Nairobi News

Must ReadSports

Oliech: I need a job

May 14th, 2021 2 min read

Dennis Oliech admits life has been tough in recent times, adding he is now searching for a job so as to supplement his income.

The former Harambee Stars captain made his wishes known in a recent interview with KTN.

“I am looking for a job. Any job. I need income. That is why you see me moving around and doing interviews with the media (so as to endeavor myself to prospective employers),” he said.

Oliech then denied reports he is broke despite earning hundreds of millions of shillings during his time as a professional footballer in Asia and Europe, and reiterated his stance that former Kenyan footballers should be offered an opportunity to serve as football administrators.

“I am in support of former footballers including myself, Musa Otieno, MacDonald Mariga, Titus Mulama, and Jamal Mohammed contesting for positions at Football Kenya Federation,” he added.

“That is because we know and understand so many things about the game. Even in government, at the Ministry of Sports, many people in those offices do not understand anything about football development and what a footballer needs. We can change that and make things better.”

The 36-year old also opened up on why he turned down a Sh200 million offer to change his nationality from Kenya to Qatar while at the prime of his footballer career.

“I can say the situation at the time is not the same at the moment so maybe if someone offered me the money right now I will take it. But you have to look at the other side and say living in Asia and especially with the Arabs is not easy. You have no chance to enjoy life. You can have money but get stuck in the country with nowhere to go. With their citizenship, they will even deny you a chance to leave the country. That is not the type of life I am looking to live.”

Oliech is considered one of the best ever footballers to come out of Kenya.

He received his football education at Kakamega and Kamukunji High School before enjoying a short stint at Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League side Mathare United.

He would move to Qatar’s top-flight club Al Arabi, a team that scouted him when he was playing for Kenya’s U20 team, for three seasons.

A move to France came calling, with subsequent stints at Nantes, Auxerre and Ajaccio.

At Auxerre, Oliech led the line in the UEFA Champions League against the likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Ajax Amsterdam.

He then returned to Asia, in Dubai for a short stint before joining Kenyan champions Gor Mahia for two seasons. He has not played competitively for two years but insists he is yet to hang his boots.