Gor Mahia Football Club (), commonly known as , is a professional football club based in Nairobi, Kenya. They have won the Kenyan Premier League a record 22 times, and have also won the FKF President's Cup a record 9 times. It is the first and only team from Kenya to win an African continental title to date, having won the African Cup Winners' Cup in 1987 after previously reaching the final in 1979.
Several teams in the Kenyan football league system are closely linked to ethnic groups in Kenya; Gor Mahia are considered to represent the Luo people in the south of Nyanza Province.
History The club was formally established on 17 February 1968 as a merger of Luo Union and Luo Sports Club (also known as Luo Stars) and won the national league at the first time of asking. Some of its original leaders were politicians Tom Mboya and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. However, the club was founded much earlier, in 1915, and participated intermittently in local tournaments in Western Kenya. Various groups used this name at different times.
The club plays its home games at the Nairobi City Stadium. Alternatively, they also play at the Moi International Sports Centre and the Nyayo National Stadium. The club has also previously hosted matches at the Kisumu County Stadium and the Mombasa Municipal Stadium.
The club went on to win the Kenya National Football League in their debut season. In 1976, Gor Mahia won the national league unbeaten, and repeated the same feat 39 years later under the leadership of Frank Nuttall.
Towards the end of the 2000s, Gor Mahia began a steady resurgence, attracting fans back to the pitch and regularly filling stadiums. The club returned to silverware in 2008, winning the KFF Cup after a thirteen-year wait for a major trophy. Gor Mahia proceeded to win the Kenya DSTV Super Cup against the year's defending champs, Mathare United before the beginning of the 2009 KPL season. On 26 October 2011, Gor Mahia defeated Sofapaka to win the 2011 edition of the FKL Cup having dispatched their archrivals AFC Leopards 6 days earlier in a 20 October Heroes Day thriller.
After merging of Luo Union and Luo Sports Club, Gor Mahia was named after a legendary Medicine man from Kanyamwa, Ndhiwa, Homa Bay in Luo mythology. His nickname was Gor Mahia ("mahia" is Luo for "magic") because he was famous for performing magic. The club's most famous nickname, K'Ogalo, also stems from the medicine man, whose full name was Gor Wuod Ogada nyakwar Ogalo (Gor son of Ogada grandson of Ogalo), and as such was known as Gor Makogalo, or Gor K'Ogalo in short, which means "Gor of Ogalo's homestead".About Gor Mahia – GorMahia.net. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
Several prominent Luos from all walks of life met in Nairobi to christen the club. The name Gor Mahia was settled upon from a shortlist of other Luo cultural heroes and warriors such as: Nyathi Kwach; Lwanda Magere from Kano; Okore wuod Ogonda Mumbo from Kisumu; Ogutu wuod Kipapi from Ugenya; Kech Kamajwala from Asembo and Tao K'Ogot also from Ugenya.
1970s Gor Mahia won the league title in their inaugural season in 1968 with legendary Kenyan striker William Ouma "Chege" scoring 19 goals. They would win the league title for the second time in 1974. In 1976, Gor Mahia became the first Kenyan football club to win the National League unbeaten, thanks to the exploits of playmaker Allan Thigo who also acted as a coach. He was ably assisted by stars such as Festus Nyakota, James Ogolla and new recruits Jerry Imbo who had been recruited from Black Mamba and legendary goal poacher Maurice Ochieng who had been recruited from Kenya Police. Goalkeeper George Ayuka was in sensational form throughout the season. Maurice Ochieng finished as leading scorer in the league with 18 goals, ahead of the legendary William "Chege" Ouma who scored 16. The 1976 squad was one of the strongest the club had ever fielded. It included such stars as Masanta Osoro, Paul "Cobra" Oduwa, Festus Nyakota, Duncan Aluko and Duncan Migan, all of whom played for the national team at one point. The former Minister for Roads and Transport Chris Obure also played for Gor in their inaugural season in 1968 and 1969.
In the 1979 African Cup Winners' Cup final, Gor Mahia faced Canon Yaounde of Cameroun, the defending champions. Gor Mahia lost the first leg 0–2 and were then beaten 0–6 in the second leg, with unconfirmed reports suggesting some players had accepted bribes.
1980s Gor Mahia beat AFC Leopards 1–0 to win the 1983 league and at the end of the match, President Moi presented the league to captain Peter Otieno Bassanga.
Gor Mahia won the inaugural Moi Golden Cup by beating Bandari 1–0 in the final. An injury time goal by Hezborn Omollo secured the victory at Nyayo stadium. The tough Bandari outfit coached by Mohammed Kheri was at the time playing in the Coast Provincial League. Winning the Moi Golden Cup enabled Gor Mahia to participate in the 1987 Africa Cup Winners Cup.
