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Agonda Lukio: Gifted footballer President Jomo Kenyatta personally rewarded with cash

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Lukio Agonda. 

Photo credit: File| Nation Media Group

A State House visit to meet the President is every citizen’s dream that they are unlikely to ever forget.

A village boy then, Lukio from Karachuonyo, Homa Bay County was a Golden Boot winning footballer and final match Man of the Match at the Cecafa Club championships, who shot his fortunes close to the coveted State House in 1975.

President Jomo Kenyatta, perhaps, viewed him as too young to reward with huge tracts of land that was the appetite of many politicians or diffuse tribal sentiments after his fallout politically with Luo community.

It might also have been an intelligence report that Lukio who was the Man of the Match was just a student who needed pocket money as an appreciation and more alluring to the President, the young player was a student at Alliance High School, whose many alumni played a prominent role in Kenya’s independence movement.

President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta invited Lukio to State House Nakuru, but their in-person meeting was not to be. In the 1970s, there was plenty of speculation about the Head of State’s health with appointment schedules presumably limited to crucial state assignments.

However, Lukio was privileged when the President dispatched his confidante Provincial Commissioner Eliud Mahihu to present to him a Sh200 gift in 1976 which was a significant amount then, several times the average salary then.

This state commendation reward was in 1976 after the East and Central Clubs Championship in Tanzania.

Luo Union were the defending champion after their 2-1 final factory against Young Africans of Tanzania in 1975, so Gor Mahia represented the country in Tanzania as Kenyan champions. In their group assignments, Lukio led his team to a historic 4-2 victory against the mighty Gor.

Luo Union were then pitted in the semi-final against Simba, a prolific team from the host country.

Lukio burst from the mid field with the ball and hit, in his own words, the leather so hard giving Luo Union a 1-0 victory.

Luo Union beat Somalia’s Horsed 2-1 in the final on January 15 with Lukio scoring once to bring his tally to a tournament high four, attracting the invitation from Mzee Kenyatta to State House, Nakuru.

Lukio, who died a week ago today in Kisumu aged 72, built his reputation to international levels alongside contemporaries like Ouma Chege, Allan Thigo and James Sian'ga among others.

Footballer Lukio Agonda. 

He started playing football at the age of 15 as a pupil at Alego Primary School in Karachuonyo and later Ongalo Primary School.

He combined games and academics effectively thereby passing the Certificate of Primary Education with three straight As as he scored 36 points.

Lukio’s ambition of joining Alliance High School did not materialize immediately because the late Tom Mboya wanted bright students from South Nyanza to join Mbita High School.

A crestfallen Lukio did his O Levels in Mbita and still managed to fit in football schedules courtesy of support from a former teacher and KNUT official, the late Onyango Alila.

He passed his O Levels exams with a Division One and proceeded to his dream school, Alliance High School for A Levels.

It is here that football took full control of his life killing the academic streak he had excellently nurtured.

He abandoned the village team Silver Stars of Homa Bay to join prestigious Gor Mahia in 1971.

However, a famous personality who was the chairman of Luo Union Agai Koyier poached him alongside many players. He played faithfully for the club rising to steal the lime light at the national team.

Lukio featured in international matches most notably the 1978 African Cup of Nations qualifiers played in 1976 against Egypt and Algeria.

He remained in Luo Union even when they were renamed Re-Union a year later after President Moi took over power and decreed that tribal names be banished as they were fuelling ethnic feelings.

In this photo taken on March 26, 1968, Rusinga team featuring some Luo Union players seen after beating Gem in a match played at Kaloleni Football ground. PHOTO | FILE |

In 1981 he left the country for further studies in India, returning home in 1984 armed with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree.

He played football as he worked for Del Monte in Thika as a Senior Finance Manager.

In 1986 he abandoned football to concentrate on his career.

Lukio left Del Monte in 1990 to become the Financial Controller at the Lake Basin Development Authority.

After retiring from the government, Lukio started an accountancy consultancy firm in Kisumu.

He faulted the government for not uplifting sportsmen, citing cases like that of the late Eric Omonge, Ouma Chege, Hamisi Shamba.

Lukio said sports in the 1970s and 1980s was a calling until the rich people used their money to get leadership positions in clubs to amass wealth.

He said alcoholism, prostitution and semi-literacy undermined the prosperity of many African footballers.

He supported the building of football stadiums in Nyanza and Western reckoning the regions produced the best football players in the country.

Lukio never took alcohol in his life. He led a stable life with a stable family.

He leaves behind a wife Jane Lukio and five children – two sons and three daughters.