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The supporters felt it was premature and disrespectful to put Otieno in the same category as the Shujaa legend
Kenyan rugby fans have dismissed comparisons already being made between Shujaa legend Collins Injera and Alvin 'Buffa' Otieno.
Otieno, popularly known as ‘Buffa’, short for the Water Buffalo has become the darling of rugby fans worldwide due to his no-nonsense approach to the game as he shrugs off opponents with ease on his way to the try line.
'Buffa' reached a milestone in Singapore when he scored his 50th try as Kenya lost 26-10 to Spain in the ninth-place final to end the leg with seven points, which leaves them in danger of relegation.
His quick feet and flair have won him admiration with some fans even going to the extent of comparing him to Injera, arguably Kenya’s best sevens player.
That comparison has created a debate online with a big number of supporters feeling Otieno is just getting started and should not even be mentioned in the same line with ‘Collo’ who is second on the sevens all-time try scorer’s list.
“Man, I love Buffa and he's damn good at rugby but he's not even close to Papa (Injera),” said Bradley Kwama. He added: “Actually, besides his big bro Tall (Humphrey Kayange) and Namcos (Innocent Simiyu), I don't know or heard of any former or current Kenya rugby legends who comes close. The older heads in the game can chip in if they know of any.”
“The No 11 (Injera’s) jersey is bigger than Buffa’s career,” responded Mwangi Muthee.
Another fan enumerated Injera’s career achievements to show why he is in a league of his own. “279 tries (second all time) 1,443 points scored (ninth all time), 424 matches played, 1 leg won. And, while Alvin's career is still on the rise, you disrespect a man like that?”
Some fans even used a football analogy to disagree with the comparisons. “It’s like saying (Kylian) Mbappe and (Cristiano) Ronaldo. He’s good (Otieno) but he still has a long way to go to even lace the GOAT’s (Injera’s) boots,” said another fan.
“You could have praised Alvin without fixing Collins Injera's name there. Injera is a different breed,” replied Mbai.
Some fans think there are other players below Injera’s level that Otieno should reach first. “Leave alone Collo ata kufikia (he is yet to get to) Oscar Ouma bado. Oscar Ouma is a beast.”
Otieno has been part of the Kenya Sevens set up since 2016 when he made his debut in Hong Kong and was in the squad that won the country’s first and only Cup in Singapore that year.
“I was a rookie then (in 2016) and it was amazing for us to win our first ever trophy,” Otieno said when reminded about the win last weekend.
Since then, he has grown from strength to strength to become one of the senior players in the current squad after the departures of Injera, Andrew Amonde and Willy Ambaka among other veterans.
He is, however, miles off Injera’s achievements with the former Mwamba RFC star enjoying a 17-year career before retiring in January this year.
The decorated star retired with 279 tries, only bettered by England’s Dan Norton (350), and his career highlights include the Singapore win, emerging the top try scorer for the 2008-09 Sevens World Series season with 42 tries, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the 2009 World Cup Sevens in Dubai.
He was inducted into the Melrose Rugby Hall of Fame last week after getting into the Fiji Hall of Fame in January and could soon join Kayange in the World Rugby Hall of Fame.
Injera was also awarded the Order of the Golden Warrior (OGW) alongside Kayange in 2010 and was named the Kenyan Sportsman of the Year in 2009.
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