Had Robert Donald Munro not made that maiden trip to Mathare Slums in 1987, most football players today from Eastlands would be rotting in jail, homeless, or perhaps, dead.
Those days, going to school was not a priority, but surviving was. It was a luxury not many from this area wanted to partake.
Just like his Mathare Youth Sports Associtation (MYSA)’s motto, which he formed in 1987, after seeing the squalor that surrounded most young people in the slums at that time, Bob gave the youth a sporting chance, on and off the field.
The Canadian created a team out of the unforeseen. He built MYSA and through it, restored what seemed broken, and gave hope to hundreds. He was God-sent. There was hope, again.
With his area of focus including boys and girls’ sports programmes, environment programs, slum health and rights programmes, edutainment art programmes, slum libraries programmes and leadership awards programmes, Bob had a vision that’s second to none.
Yet, none had a second thought that the bespectacled Bob would breathe his last on Sunday evening.
In Bob, the Kenyan football has no doubt, lost a great man. A man of humanity, of bounteousness and a man whose life was defined by the lives of those he touched or influenced.
Harambee Stars interim head coach Francis Kimanzi, who captained Mathare United to Moi Golden Cup glory in 1998, couldn’t have been who he is, were it not for Bob.
“I remember him as being very strict, but organised. He would ensure that all players went to school. Even those who had dropped out had to go back as this was one of the criteria of being named in the team,” said Kimanzi.
“One would be paid part of the allowance, while the other bit was sent to our respective schools to settle fees arrears. Being the team captain, I was also the prefect of the team. I was responsible for all players. I am who I am because of Bob.”
Mathare United and MYSA were families under his leadership. These families will grieve his transitory and uphold the pursuit of a vision that is now his legacy. A legacy that leaves many in envy.
He was born and grew up in Canada, near the world famous Niagara Falls, but his heart was in Kenya. This is where he inspired many. He gave the youth a platform to perfect their touches, passes and hunger for goals in those dusty and uneven football grounds.
It didn’t matter the surface, the hunger for success was gigantic. The zeal in the eyes of those talented players was telling.
Bob created heroes and heroines with the formation of MYSA and later, Mathare United, a constant feature in the Kenyan Premier League.
Top players who paraded their football dexterity with Mathare United include former Kenya’s top striker Dennis Oliech, the Mulama brothers; Titus and Simeon, Harambee Stars interim coach Francis Kimanzi, Fredrick Nadduli Razor, Walter Odede, Duncan Ochieng, former KPL boss Jack Oguda, Anthony Kimani, former Mathare United team manager Vincent Okello… the list is endless.
He promised to be the father of the fatherless, a role he played with utmost enthusiasm.
“Our sporty father and mentor embraced a community and changed lives through various platforms like MYSA, Mathare United and UNEP. He made youth and slum children dare push boundaries. He encouraged everyone to bring a positive change in the society. Go well baba Waithaka,” said Nadduli.
Bob, or Uncle Bob, spoke with a grin. Quite endearing that man was. Seated along the touchline, with his sweater wrapped around his neck, and at times puffing away with every missed chance, a warm, infectious chuckle would follow as he celebrated every time Mathare United scored.
He was meek, a trait so rare with his equals, quite rare to find.
He had become an invaluable means of connecting with his club’s fans. He communicated genuineness and elation.
Some club owners in the Kenyan Premier League are seen to be standoffish and unsociable, nonchalant by the demands of their club’s enthusiasts.
Some of them watch their team from a distance. Others rarely make it to match venues, especially when their teams are on the wrong side of the table standings.
But Bob was different. He was not only a regular when Mathare United were in action, but also connected with the fans and players in inimitable ways.
After the final whistle, he’d have a chat with the team. Dissect those missed chances, or at time, praised them for a job well done. It didn’t matter whether they’d won or lost. It didn’t matter.
Any demise is a catastrophe, and everyone is equal in death. But for those whose lives were touched by Bob Munro, the tear-jerking loss of their owner will hit many.
In his song People like you, Gramps Morgan says… If you stand up for those down on their knees, and lend a voice to those who cannot speak, if you shine a little light, give sight to the ones who’ve lost their way, there’s a place for people like you…
Bob, you shone your light bright, gave sights to those who had lost their ways in the expansive Eastlands area.
It’s now time to let you go. Shine on your way, fly away home…
