Multi-talented Abraham Olukuru Oyondi is the co-founder of the Football Skating Federation of Kenya and currently serves as its secretary general.
He is also the head coach of the national team.
The story of the 38-year-old is one of innovation, resilience, and passion, taking him from the football fields of Western Kenya to international arenas as an entirely new sport takes shape under his stewardship.
The idea of football skating in Kenya was born in 2022. At the time, Oyondi and Samuel Litaba, then Director of Sports at Kenyatta University, were exploring ways of introducing the sport into the country.
Alongside them was another sports tutor, Paul Nyangowo Otieno. The trio initially began the process to register the new sport, but Otieno moved to Norway, forcing the team to start the process afresh.
In 2023, Oyondi and Litaba resumed the registration journey, this time bringing in a few promising young men from roll ball, a skating sport combining basketball and handball elements. They introduced the idea of playing football on skates, did the paperwork afresh, and set about convincing concerned institutions and individuals to embrace the new concept.
The process was long. Registration stalled again due to a missing requirement, but the duo never lost faith. Finally, in May this year, the Kenya Football Skating Federation was registered and certified by the Registrar of Sports.
Slightly small-sized balls
“It is a fully-fledged national federation now,” Oyondi observes with pride. “We are not duplicating football. Ours is football on skates, with its own ball, rules, and court.”
The federation uses a slightly small-sized balls compared to the standard ones used in football. The playing area also differs from that of standard football. This is meant to distinguish the game.
For Oyondi, the inspiration to pioneer football skating in Kenya came naturally. The graduate of Exercise and Sports Science from Kenyatta University says he was trained to handle multiple disciplines — football, rugby, basketball, swimming, athletics, and netball.
Sports scientists, he explains, are equipped to analyse players, design training programs, assess fitness and health, and provide psychological guidance.
“Given that training, I felt I had to do something innovative,” he says. “My name, Abraham, means ‘a founder’. I asked myself; what can I found now that I’ve been trained and approved to go into research and practical work?”
Kenya Football Skating Federation Secretary-General Abraham Oyondi.
Photo credit: Geoffrey Anene | Nation Media Group
His answer came after observing roll ball players. Watching skaters dribble and pass a ball with their hands, he wondered why the same could not be done with their feet.
Later, Oyondi introduced a football and asked the players to try kicking it with their skates. The excitement was immediate. Students at Kenyatta University loved the experiment.
Oyondi and Litaba began exploring whether the sport already existed elsewhere in the world. Their search revealed that football skating had, in fact originated in the 1960s and had its own international governing body, the Federation International Football Skating (FIFS). The global body encouraged them to pursue the sport in Kenya, sharing official rules and guidelines.
Oyondi began demonstrating the game at public spaces such as Green Park in Nairobi, where curious skaters quickly embraced it.
Oyondi’s deep connection to sport stretches back to his childhood. Born into a sporting family in Kakamega County, he grew up surrounded by athletes. His uncle, the late Ernest Nderechere, was a celebrated goalkeeper for Motcom. Other relatives, Hassan and Juma Wanyama, also played football, while his grandfather was a respected goalkeeper. His mother, Jane Wanyama, excelled in netball. But his father, an electrician, was not active in sports.
Secure professional contract
As a boy, Oyondi played football at Friends School Makhokho in Kakamega. Though he was not always selected to the first team, his determination saw him progress beyond school. This was when he moved to Uganda and played for Kawuulu FC in Jinja Buikwe town, competing in the Ugandan Super League.
Returning to Kenya, he struggled to secure a professional contract and soon turned to officiating matches. In 2011, Oyondi trained as a referee and by 2016, he was officiating in Football Kenya Federation National Super League and the Junior Premier League. He however, faced frustrations that affected his advancement. He then shifted to coaching, earning CAF-D and CAF-C licenses. Today Oyondi is a qualified football coach and match commissioner.
“I have lived on all sides of football — as a player, referee, coach, and administrator,” he says. “That diversity is what makes me confident in leading football skating.”
Football skating’s defining moment came in December last year, when Kenya was invited to participate in the 15th Football Skating World Cup in Trabzon, Turkey. With little preparation, Oyondi assembled a squad of skaters from roll ball, taught them passing and ball-control techniques, and led them into an international tournament.
