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Pulse Sports rolls back the years on the stars that helped Ingwe to their last piece of silverware six years ago.
AFC Leopards completed their sixth successive year without a trophy following their seventh-place finish in the Football Kenya Premier League (FKFPL) as well as a semi-final exit from the FKF Cup last season.
It has been a painful period for Ingwe fans whose last league title was won 25 years ago at a time when bitter rivals Gor Mahia have been winning numerous trophies.
Leopards’ last title was the FKF Cup, then called GOtv Shield, which arrived on October 20, 2017, following a 2-0 victory over a youthful Kariobangi Sharks.
Defender Abdalla ‘Shittu’ Salim and forward Vincent Oburu were the scorers for Robert Matano’s side in what was supposed to be a launching pad for further success.
Pulse Sports highlights the squad that won Ingwe’s last trophy and where they are now.
Gabriel Andika
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The former Western Stima custodian was the man in goal when Leopards kept a clean sheet to claim the 2-0 win over Sharks.
Andika had joined Leopards in January 2017 before helping Ingwe to the trophy but left the following year when then-coach Rodolfo Zapata made him surplus to requirements.
He signed for Kakamega Homeboyz and later KCB where has been since and vowed to ensure Leopards never score when he’s in goal after his bitter exit from the club.
Dennis Sikhayi
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Sikhayi played at right-back in the final and was a thorn in the flesh for Sharks with his runs down the flanks.
Sikhayi, also a former Western Stima player, left Ingwe for Wazito FC in 2020 when the club was then bankrolled by Dubai-based businessman Ricardo Badoer and later joined Kakamega Homeboyz.
Lewis Wanami
Then a youngster, the midfielder was slotted in defence as Robert Matano had to field a makeshift backline with his key defenders injured.
He gave a good account of himself on the day, helping Ingwe keep the clean sheet. He was loaned out to various club shortly after to get game time before returning to the club in 2020.
Duncan Otieno
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Another midfielder who played in defence, Otieno played well on the day, keeping at bay the youthful Sharks attackers and his good game earned him a move to Zambia side Nkana FC the following year.
He spent two years in Zambia before returning to the club in November 2020 but left to join Gaborone United from Botswana.
Abdalla ‘Shittu’ Salim
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The experienced defender played at left-back on the day when Ingwe won their last trophy and headed home the opening goal after just 18 minutes. Shittu had been at Leopards since 2017 and became an integral member of the squad.
He left for Nairobi City Stars in 2019 and has been at the club since then but was among the players who were suspended by the Football Kenya Federation over match-fixing allegations in June.
This is after they were reported to the federation by City Stars following an internal investigation by the club.
Victor Majid
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The former Bandari, KCB, and Chemelil Sugar midfielder was among those in the middle of the pack for Ingwe in the decisive match.
Majid also joined Leopards in 2017 and left in 2019 for Zambia side Mufulira Wanderers and later joined Posta Rangers last season before leaving the club.
Aziz Okaka
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The midfielder joined Leopards in 2017, the same year he won the GOtv Shield with Ingwe. He played in midfield in the final and put in a good performance.
He left Ingwe after the expiry of his two-year contract with the hope of joining a Swedish club but the move did not materialise and ended up at Nairobi City Stars and later Wazito but is currently unattached.
Whyvonne Isuza
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One of the key Leopards players at the time, the attacking midfielder was always an assured starter and it was no surprise when he made the starting XI.
Isuza was adept at scoring goals and creating them. He played for Leopards until 2020 when he left for then big-spending Wazito FC before linking up with Bandari FC.
The former Mathare United and Nairobi Stima star was, however, forced into early retirement in 2022 after he was slapped with a four-year doping ban by the Kenya Anti-Doping Agency for violating anti-doping rules.
Raymond Omondi
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Omondi played as one of the forward for Leopards on the day and troubled the Sharks backline with his sleek movement in the box.
Omondi had been in and out of the team due to injuries with a loan stint at Sony Sugar in between. He returned to Ingwe in 2018 but was not part of Zapata’s plans and he signed for Posta rangers shortly after.
At Posta, he did not last long, leaving the club for a return to his boyhood side Nairobi City Stars but an achilleas injury put paid to his playing career and opted into coaching when Kibera United gave him an opportunity in the dugout.
Musa Mudde
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The Ugandan striker had two stints at Leopards, the first in 2015, before he left for Bandari the following yea but returned to the Den at the end of 2016.
He made the starting XI for the final and while he was not on target, he troubled Sharks keeper Jeff Oyemba a couple of times.
Mude left Ingwe in 2017 for Indian club Gokulam Kerala and later Mohammedan Sporting Club in the same country. He returned home to join Uganda Premier League side UPDF FC in 2021.
Vincent Oburu
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Scorer of Leopards’ second goal in the final and his sixth in the competition that year, the forward made the Sharks defence work extra hard on the day.
Oburu left Ingwe for Wazito in 2021 before joining Zambia giants Zesco United in January 2022 initially on a one-year-deal which was later extended.
SUBS
Ian Otieno
The goalkeeper left Leopards in 2018 for Zambian side Red Arrows before later joining rivals Zesco United.
Ramadhan Yakubu
Left Ingwe in January 2018 for Sony Sugar.
Haron Nyakha
Left Leopards in 2018 for a short stint with Wazito FC. He then joined Nakumatt FC in June 2018 which later changed to Mt Kenya United before rebranding to Dandora Love.
Alexis Kitenge
The Burundian joined Leopards in June 2017 but was rarely used and joined Tanzanian side Stand FC the following season.
Michael Kibwage
The defender left Leopards in 2019 for Sofapaka. After a year with Batoto ba Mungu, he sought to leave them for Tusker FC but the move was held back for a year as the club did not give him a release latter.
He was finally freed to join the Brewers early this year, penning a deal until 2024.
Andrew Tololwa
Tololwa left Leopards in early 2018 for Zambian side Red Arrows.
Samuel Ndung’u
The winger left Leopards in January 2018 for Mathare United before following it up with stints at Mt Kenya United, Kakamega Homeboyz, Kenya Police and Bidco United where he was last season.
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