Omalla's boyhood club seeks solidarity fee from Nairobi United

Nairobi United prodigy Duncan Omalla, who recently won the club's Young Player of the Season award, is at the centre of a dispute involving his boyhood club, Manyatta United, which is seeking a solidarity fee it says was agreed upon but never honoured by the Kenya Premier League side.

Speaking to Radio Generation on Saturday in Nairobi, Manyatta Youth Resource Centre founder Anthony Oballa, whose outreach programme owns Manyatta United Football Club, said it has been more than a year since Omalla joined the Nairobi-based outfit from ABM Academy in Bamako, Mali, in August 2024 for the 2024/25 National Super League season, yet Nairobi United has not fulfilled its promise.

"The striker left for Mali on an eight-month football scholarship, but when he came back, he didn't stay long before several clubs started calling. We didn't have time to choose, especially when Nairobi United knocked on our door at the last minute," Oballa told Radio Generation.

"The youngster wanted an opportunity to kick-start his career and, for the sake of him and his family, we agreed with Nairobi United for him to move to the city," he added.

"We never asked for much, mostly just equipment. We are talking about uniforms, balls, bibs, cones and other related tools that we can use to continue developing other youngsters," said Oballa, who admitted there was no written agreement regarding financial terms, but rather a gentleman's agreement with Nairobi United.

Oballa, who played for the now-defunct Kenyan Premier League clubs Mumias Sugar and Pan Paper Webuye during his playing days, was once a prolific striker. After retirement, he ventured into coaching and community outreach work, focusing on youth development programmes in his native Manyatta, an informal settlement in Kisumu.

His organisation has produced several top-flight players, including Omalla's elder brother Benson, who also plays for Nairobi United, Police FC's Yusuf Mainge, Sogndal's Rooney Onyango in Norway, and Gor Mahia's Sydney Ochieng, among others.

Oballa's only plea to Nairobi United is to honour their agreement so that he can continue supporting community outreach programmes in Manyatta and nurturing the next generation of talent, including future stars like Benson and Duncan Omalla.