From Changamwe to National Stage: The Rise of Mombasa West Hockey Club
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Reading Time: 4min | Thu. 17.04.25. | 08:00
Founded in 2014 after the Term 1 Kenya Secondary School Sports Association coast regional games at Shimo La Tewa School, Mombasa West was the brainchild of Coach Julius Masero and Antony Wamalwa
On a dusty school field patched with little traces of grass in Changamwe, the air is filled with the clamour of sticks striking balls, echoing against the backdrop of Mombasa's coastal breeze and blowing a silent hockey revolution.
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At the heart of it is Mombasa West Hockey Club, a Kenya Hockey Union men’s National League team, a youthful side built not through marquee signings or flashy transfers but through grit, grassroots development, and a coach’s relentless vision.
Founded in 2014 after the Term 1 Kenya Secondary School Sports Association (KSSSA) Coast Regional Games at Shimo La Tewa School, Mombasa West, the team was the brainchild of coach Julius Masero and Antony Wamalwa, with growingthe sport in the region being their shared dream.
“I didn’t even know Wamalwa was an alumnus of St. Charles Lwanga,” Masero recalls. “But he wanted to see hockey grow in Changamwe. That’s how we started, with alumni players from St. Charles.”
Filling Void in Coast
The club was established to give the many young players in Changamwe and surrounding areas a place to nurture their talent.
“We had so many kids playing hockey, but no teams for them,” says Masero. “That was the gap we stepped in to fill.”
What began with borrowed jerseys from Magongo Rangers Football Club and gifted sticks and goalkeeper kits from St. Charles and friends at Mvita XI Hockey Club and Mombasa Sports Club has blossomed into one of the most promising hockey outfits in the coast region.
Mombasa West currently boasts teams across multiple age brackets: Under 13, Under 15, Under 18, and Under 21, and a senior team that competes in the Coast League and National League playoffs. This youth-first philosophy is deliberate.
“People used to confuse hockey with golf,” Masero says with a smile. “We wanted to show the grassroots that hockey is here and that it’s a real sport with real opportunity.”
Growth Rooted in Values
At the core of Mombasa West’s success is a commitment to development and mentorship, not just in sports but in life.
“We are in an area where drug use is rampant, so we mentor our players not just to be better on the pitch but to avoid drugs and crime. We want them to grow up responsible.”
He adds that the team does not believe in signing players from other clubs.
“It’s a waste of money when we have so much raw talent here in Changamwe,” he says firmly.
Instead, Masero builds from the ground up, identifying footballers and turning them into hockey players.
It’s a model that has already paid off.
“Players like Josephat Ondijo, Vincent Wesonga, and Brenda Mere, who is now in the National team Under 21 squad, going to Namibia for the Junior Africa Cup, all came from football,” he notes proudly.
In just over a decade, the club has produced top-tier talent, with several players making it to the National and Premier League levels.
Among the standout names are Calvin Omondi, who represented Kenya’s U21 team in Egypt in 2022, and others like Henry Otuoma, Andycole Ochieng, and Moses Omondi, now starring for Daikyo Heroes in the Hockey Premier League.
Others, such as Newton Mwangaza, are turning out for Western Jaguars, while Maurice Mutisya is making waves in the Kenyan University League with Kenyatta University.
“Seeing our players go that far, that’s what motivates me,” says Masero. “It means our objective is being met.”
On the competitive front, Mombasa West finished second in the 2024 Coast League and even qualified for the National League playoffs, a major achievement for a club still training on school grounds and operating on a shoestring budget.
Challenges & Community Support
Like many grassroots clubs in Kenya, Mombasa West faces persistent challenges, the major one being funding.
“We used to borrow everything, such as kits and sticks, and we still struggle with that,” says Masero. “Senior players and patrons contribute every month to keep us going.”
Support also comes from friends in the hockey world. Farhan Khan of Daikyo Heroes has helped with transport, while James Ochuka, manager at Simah, occasionally chips in when the team travels.
Despite these hurdles, the club's social media presence, particularly on Facebook, has become a space for encouragement and visibility.
Masero’s vision is crystal clear: develop more talent and instill discipline and responsibility in the next generation of players.
He dreams of a future where Mombasa West can challenge in the Super League and, with the right sponsors, even enter the Premier League.
But to get there, the infrastructure must improve. “We’re still using a school field that isn’t always in good shape,” he says. “If MCHA can get land and install an astro turf, hockey in Mombasa will explode.”
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For now, the club continues to produce stars and inspire hope — driven by passion, persistence, and a coach who started his journey at just 19 years old.
“I want to join the national youth development system,” says Masero. “And work alongside young, driven coaches like Griffins Amakulie. That’s the legacy I want to leave.”
As the sun sets over Changamwe, the vision cannot be dimmed.
Mombasa West is not just a hockey club — it is a beacon of youth empowerment, community resilience, and the purest form of sporting growth.
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