Benson Omala Emulates Ivorian Legends Yaya and Kolo Toure After Signing For Nairobi United

Former Gor Mahia striker Benson Omala has completed his move to Nairobi United, making it the third time in which he has returned to a local club after stints abroad in the last five years.

Omala signed for Naibos on Thursday after a short spell in Cambodia with Visakha, where he left last December, having joined in July.

The striker had returned to Gor Mahia early last year after another ill-fated spell abroad, this time at Lebanese side Al-Safa, who he ditched after a failure by the club to honour the contractual agreement, coupled with the war in the country.

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Now, Omala is set for a new chapter in Kenya with Nairobi United and it will be a rare moment of pride for his family as he will play in the same team as his younger brother Duncan Omala.

The Omalas will become the latest siblings to play for the same team, something rarely witnessed in Kenyan football, where there are a number of brothers but playing for different clubs.

Benson and Duncan Omala will hope to have the same impact Boniface and Fred Ambani had at AFC Leopards when they helped Ingwe clinch the Kenyan Premier League title in 1998, the club’s last league crown.

In Africa, the Omalas will emulate Ivorian legends Kolo and Yaya Toure, who played together at Manchester City, and Ghanaians Andre and Jordan Ayew, who shared the dressing room at Marseille and Swansea City.

There are many examples internationally such as Kevin-Prince and Jerome Boateng (Hertha Berlin), Inaki and Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Thiago and Rafinha (Barcelona) and Phil and Gary Neville (Manchester United) but it is a rare occurrence in Kenya.

Benson Omala, who honed his skills at Kisumu Day Secondary School, before joining Western Stima, became a cult hero at Gor Mahia, scoring a record-equaling 26 goals in 2022-23 as they won the FKF Premier League title, and 19 in the 2023-24 campaign as Johnathan McKinstry’s team retained their crown, before moving to Lebanon.

Duncan Omala, meanwhile, is in his second season with Nairobi United and has scored four goals in his last five league matches and it remains to be seen how new coach Godfrey ‘Solo’ Oduor will utilise the two brothers in attack.