Silas Onyango, the newly crowned Africa Zone III light flyweight champion, is one of nine Kenyan boxers who will make their debut at the International Boxing Association (IBA) Men's Championships in Dubai from December 3 to December 13.
Kenya will be seeking their first individual victory at this level since Stephen Muchoki won the light flyweight category at the 1978 championships in Belgrade, Serbia (formerly Yugoslavia).
Onyango, a boda boda rider from Dandora who is making his second appearance with Kenya’s “Hit Squad”, beat Mayala Tsimba of Congo in the first round to win the Africa Zone III title in Nairobi last month.
He made his international debut at the Africa Boxing Championships in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, last year, exiting at the quarter-finals stage.
Onyango, who is representing Kenya Police, is part of Hit Squad head coach Benjamin Musa’s strategy to bring new talent into the team ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Onyango, a 28-year-old father of four, said that he had dreamed of representing the country ever since he took up boxing in 2012.
“God has been faithful to me once again. He has answered my prayers,” said an elated Onyango, who lives in Dandora Phase II in Nairobi.
His major breakthrough came last year when he earned a place at the Africa Boxing Championships in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He reached the quarter-finals.
He was drafted into the team again for the Africa Boxing Zone III Championships, held in Nairobi last month, where he won his first international medal by taking gold.
“I want to dominate the medal bracket, God willing. I hope this journey will help me to change my family's fortunes," said Onyango, adding that, even though he is 28, he believes that, like good wine, his is improving with age.
Onyango has been employed by his coach, Sospeter Okungu, to work as a motorcycle rider in Nairobi. Although he represents Kenya Police, he has not been recruited by the force due to his modest education.
Onyango described his journey to the national boxing team, as a miracle. He said that his ultimate dream is to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Onyango used to play as a striker for a local side in Kariobangi. He broke his right leg in 2010 and never returned to the game after recovering.
Onyango said he had missed out on national assignments many times, sometimes due to biased selection.
He said that his routine jogs from his house in Dandora to the Kariobangi Boxing Club or the Police Depot, which are about 12 kilometres, have paid off.
“I jog because I lacked the money for things like bus fare to honour a national call-up,” he said. He said he had been dropped from the national team for the Africa Zone III tournament, but was later recalled.
He is indebted to his Kariobangi coaches, Okungu and Dalmas Otieno, for recognising his talent.
In 2011, his friend Mose Pablo, who is with the Kenya Prisons Boxing Team, introduced him to boxing in Kariobangi, but his boxing journey has been treacherous.
"The worst moment was in 2017, when I comprehensively defeated a Kenyan police boxer, yet was dropped from the team without explanation. It took me seven years to join the Hit Squad," said Onyango.
He said Okungu and Otieno encouraged him not to give up. "I was over the moon when I went to the Africa event last year, and now this... the Almighty has been gracious," he said.
Onyango, who was born on July 12, 1998, was raised in Dandora. He is the eldest of seven children born to Alphonse and Jane Onyango.
The other newcomers to the Kenya team are flyweight Kelvin 'Young' Maina (KDF), featherweight Paul Omondi (Police), lightweight Washington Wandera (KDF), light welterweight Caleb Wandera (Kenya Police), welterweight Wiseman Kavondo (Kenya Police), cruiserweight Chrispin Ochanda (KDF) and super-heavyweight Clinton Macharia (Kenya Police).
“We must accept that most of our top boxers are nearing the end of their careers, which is why I have thrown nine newcomers in the deep end,” said Musa, who has selected a squad of 13 players.
However, Musa noted that they have selected two boxers in some weight categories where competition has been fierce. “The boxers are showing great potential. We are keen to avoid complacency among some boxers. We must encourage hard work,” he said.
For example, Dennis Muthama of the Kenya Defence Forces and Shaffi Bakari of the Kenya Police, who have each defeated the other once this season, have been selected for the bantamweight category.
Omondi and Mwinyi Kombo of Prisons have been selected for the featherweight category, while Maina and Emmanuel Chondo of Nairobi have been selected in the flyweight category. Peter Abuti and John Oyugi of the Kenya Police have been selected in the heavyweight category.
Hit Squad captain and Africa light middleweight champion, Boniface Mogunde, is set to compete in his third World Championships after reaching the quarter-finals in Serbia in 2021 and Uzbekistan in 2023.
African Games middleweight champion Edwin Okong'o, two-time Africa Championships silver medallist Robert Okaka, Africa Zone III heavyweight silver medallist Abuti, and Shaffi Bakari will all be making their second appearances.
Kenya has won only two medals at the World Boxing Championships, both via Muchoki -- light-flyweight silver at the inaugural event in Havana, Cuba in 1974, and gold in Belgrade in 1978.
