Legendary former international player cum football instructor James
Sianga has passed on.Sianga had for many years been ailing from diabetes but was under medication.
According to his wife Hilda Sianga who is a ODM Executive committee member, Sianga passed on early Saturday morning in his Bungoma Home.
The late Sianga who hails from Ugenya in Siaya leaves behind a rich legacy having steered Simba Sports Club of Tanzania to reach the finals of the CAF Africa Club championship in the late 1990s as a coach.
Sianga who leaves a wife (Hilda) and five grown up children was a CAF recognized football instructor where he conducted many football coaches seminars in the country.
He was among the glittering players who featured for the legendary Luo Union as a top-notch goalkeeper.
He has coached top clubs in the country led by Kenya Breweries, Re-Union, and Gor Mahia .
Apart from playing in the Kenya’s Harambee Stars that beat Egypt in
the early 1970s, he is remembered for revamping Gor Mahia squad that
clinched the Premier League title three times in a row.
He recruited virtually the current Gor Mahia players led by George ‘Blackberry’ Odhiambo, Musa Mohammed, Teddy Akumu, Duncan Owiti, Jerim
Onyango and Kevin Omondi.
Death of Sianga caught Kenyans by surprise.
Sianga was recently honoured as a hall of Fame inductee in Nairobi.
Tribute to a former goalkeeper
James Sianga ”Abawa” was one of the finest goalkeepers Kenya and East Africa has ever produced.
I had the opportunity of watching him play when i was a young boy in the Sixties and his acrobatic saves in goal could not be compared to any other keeper.
This is the person who introduced diving in goalkeeping in Kenya Football.
When Gor-Mahia FC were on exile in Kisumu, i had the opportunity of watching him play for Kisumu Hotstars FC. Always clad in a black attire and he himself dark in colour, James was like invisible in goal and was highly respected by other players.
He commanded the goal area with authority and was very dangerous in the penalty area during corner kicks.
If he was up in the air during corner balls, all other players including his team mates would shy of the ball. He was so powerful in the air and would punch the ball hard with both fists and nobody dared to go up with him.
He always instructed his defense and orders were to be obeyed. In one game i saw in Kisumu, he knocked out one of his team members while airborne.
In another game Hotstars vs Homabay, he gave away a goal in his own net after Hotstars were leading 13-0 and James sympathized with Homabay FC.
He was also the goalkeeper for Hotstars in a game against Abaluhya in the sixties where Moses Wabwai scored a contraversial penalty against Hotstars which James later said he saw a rolling fire as the grapevine had it.
He never made an attempt to save the ball despite his diving abilities.
His exploits with Luo Union FC will always remain in our hearts as he steered the team to 2 consecutive victories in East and Central club championship in both Dar-essalam and Mombasa.
In one of the gamess, he was called from retirement after Dan Odhiambo, his understudy defected to Gor Mahia. He also had interest in a team called Algenya in Nairobi.
Later on he brought up young talent in Gor which he will be remembered with. He coached Mumias, Tusker, Gor and many other teams.
Was fluent in English and Kiswahili and could easily mix with young players for he mastered their sheng language.
We have lost a mentor in the death of James Sianga and a perfect coach. May his soul rest in peace.
We at Soka25east.com condolences with his family at this sad moment
