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Football coach Shedu turns to poultry farming – VIDEO


Veteran football coach Rishadi Shedu has rebranded into a farmer in Nairobi’s California Estate.

The 62-year old initially made his name in football circles as a national football team player.

He later moved to coaching and handled a number of Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League clubs including Bandari and KCB. That was before an injury halted his career in 2014.

Upon receiving treatment in India, Shedu, who’s also coached Makolanders in the FKF Women Premier League, switched to farming.

“I have lived in California my whole life and thankfully the space that I am using for the small-scale farming is owned by my family.

I have been blessed with three daughters and we all live here and help each other take care of the products we get from our small farm,” he told Nairobi News.

He specializes in poultry farming, rearing about 15 chicken, 15 doves, three ducks, and rabbits.

“Animals have a way of bringing you joy. Sometimes when my injuries start to hurt or when I am stressed thinking about my health or how my family will survive in the future, this is where I come to just relax my mind and put my life into perspective,” he says.

Coach Shedu was widowed in 2020 after his wife of four years succumbed to diabetes.

“We met in high school when we were both about 16 years old and we were never separated from then. When she got sick, we started to plant vegetables and rearing chicken so that we could always have fresh unprocessed food to boost both of our immunities but the disease was much stronger than we thought. Continuing with this project for me is a way of keeping her memory alive and also assuring her that I can still take care of the family even if football is no longer my job,” he expressed.

Shedu’s attempted return to coaching has been cut short after the suspension of sports activities.

“I still love football but I am also old now and I have to give young coaches and players a chance to shine as well. I will support them continuously from the sidelines and contribute wherever I can but for now, I just hope that all the teams I have been a part of before will continue doing well and not let their names die in the different leagues,” he said.

It has been a tough year for Shedu.

He tested positive for Covid-19 at the beginning of April after experiencing persistent headaches for a while. He spent three days on life support after his condition worsened.

“I’m much better now but with Covid going round like this, the more reason I think I should continue with my small scale farming keeping away from social interactions and also keeping my mind calm and feeding my family with no fear,” he said.

Until his latest hospitalization, Shedu has been running Star Soccer Academy which nurtures young talents around California.