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The talented midfielder has now moved to North Macedonia, where he has inked a deal with FK Rabotnicki, a ten-time league champion.
Kenyan Premier League champions Gor Mahia, has bid farewell to their Ugandan duo, Peter Lwasa and Shafiq Kagimu, following the expiration of their contracts.
The departure of the two players opens up opportunities for Gor Mahia to strengthen their squad during the upcoming transfer window as they prepare for their CAF Champions League campaign.
Peter Lwasa, a 24-year-old forward, joined Gor Mahia in 2021 from Kariobangi Sharks.
Lwasa played a crucial role in securing the team's 20th league title, scoring a remarkable goal against Nairobi City Stars in the final match of the 2022-2023 season.
Meanwhile, midfielder Shafiq Kagimu, who signed a short-term deal with Gor Mahia in March 2023, has also left the club.
The talented midfielder has now moved to North Macedonia, where he has inked a deal with FK Rabotnicki, a ten-time league champion.
Following the departure of Lwasa and Kagimu, head coach Johnathan McKinstry is keen on strengthening the squad to maintain their domestic success and compete on the continental stage.
McKinstry has expressed the need to secure quality additions to the team during the transfer window. His sights are set on players from rival teams as well as talents from Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.
McKinstry acknowledges the financial constraints that Gor Mahia faces and believes that searching for players in lesser-known leagues will yield better results.
While acknowledging the challenges of securing players from the Tanzanian and Ethiopian leagues, where higher wages are commonplace, McKinstry remains optimistic about the potential of the Ugandan, Burundian, and Rwandan markets.
"We have to be careful about the players we sign. We have to know their characters, we have to know that they are coming here to win and not just to pick up a salary," McKinstry emphasized.
“There’s are markets in Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, maybe even in West Africa, but we have to be careful about the players we sign.”
“There are players I have enquired about who have played for me before playing for teams in Tanzania and Ethiopia, even Djibouti, and they have come back and said to me; ‘Coach I’m earning $8,000 a month here. That is not a market we can compete in.”
“A signing is not just a player’s salary, it is a signing-on fee, transfer fee to another club and if you go and look at the Ethiopian market and Tanzanian market, these are clubs that are paying $5,000, $10,000.
The Gor Mahia head coach also emphasized that reputation alone would not be a determining factor in their recruitment strategy, as previous transfers based solely on reputation have not always yielded the desired results.
McKinstry is proud of his young team's accomplishments, as they defied expectations to clinch the league title.
As they embark on their CAF Champions League campaign, he aims to maintain a realistic approach, acknowledging the team's progress and not placing excessive pressure on them to go far in the competition.
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