CHAN 2024: How Austine Odhiambo, Alpha Onyango Turned Grassroots Dreams Into National Pride

Most times, the loudest roars are unheard within stadiums but in the dry rural fields where bare feet chase dreams against all odds. That is where Kenya's CHAN 2024 opening match heroes Austine Odhiambo and Alpha Onyango first heard the tune of the beautiful game.

Far before national anthems and ear-splitting Kasarani crowds, their football careers were set ablaze on backyard pitches and local competitions.

Odhiambo, 'Rolls Royce' of the footballing fraternity, was first brought into the spotlight through the Olunga Foundation Cup.

PAY ATTENTION: Stay updated with the Latest Sports News in Kenya from Pulse Sports

Onyango, on the other hand, it was the mentorship of Gor Mahia's experienced keeper and years of playing street football that fashioned his toughened nerve and tactical sense. 

Both their stories are a love letter to Kenyan street football.

In Kenya's historic 1–0 win over DR Congo, it was these self-made heroes who delivered, not just on the pitch, but to the hearts of a nation. 

Odhiambo scored the goal, joining history books with Kenya's first-ever African Nations Championship goal. Onyango, bossing proceedings in the middle from midfield like an old head with season upon season of experience, was voted Man of the Match. Two sons of the soil, two images of purpose.

“CHAN is not just a tournament. It’s proof that talent lives in every corner of Kenya. We’re not here by accident,” said Odhiambo, still beaming from the post-match celebrations.

Born in 2001 in Nairobi’s Kariadudu area, Austine Odhiambo’s football journey began between concrete walls and makeshift goalposts.

A former student of Kakamega High School and AFC Leopards product, his craft was defined by sheer will power and incessant direction by his mother, Evaline Atieno. 

"I am dedicating the goal to my mother, who has been with me throughout my life," Odhiambo after his left-foot thunder that edged DR Congo at half-time sent MISC Kasarani supporters into delirium.

He was the beneficiary of a pass from forward David Sakwa, who was picked out by right back Daniel Sakari. What followed was magic.

"I saw the defender retreating, so I was waiting – one touch, and then bang. Sometimes you only get that one opportunity," said the dreadlocked playmaker.

"Give the goal a 7 out of 10. It wasn't my best, but it was the most important one," he noted.

Every orchestra has a conductor, and for Harambee Stars, the conductor is Alpha Chris Onyango.

Serene, calculating, and approaching poetry, the 24-year-old midfielder always dominates the centre of the field with intelligence. 

"Midfield is the heartbeat. If we miss a beat, the whole body stumbles. My work is to keep the heart steady," he stated in a past interview.

Trained in community football and hardened in Gor Mahia's no-nonsense culture, Onyango has become the team's guiding light.

"By the time I receive the ball, I already have three places that it can go. Oftentimes, the greatest pass is one no one expects — not even your own teammates. But when they believe in you, they will run anyway," he explains.

Coach Benni McCarthy sees the valuable talent in him. 

"Alpha's not the loudest man in the room, but the game hears him. He hears silence in noise. That's not something you teach," former South African international Benni McCarthy added.

CHAN 2024 is more than a tournament, but it is also a display of Kenya's unexploited potential.

For every Odhiambo and Onyango, there are thousands more eager to get a turn. This tournament has laid bare a truth that most would prefer not to acknowledge: investing in grassroot initiatives is not alms-giving, but nation-building. 

"It's the people's tournament," McCarthy said. 

"It's where the son of the boda rider, the daughter of the kibanda owner, the Mukuru boy from nowhere can dream — and deliver."

Onyango agrees. "This isn't about proving something. It's about serving something — my country, my people. I want to play a tournament my children will someday talk of proudly."

Kenya are set to take on Angola, and the CHAN momentum is no longer results-focused. It is about representation, turning around the narrative that world-class football only arrives from top academies. In Kasarani, history was made not by imports, but by sons of Kariadudu and the backstreets of Nairobi.

Let the spotlight be on somebody else. Odhiambo and Onyango are comfortable in the fire where heroes are made and dreams kindled.