‘This is for the kids dreaming’ Kapaito
By Amos Abuga, September 16, 2021
The 2020/2021 Football Kenya Federation Premier League Most Valuable Player Erick Kapaito is hoping to motivate upcoming players to keep dreaming.
Born and bred in Maili Tisa, Kajiado County, a place not known to produce football talent, the Kariobangi Sharks’ striker has bucked the trend first to be the top scorer and MVP in 2018 and again in the 2020/2021 season.
“Not in my wildest dreams did I envision that I will one day be at the top of Kenyan football, not once, but twice in such a short span of time,” Kapaito told People Sport on Tuesday night after receiving the award which came with Sh1 million plus Sh500,000 he pocketed for the Golden Boot, leaving Sh1.5 million richer.
Kapaito, who scored 24 goals in the season, beat Tusker’s Eugene Asike, Lawrence Juma, James Saruni, Henry Meja and Elvis Rupia to the coveted award after a stellar season with Sharks.
The 25-year-old came to Nairobi after landing a scholarship at the Laiser Hill Academy where he finished and joined the Presbyterian University for a Business Management course from where he has since graduated.
It is at Kariobangi Sharks that his star shined brighter after just one season. He scored 16 goals in his maiden KPL season to win the top scorer awards and also won the young/new player of the year and most importantly the MVP.
But it has not been all smooth sailing. He has had to endure calf injuries on both his legs which limited his game time a season ago.
“My story should be inspirational. Even when you’re injured or going through certain phases in life, you should never let that kill your dreams, keep fighting until you rise up.”
On the personal front, Kapaito hopes to grace bigger leagues outside Kenya where he can continue living his football dream.