Makati chuffed up after Premier League debut

Nairobi City Stars midfielder Rowland Makati is elated after making his Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKFPL) debut.

The youngster was introduced slightly after the hour mark for Mohammed Omar Bajaber who had made his first Premier League start, and went on to play for the final 27 minutes of regular time as Simba wa Nairobi and AFC Leopards played to a one-all draw at Thika Stadium on Monday afternoon.

Speaking after his maiden Premier League appearance, an excited Makati revealed that he was left yearning for more and resolved to continue putting in more work to become a regular in the team, adding that his patience has finally paid off.

“This makes me happy that I am finally a Premier League player. Patience has brought me this far and now that the debut has come, I want to earn more games and I will work even harder to feature in very many more,” he is quoted saying on the club's portal.

Makati joined City Stars in August 2020 from third-tier side Vapor Sports and spent the entire 2020/2021 campaign as a loanee to former National Super League outfit Nairobi Stima, now defunct, scoring five goals and setting up seven others.

Before making his debut, the 21-year-old had made three other appearances on the team sheet in the league, being named on the substitutes bench first in mid-December last year against KCB, and twice in May against Kenya Police and Gor Mahia but was unused in all the three instances.

City Stars coach Nicholas Muyoti has hinted at giving the youngster more time in the final match of the on Sunday against FC Talanta, imploring him to produce a performance similar or better than what he showed in the draw with Leopards on Monday.

“Makati did well in his first match in the Premier League. Let’s hope he does better in the final match," Muyoti said.