How career-ending injury pushed former AFC Leopards youngster back to studies
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Reading Time: 6min | Mon. 19.01.26. | 12:01
Born and raised in Nakuru, Wekesa, popularly known as Kemboi, grew up in a household where football was not just a game, but a way of life
At the height of his promise, 18-year-old Alfred Wanyonyi Wekesa’s future looked certain.
He had pace, confidence, pedigree, and the platform.
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Fresh from featuring for the most successful Kenyan high school football team, Wekesa signed for AFC Leopards - a dream destination for any young footballer in the country.
National team call-ups were coming, foreign interest was building and everything was aligned.
Then one moment at Mumias Sports Complex changed everything.
This is the story of Wekesa- the footballer, the fall, and the fight to rebuild life beyond the pitch.
Born and raised in Nakuru, Wekesa, popularly known as Kemboi, grew up in a household where football was not just a game, but a way of life.
Football ran in the family; his father played the game as did his siblings, and from a young age, Kemboi was immersed in football culture.
His journey began with a local team in Nakuru, Kaptembwa, where his raw talent became evident early.
When his family relocated to Eldoret during his primary school years, the game followed him.
He played for Stima before earning a place at Raiply FC. Opportunities came quickly and Kemboi took them.
“I was young, fast, and confident. I know myself, football was in me because I grew up with it,” says Kemboi.
Kakamega School chapter
The turning point came in 2011 during a tournament in Bungoma.
Kemboi’s performances attracted the attention of Kakamega School’s leadership - principal Oliver Minishi, coach Brendan Mwinamo, and games master Jairus Amayamu.
Several schools expressed interest, including Bukembe High School, St Anthony’s Kitale, Bungoma High School, Kibabii, but Kakamega School won the race.
What followed was a defining four-year chapter.
Kemboi broke into the Green Commandoes team while still in form one, a rare achievement given the quality of players in the squad at the time.
He found himself competing alongside and against some of the finest schoolboy footballers in the country - Timothy Otieno, Estone Esiye, Michael Mutinda, Sammy Meja, among others.
“It was a big challenge, but I managed,” he says.
As the seasons progressed, the team grew stronger.
Under the guidance of coach Hesbon Nyabinge and Mwinamo, Kakamega School became virtually unbeatable at home.
The peak came in 2014 at Bukhungu Stadium when Kakamega School produced a near-flawless national championship campaign.
They conceded one goal against Kapenguria Boys and went ahead to beat Kisumu Day in the final to lift the national title.
“It was a privilege. We did not concede a goal until that one moment. It was a special campaign,” he recalls.
The success earned the team a chance to represent Kenya at the East Africa Games in Tanzania.
While the results were modest, the exposure was invaluable.
Several players earned national U17 call-ups, with the squad heavily dominated by Green Commandoes alumni.
Kemboi, however, missed the Sudan trip due to a hamstring injury — a cruel preview of challenges that would follow.
From school to big leagues
After completing high school in 2015, the then 18-year old was expected to join Green Commandoes in the FKF Division One League.
But his talent had already outgrown the level.
He spent three months in Uganda with Busia Fisheries FC, playing nine matches and emerging among the league’s top scorers.
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Interest surged as five Kenyan clubs were ready to sign him: AFC Leopards, Nzoia Sugar, Chemelil Sugar FC, Western Stima, and Kakamega Homeboyz.
The choice was clear, Kemboi signed for AFC Leopards alongside former schoolmate Edwin Mukolwe.
At the club, they found a familiar guiding figure in Cliffton Miheso, another Green Commandoes alumnus who helped them settle.
From the outset, Kemboi impressed; he featured from the first friendly match and quickly adapted to the demands of top-flight football.
Senior players like Paul Kiongera and Kepha Aswani took him under their wing.
National team call-ups followed, interests from abroad grew, and for the 2014 Green Commandoes class, the future looked exceptionally bright.
“My future was very bright. Everything was going right,” he says.
Then came the match against Muhoroni Youth at Mumias Sports Complex, where Kemboi went one-on-one with goalkeeper Farouk Shikhalo.
The collision was heavy, and according to him, he expected a penalty.
Instead, when he tried to get up, something was wrong.
The pain was there immediately, and the team doctor knew it was serious.
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An MRI confirmed the worst - a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL).
The verdict was stark - surgery and a chance to continue playing, or no surgery and the end of football, and at a young age, the decision was overwhelming.
He called his father, and together, they chose surgery.
In 2017, Kemboi went under the knife, and according to him, what followed was the darkest chapter of his life as a professional footballer.
When recovery fails
Kemboi believed surgery would restore his career, but instead, rehabilitation went disastrously wrong.
Physiotherapy started late, almost two months after surgery, stiffness set in, and the range of motion never fully returned.
“I cannot turn my leg one hundred percent even today.”
The mental toll was immense, financial strain followed as he spent heavily on treatment, supported partly by fans who contributed through an M-Pesa paybill.
“It has not been a nice journey. It has not been a good experience.”
In 2018, hope returned as Kemboi went for trials at Mathare United, but he was no longer the same player.
“I was not at the level I was back then; life had changed.”
Short stints followed as he tried out with Coast Stima FC, then Chemelil Sugar FC under coach Francis Baraza, and despite understanding from coaches, injuries and instability derailed progress.
A final return home led him to Bungoma Superstars FC in 2020, where he played cautiously, haunted by fear of re-injury, but through it all, one constant stood out - his close friend Reuben Wanyonyi, now at Nzoia Sugar FC, who supported him emotionally throughout the ordeal.
By 2021, Kemboi made the hardest decision of all - stepping away from football.
He tried business, which sustained him briefly, but something was missing, and in mid-2022, a lifeline emerged as Kakamega School old boys cleared his school fees arrears, retrieved his academic papers, and encouraged him to return to school.
In 2023, Kemboi enrolled in a nutrition course, which he hopes to complete this year. “I chose to take the hard decision to go back to school.”
Away from the spotlight, he mentored young players and worked briefly with Turi Youth FC in Nakuru, balancing football development with academics.
Lessons, legacy, and hope
Kemboi speaks with honesty about the realities young footballers face.
“As much as you are good, have a backup plan.”
He points to teammates like Mukolwe, who pursued education alongside football, a safety net when careers end unexpectedly.
He understands now what he once believed impossible, and despite everything, football remains his blood.
He believes his story is not finished.
“When you are young, you think injuries will not happen. I know there’s a time in the future the name Kemboi will come back to the headlines, whether as a player, a coach, or in any role within the football ecosystem.”
Supported by family, friends, and the mother of his child, whom he credits as a pillar throughout his recovery, Kemboi looks ahead with quiet determination.
“My stint was short but sweet. I loved the whole part of it.”
Kemboi’s story is not just about a career-ending injury. It is about the fragility of sporting dreams, the gaps in athlete support systems, and the resilience required to rebuild identity after loss.
He may no longer sprint down the wing, but his journey from Green Commandoes glory to personal reinvention stands as a lesson, a warning, and a source of hope for every young footballer chasing the dream.
And in one way or another, his football story is far from over.
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