The Young Nation
March 25, 2001

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A defender you can't get past

By PHILIP ONYANGO

Paul who took part in the national secondary school ball games in Eldoret

Paul Mwangi Githu must be one of the best defenders in Kenya today and is headed for greater things if his current form is anything to go by. At 18, Mwangi popularly known as "Major" by friends is a regular starter in the Kenya under-20 team and a dependable defender-cum-midfielder at Coast FC, a premier league side.

At the beginning of this year's soccer season, Paul was up for grabs as top clubs among them Tusker, Mumias Sugar, Mathare United and AFC Leopards tried in vain to get his signature. He eventually settled for Coast Stars whom he said had a better deal.

The soft spoken boy who sat for his secondary examinations last year at Mombasa High School also guided the school to winning three consecutive National Secondary school titles between 1997 and 2000.

The third born in a family of five, Paul started his football career at the tender age of three at Magongo in the Mombasa west mainland. At the age of four, the over ambitious Mwangi for whom the name Maradona was among his first words fractured his toe and was in a plaster for over a month nursing the injury.

Paul comes from a sporting family, his grandfather Paul Mwangi Githu was a refined footballer in his heydays while his uncle Bosco Njoroge was a member of the Kenya Pipeline team.

He joined Gome Primary School in Changamwe where he started playing for the school team while in Standard Four. He transferred to Thika where he continued with his studies and soccer.

Mwangi made the Central Province Primary school soccer team that travelled to Mombasa in 1991 for the National Primary school games where they lost to eventual winners Nairobi Province in the semi finals.

Paul during the East and Central Africa CECAFA youth championships in Nairobi

After completing his primary education, Mwangi declined offers to join Kirwara Secondary School and St Xaviers Secondary in order to join Mombasa High School. "I felt that my soccer career would only improve if I joined Mombasa High School which has continued to excel both in academics and sports," he said.

His first time in the school team saw Mombasa High lose the national trophy to Kisii High School when the game were held in 1997 at Kaimosi Teachers College , but does not regret it as he feels the team whose line up included the Harambee Stars midfielders Simon Yellowman Mulama, Ramadhan Balala and John Mo Muiruri deserved to win the trophy.

But for the three years that followed, Paul who then played a midfield role guided the school to winning the national trophy during the 1998 finals when they beat Kiriti High School in the finals in Nairobi and in 1999 when they beat Kamukunji High School in the finals in Machakos and last year when they beat Musingu High School in the finals in Eldoret.

Paul who was selected to join the Kenya under-20 team in 1999 believes this is his greatest achievement so far and is prepared for greater things. He says that he owes a lot to Mombasa High school headmaster Lazar Allapat and soccer coach Peter Mayoyo.

Paul's future plans include taking up a coaching job by the age of 26, which he says will help him develop the abundant young talent which has not been tapped to date.

Having played for reknown clubs like Magongo Rangers, Dundee United, and Coast Stars, Mwangi laments that many players waste themselves playing for clubs that do not have a well defined future.