Kenya’s debut was impressive. Facing defending champions France, they lost 5–2 but showed resilience. In their second match, they stunned Syria 3–1, earning a place in the quarter-finals against Senegal, where they were narrowly eliminated.
“To play our first competitive matches at a World Cup and reach the quarters was unbelievable,” He recalls. “It showed that Kenya has a future in this sport.”
The experience gave the federation legitimacy back home. Videos of the matches circulated, sparking curiosity and demand for demonstrations. Soon, universities, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Maseno, Kisii, and St. Paul’s, began showing interest, alongside clubs and schools. Public spaces such as Aga Khan Walk in Nairobi CBD became training grounds. Today, football skating is steadily expanding across Kenya. The federation is training referees and coaches, and aiming for nationwide adoption by the end of this year.
Oyondi estimates the sport’s popularity at “seven out of ten” among emerging sports, citing the high level of interest from universities and youth groups.
But still, challenges remain. Facilities are scarce since the sport requires smooth, fenced, tarmacked courts similar to basketball arenas. Equipment such as skates, helmets, and shin guards are costly, making it difficult for new players to join.
Financial resources is another hurdle. Until recently, sponsors were reluctant to support the federation. Now that it is a legal entity, Oyondi is looking forward to partnerships with the government and corporates.
Medical preparedness is another concern, given the risk of injuries on hard surfaces. “We need proper first aid kits and trained personnel. Safety is non-negotiable,” he says.
The federation’s leadership has Chairman Joseph Eshikuri, Secretary James Kariuki, Treasurer Lydia Wambui, President Samuel Litaba, and Oyondi, who is the secretary general.
Mentors such as Oyondi and Litaba play guiding roles, but they have deliberately installed younger leaders to ensure the federation resonates with the young people. “Our biggest achievement so far is registering the federation as a national body under the Sports Act of 2013,” Oyondi says.
The federation has been working with Sports Registrar Rose Wasike, whose guidance has been critical. She insisted on compliance with tax, health, Credit Reference Bureau (CRB), and good conduct requirements, and helped the founders structure their constitution in accordance with the law. The federation’s next big milestone is the 2025 Africa Football Skating Championships in Dakar, Senegal. Facing their quarter- final rivals from Turkey once again, Kenya is eager to prove itself on the continental stage.
“Our long-term vision is to have football skating in all counties, universities, and secondary schools,” Oyondi says.
The plans include launching a national league, organising annual tournaments, and promoting freestyle skating under the same umbrella.
Also, Oyondi sees football skating as a tool for community building. “It’s a sport that teaches resilience, creativity, and stability. It can unite young people, open their minds to innovation, and show them that with determination, they too can create something new,” he says.
Oyondi is married to Aliet Wanjiru. They have four children: two daughters and two sons. They include a set of twins. In Ugandan tradition, a father of twins is called Salongo, and Oyondi carries the name with pride.
Professionally, Oyondi is a unit manager at ICEA Lion Group in Karen. Oyondi is also deeply rooted in faith. A committed member of New Life Mission Church in Ongata Rongai, he serves as an evangelist, youth mentor, and preacher. “Church is where I draw my morals, my values, and my strength.”
His multilingual ability — fluent in English, Kiswahili, and Luganda — allows him to integrate with people seamlessly across East Africa. He describes himself as “an East African from Kenya” who feels at home in Kampala as much as in Nairobi.
Few people know that before rising as a sports scientist and federation leader, Oyondi worked as a newspaper vendor from 2013 to 2015 at Total petrol station in Ongata Rongai/Laiser Hill estate to make ends meet.
George Pita, of Mentors Afrique, took him from there. “He got me a night watchman job for one month and then introduced me to team-building activities. Through this, I met Jedida Wakonyo, who encouraged me to take a university course, and that is how I joined Kenyatta University for a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Sports Science. I graduated in 2021 with a Second Class Upper honours.” Those humble beginnings, he says, shaped his resilience and hunger for success.
From a footballer who once struggled for recognition to a referee, coach, evangelist, business leader, and now founder of a national porting federation, Oyondi embodies the spirit of innovation and determination. By pioneering football skating in Kenya, he has created opportunities for youth, broadened the country’s sporting landscape, and placed Kenya on the global map of an emerging sport.
His vision is bold: to see football skating embraced in every county, every institution, and every community. And if his journey is any indication, Abraham Oyondi — Salongo, sports scientist, evangelist, business manager, and pioneer — has only just begun writing his legacy.
