Youth in the Nairobi County League for five years before the opportunity to join Mathare United in the country\u2019s top flight league came begging.<\/p>\n
\u201cI immediately left midway through the Posta Rangers trials and quickly made way to the Goan Institute ground, where the Slum Boys were training. I met Kimanzi who offered me a deal after some talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juma has been one of the longest-serving Mathare United players, having only made a move to Gor Mahia this year after joining the Slum Boys in 2016.<\/p>\n
His best KPL match was when he turned out for Mathare United against Sony at Awendo Green Stadium in a closely contested tie that ended 3-2 in favour of the Slum Boys.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an end-to-end thriller. We would come back and equalise each time our opponents took the lead. We finally won the match,\u201d says Juma.<\/p>\n
Mathare United came from a goal down twice to beat Sony and move up to second on the Kenyan Premier League log.<\/p>\n
The Slum Boys got their goals through Chrispin Oduor, Daniel Otieno and Klinsman Omulanga, with Daniel Onyango and Salim Chacha netting for Sony.<\/p>\n
Juma would, however, quickly wish to put behind him the humiliation they suffered in the hands of Sofapaka during a 2018\/19 KPL season match at Moi Stadium, Kasarani where they crashed 1-4.<\/p>\n
He has so far received three national team call-ups and fondly relives his first international assignment against Zanzibar during the 2019 Cecafa Senior Challenge Championships at the KCCA Lugogo Stadium in Kampala, Uganda as his best ever.<\/p>\n
Harambee Stars sealed a win from Oscar Wamalwa\u2019s lone goal in the second half to beat Zanzibar Heroes 1-0, finishing at the top of Group \u2018B\u2019 on nine points.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was my first international experience and we kept a clean sheet by beating edging Zanzibar 1-0,\u201d says Juma.<\/p>\n
Juma says he admires quite a number of local players from whom he has always drawn immense inspiration. They include former international players Jerry Santo, who currently serves as an official at the Kenya Footballers Welfare Association and George \u2018Wise\u2019 Owino.<\/p>\n
Despite his stellar career spanning close to a decade, Owino a former Harambee Stars defender bowed out in disgrace after being slapped with a 10-year ban by the world football governing body Fifa on allegations of match-fixing. He was also asked to pay a Sh1.5m fine.<\/p>\n
The decision meant that he couldn\u2019t take part in any kind of football-related activity at both national and international level for a period of 10 years.<\/p>\n
On the international front, Juma has always been motivated by Rio Ferdinand, former England and Manchester United centre-back.<\/p>\n
Ferdinand currently works as a television pundit for BT Sport. He played 81 times for England between 1997 and 2011, and was a member of three Fifa World Cup squads.<\/p>\n
Juma says he has also learnt many significant lessons from Brazil and Chelsea defender Thiago Silva.<\/p>\n
Juma appreciates his parents Fredrick Omondi and Julian Akinyi whom he says played a big role in his successful voyage in football.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father encouraged me a lot while my mother would buy me soccer boots anytime I needed them,\u201d says Juma.<\/p>\n
He spends his free time with family and friends, mostly prefers staying indoors.<\/p>\n
He is the first born and the only boy in a family of three and dots on his sisters Joan Aluoch and Iddah Achieng. He\u00a0\u00a0says he has come to regard his cousin, Nelson Mandela, as a real brother, having been with him from the time he was a toddler.<\/p>\n
Juma would one day like to don the yellow jersey of South Africa Premier League champions Mamelodi Sundowns.<\/p>\n
\u201cUpcoming footballers should cultivate self-belief and pray in all situations because it\u2019s only God who can make things happen,\u201d says Juma.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
BIO<\/p>\n
Date of Birth: August 7, 1994<\/p>\n
Position: Center-back<\/p>\n
2001-2008: Tom Mboya Primary School<\/p>\n
2009-2012: Jogoo Road High School<\/p>\n
2016-2020: Mathare United<\/p>\n
2020 to-date: Gor Mahia FC<\/p>\n