Mike Okoth is the best ever Stars’ striker in football
For a lengthy time, there has been heated debate on who is actually the greatest striker in the beautiful game of football in Kenya.
Kenya has had a plethora of great forwards in all shapes and sizes but the burning question is just who takes the crown.
In the last couple of years, Kenya has produced strikers like Henry Motego, Mike Okoth, Dennis Oliech, John Baraza, Michael Olunga, all who featured for Kenya at some point in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
But according to Tom Juma who played for Harambee Stars at the biannual competition in 2004, Okoth is his favourite especially considering his exploits in the qualifiers of the competition.
“He (Okoth) had special attributes of scoring in the tightest of angles and to me, he is one of the best the country has ever produced,’’ said Juma who was a reliable linkman during that period.
Perhaps unbeknownst to many, Okoth is a goalkeeper-turned striker who ended his professional career in Belgium.
Away from the debate of who is the best marksman in the country, Juma describes the 1996 World Cup qualifier against Algeria which Kenya won 3-2 as one of his toughest and reminisces the two-leg affair as if it happened yesterday.
Spectacular saves
Against all odds, Harambee Stars beat the Desert Foxes 3-1 in the first leg in Kasarani and despite losing 1-0 in the reverse fixture in Algiers, Kenya proceeded to the second round, thanks to spectacular saves from goalkeeper Matthews ‘Ottomax’ Owino
Juma said the team then under the tutelage of Gardasevic Vojo was determined to risk arm and limb to end the jinx of the country losing to North African teams and it did achieve its dream despite losing 1-0 away.
“You all know the rigors of playing North African teams and when we beat them (Algeria) in Kasarani in the first leg, it gave us a lot of confidence. 
They needed to beat us 2-0 in Algiers and eject us and I remember Ottomax making top drawer saves to keep the score line low,” said Juma.
Juma who played for Oserian, AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia added:,” The crowd in Algiers was hostile but we gave the hosts pound for pound and finally eliminated them from the qualifiers,”
Juma’s other critical moment was in the 2004 AFCON in Tunisia in which he featured in all the preliminary matches Harambee Stars played.
“We lost 3-0 to Mali and 3-1 to Senegal but we managed to wind up the tournament with a semblance of respect by defeating Burkina Faso 3-0.
This was the time I faced top notch African players like Mamadou Diarra of Burkina Faso and Selif Keita of Mali,” he said.
Juma had the upper hand of successfully challenging other good players in the number six position and recalls that Gor had other good players like Dan Ogada, Tom Okaya and Frazier Ochieng.
