State to meet Oduor’s funeral expenses
By Douglas Dindi, October 28, 2024
The government through the Ministry of Sports has announced plans to foot the funeral expenses of football legend Austin Oduor who passed away on October 16, two days after attending a public event in Rarieda, Siaya County.
According to the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of performance and delivery Management in the Executive Office of the President of Kenya, Eliud Owalo who is the chairman of the funeral committee, the 1987 Gor Mahia’s Mandela Cup-winning captain will be accorded a befitting funeral that matches a real legend.
“Today (yesterday) I led the National Steering Committee for Austin ‘Makamu’ Oduor’s funeral arrangements on a visit to his village home in Makunga Village, NavaKholo, Kakamega,”
“I was accompanied by Gor Mahia Chairman Ambrose Rachier; Kakamega Homeboys Chairman Cleopa Simanyula; and Kenyan Soccer Legends John “Bobby” Ogolla, Washington Muhanji, Aggrey Lukoye, Nahashon Oluoch “Lule”, Leonard Khayota, Peter Dawo, Dennis Munyendo, James Goro Oronge, Ben Musuku, George Onyango ‘Fundi’, Dan Musuku, Tobias Ocholla “Jua Kali”, Maurice Khayota, Isaih Omondi “Janabi”, Maurice Ouma “Ole Tunda” and Micke Otieno,” said Owalo who noted that he had already bought a coffin for the legend and also paid for hearse services, by virtue of Oduor being his close friend,” Owalo said.
He added: “The government through the Ministry of Sports will accord Austin a send-off commensurate with his stature and contribution to Kenyan soccer.”
Oduor, who also skippered the Harambee Stars squad that clinched a silver medal in the 1987 All Africa Games after losing to Egypt in the final, died at Oasis Hospital in Kakamega County at the age of 65 years.
Oduor hailed from a great footballing family; his brothers Gerald and Anthony were defenders at Tusker FC while his son Arnold Otieno Origi featured for the national men’s football team Harambee Stars for more than a decade and also plied his trade for Mathare United, Tusker and several clubs in Sweden as a goalkeeper.
He was the elder brother of former Harambee Stars’ goal-getter Mike Okoth, the father of Belgian international Divock Origi who currently plays for Nottingham Forest in the English Premier League