Aston Lukoye
When you start perusing the books about Kenyan’s who have impacted to the development of football in the country, you can’t reach the end without reading the name of Christopher Makokha. The pioneer of the famous “Green Commandos” brand of Kakamega High School in western Kenya.
The coach started his soccer coaching career when on a pre university attachment at Ingotse high school in Western. He went at Mukumu boys’ high school and Kakamega boys for his form five and six certificates.
He later joined The University of Nairobi where he majored in Bachelor of Education as a Physics and Mathematics teacher. After his graduation in 1976, he joined Kakamega High School in 1977 but started coaching the “Green Commando” team in 1978 until after he retired from teaching in 2005.
Mr Makokha won 10 Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) titles with Kakamega High School between 1980 and 1990. He won the title once more in 1995. The Green Commandos had won the title 5 times in a row in 1979,1980,1981,1982 and 1983. A feat no other school has achieved so far.
As a coach at Kakamega High School, Chris Makokha had won ten national titles with the famous Green Commandoes and entered into history books for being one for the greatest Kenyan schools’ soccer coaches. He was the man behind the name ‘Green Commandos’. It is said that in his style of play, he never wanted the ball to go higher than the height of a goat. While at the touchline, He was found of shouting “Boy’s let the ball kiss the ground”.
More amazing he also blossomed with Ministry of Works FC (MoW) popularly known as MOTCOM in the Nationwide League.Some of the notable players that played under his tenure at Motcom include Aggrey Litali, Godfrey Osiema, Dan Musuku, Alfred Mukangula, Jared Ingutia, George Nyangi Odembo, Mike ‘Computer’ Wambani and Hudson Majimbo among others. The wins under his tutelage brought moments of holy communion between the players and the fans at Kakamega and Western province in general.
He underwent training under the German coach Bernard Zgoll, the youth coach who helped in setting up high excellence youth centers in the 70’s. Makokha, apart from just taking part in many local soccer coaching courses traveled to Brazil and Germany where he advanced coaching badges to standard.
He was one of the best trained coaches during the 70’s, 80s and 90’s. He had the supernatural eyesight to read the game of the opponents in a few minutes before changing his style of play. Playing against his teams in the 80’s is said to be a big task because he was a feared tactician.
Apart from just coaching Green Commandos and Motcom FC, the late had a successful stint with the Kenya national men’s soccer team Harambee Stars. In 1988, he managed to take Kenya to the Africa Cup of Nations final in Morocco. He was also served as an assistant to German coach Reinhart Fabisch in 1997.
His last days of coaching coaching traces back to 2010 when he was appointed to handle AFC Leopard’s in the Kenyan Premier League. His stay at the den didn’t last long as “Ingwe” was then characterized by a string of poor results leading to his premature departure.
He died in May 2013 after battling with diabetes.
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