How Kenya's 'baby-faced assasin' is planning for life after football

While it is unusual for a footballer to embrace farming as an income generating activity and still actively play professionally, Sweden-based attacking midfielder Mary “Toto” Kinuthia is going against the norm after venturing into Agribusiness late last year in preparation for life after football.

Kinuthia, who was scheduled to join her teammates at the Swedish Division two side Dalheim IF in March, said that that most of her former teammates and coaches are surprised by her move to start farming.

As for the former Harambee Starlets captain, this is a path she opted to take in readiness for the looming retirement.

“I was basically raised by farmers and grew up watching both young men and women toil in the large fields in the Rift Valley, and thereafter earn some income at the end of every farming season and this is where I drew my passion for the trade. This is where I belong and when the time comes for me to quit football, I will smoothly transition with the right mindset,” she said.

Born and bred in Maili-Saba village, Kitale, Trans-Nzoia County -Toto as she is fondly known by her peers - comes from a family of eight siblings, five girls and three boys. 

The 29-year-old left-footed play maker specializes in maize and poultry farming which has had good returns on investment in less than a year.

Mentorship

In her spare time, the highly decorated midfielder has been mentoring the youth who play football in her area. She also keenly follows the Kenyan leagues despite plying her trade abroad and not competing locally, so as to keep abreast with vital information she can use to mentor upcoming players.

"I am very passionate about local football, so even when I am away from home, I still keep tabs on the proceedings. Many young people in Kitale look up to me hence I always take it upon myself to mentor them from time to time.”

In a patriarchal society where girls were expected to take care of domestic work and football was considered a man’s sport, Kinuthia’s interest and passion for the game was ironically sparked by her older brothers.

She then joined the school team and participated in the various football competitions at Sirende Primary School where it all began.

Kinuthia would then burst into the limelight after she landed an education scholarship to study at Wiyeeta Girls High school.

It did not take long before her superb display at the Kenya Secondary School Games earned her a call up to the Under 20 national team, making her the youngest player in the squad at 16.

"My persistence, discipline and hard work really perfected my skills and that is why I was scouted to join the national team at a young age. Besides, my drive and passion also gave me an edge since at the end of the day it is all about who wants it more,” she recalls.

Being drafted into the under 20 national team was a blessing for the rising star and as a result, she became one of the most sought after players with Kenya Women Premier League (KWPL) teams scrambling for her signature. As fate would have it, the attacking midfielder joined the then dominant side and champions Mathare United Women team from 2009 to 2011.

It was in 2012 that her star shone brightest when she bagged the Most Valuable Player award during the Safaricom-sponsored tournament Sakata Ball, now Chapa Dimba na Safaricom, at the National championships at the City Stadium in Nairobi.

This earned her a direct ticket to join a star-studded side at the National Youth Talent Academy, sponsored by the Unicef in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports (Moyas).

“Joining NYTA was a big deal for me since it was a composition of talented players selected countrywide. This was a chance to prove my worth and also use the platform to turn professional since the team was run by qualified coaches,” Kinuthia explains.

In the same year, she clinched the KWPL title playing for Matuu FC, a NYTA centre of excellence. Things were looking up for Kinuthia with her hard work and discipline setting her apart from the rest. After spending a year at WPL side Soccer Queens, she moved to Uganda super League Champions UCU Lady Cardinals before returning home to join Thika Queens.

Awcon

The year 2016 proved to be an interesting on for the then Harambee Starlets’ captain, after the team qualified for the maiden Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) in Cameroon.

Despite losing to Mali, Ghana and Nigeria in the group stages, Kinuthia is thrilled that the team made great strides by qualifying for the first ever continental showpiece.  

"It is an unforgettable experience and probably one of my best moments in football to date. We might not have sailed past the group stages in the competition, but participating in the event was a huge milestone and I am glad that I was part of the team,” she reminisced.

In the aftermath, while Harambee Starlets won best women sports team award at the Safaricom Sportsman of the Year (Soya) Awards, Kinuthia bagged yet another accolade after being crowned the winner of the Magharibi Michezo Awards in what turned out to be an incredible year.

Kinuthia is such an amiable person that her peers having nothing but admiration for her.

"I like that Toto is cognizant of the fact that there is life after football, hence the need to prepare while she is still actively involved in the sport. Agribusiness pays well and with consistency and  constant capacity building on the field her business will flourish. For now, I would like to wish her well in Sweden. She has started scoring goals in the first match which is a sign that she is going to have a good post-Covid season in Sweden," former Starlets captain  Terry Ouko says of her.

Dalheim experience

The baby-faced assassin -  who has now played in Sweden for two seasons with Vihiga Queens forward and 2019 KWPL top goal scorer Terry Engesha and Makolanders FC midfielder Christine Nafula - is hoping for better tidings this season after her side Dalheim IF failed to secure promotion to the Division one league last season.

Kinuthia and Nafula however had an impressive season in Sweden, after defying the odds to be feted as the best midfielder and forward respectively, during the Dalheim IF Awards ceremony - in spite of being left out of the Harambee Starlets squad that took part in the Tokyo Olympic qualifiers.

"I’m grateful to God, my family and coach Robert Mambo who worked round the clock to ensure I get a chance to play in Sweden. Playing in Europe has been awesome and through that experience, I have grown to a better player. I would like to urge my fellow players to never to give up. I won an award playing in a foreign league and that goes to show that hard work pays."

"Mary is a talented and disciplined player and I have always had confidence in her. It came as no surprise that she won an award in Sweden because she has been consistent in the domestic league as well. It is unfortunate that most of her teammates who took part in the 2016 Awcon have given up in football, but I hope she acts as motivation to the rest as she continues shining in Sweden," says former Kenyan international and Under 17 Harambee Starlets coach Florence Adhiambo.

The soft spoken midfielder wishes to see women football grow in every aspect with women’s game being respected in terms of equitable distribution of resources, as well as creation of an enabling environment for players to reach their full potential.

"If we support the women's game, I have no doubt we are going to win even bigger things and qualify for the World Cup one day. It's not impossible, we have the talents we just need t every stakeholder to do their part and we shall get there."