In 1989 K'Ogalo retained the Moi Golden Cup for the 3rd successive year by beating Kenya Breweries 2–0 in the final. After the match, Abass Magongo who was man of the match was carried shoulder high by fans. Gor Mahia however lost the league title to a resurgent AFC Leopards who benefited from their recruiting spree and sponsorship from Crown Paints Kenya. Having won the Moi Golden Cup the previous year, Gor Mahia were back in the Cup winners Cup in 1989. In the 1st round they received a walkover when Villa of Uganda pulled out. In round 2 they beat Costa Do Sol of Mozambique 2–1 at home and tied them 0–0 away. In the quarter finals they faced LPRC Oilers of Liberia. The 1st leg was played at Nyayo stadium. Gor Mahia played a disjointed game and the match ended 0–0. After the match, the Liberian players celebrated as if they had won a trophy. Gor Mahia team manager told the media that K'Ogalo would conquer the return leg. Indeed, they did, winning 3–1 in Monrovia. Coach Mohammed Kheri had been drafted from Bandari on a temporary basis to replace Johnson. In the semis they faced El Merreikh of Sudan. After winning the 1st leg 1–0, they lost 0–2 in the return leg in Omdurman. So Gor Mahia bowed out in the semi-final.
1990s
1996 proved to be a difficult year for the club. The club was eliminated in the 1st round of the Africa champions league by Zimbabwean outfit, Dynamos, leading to one of the worst riots ever seen in Nairobi. In the League they finished 8th which was unprecedented in the club's history. In 1997, the club recovered and almost won the National League, only losing by goal difference to eventual winners, Utalii. Among the players who were instrumental in that campaign were Victor Onyango in goal; Josiah Ougo and Tillen Oguta in defence; Frazier Ochieng and Dan Ogada in midfield and Bonaventure Maruti, Steve Okumu and Steve Odiaga in attack. The club was unable to hold on to these superb players, many of whom left for various destinations including the Middle East. The last two years of the 20th century were characterized by inconsistent performances by the club mainly due to lack of finances. Financial difficulties prevented the club from hiring a qualified coach and retaining quality players, many of whom departed for better-paid opportunities elsewhere.
2000s At one point, the club refused to pay a KPL imposed fine. However, KPL managing director received full payment of the Gor Mahia penalty from an anonymous "senior official of another KPL club" who wrote in an unsigned letter that "it is deeply disappointing that a few colleagues who are senior Gor Mahia officials refuse to respect the KPL policy against assaults on referees which their representative approved in February. Their refusal to respect the rules also saddens me because it is not those officials but their own players who are suffering the most after playing so well this year. Out of respect and sympathy for the Gor Mahia players, I enclose full payment of Ksh 45,063 so they can resume playing."
2010s Gor Mahia FC drew an average home attendance of 2,488 in the 2011 edition of the top-flight football league of Kenya. It was the highest average home attendance in the league. Financially, 2011 was a landmark year in which Gor Mahia secured their first officially recognised shirt sponsorship. The club had previously worn shirts bearing the International Casino name in 1991, though the details of that arrangement remain unclear. The KSh.38 million/= Tuzo sponsorship by Spin Knit Dairy was the most lucrative by any club in Kenya when announced. Gor Mahia went on to win the FKL Cup and finish fourth in the league.
At the beginning of the season, the club acquired Moses Odhiambo, a former international who had played in Tanzanian and Rwandese leagues and he proved to be a revelation. Teenage striker Edwin Lavatsa was also a big hit in his first season in the KPL. After strong performances in mid-season, the club's form faded and Gor finished fourth in the league, largely due to disharmony within the coaching staff and the overcommitment of head coach Zedekiah Otieno to the Kenya national team. In Otieno's absence, Cameroonian assistant coach Anaba Awono led the club to win the FKL Cup after beating bitter rivals A.F.C. Leopards in the semis, and then edging out Sofapaka in the final. The club also conducted its elections towards the end of November and brought in many youthful officials.
Gor Mahia started the 2012 season in high tempo after attending the traditional Nyanza tour to meet fans and recruit more players from the fanatical homeland. The tour itself was a gruelling six-day affair in which the team played nine matches, winning seven and drawing two.
The club went on a signing spree in preparation for the 2012 CAF Confederation Cup, bringing in more than ten players. Baldwin Ngwa and Ibrahim Kitawi rejoined the squad. The squad was widely regarded as one of the club's strongest in years. However, this was not to be, as the club, despite a winning start against Thika United in the league on 12 February 2012, went on to lose 3–0 away to debutants Muhoroni Youth and 1–0 at home to Ferroviário de Maputo of Mozambique in the first hurdle of the Confederation Cup. These matches coupled with the Super Cup loss to Tusker and another league loss to Karuturi Sports led to the disbandment of the entire technical team led by Awono. Others shown the door included assistant coach Ken Odhiambo, team manager Jolawi Obondo, coach Julius Owino and fitness coach Zablon Otieno.
The 2013 season saw Gor Mahia clinch their first league title in 18 years, under the leadership of goalkeeper Jerim Onyango and coach Bobby Williamson. On the way to a record 13th title, fans of the club popularised the phrase "Giniwasekao" around the country, which is Luo for "we have taken this thing".
Gor Mahia players further added to the club's mystique by finishing their Sportspesa Premier League fixtures for 2015 season unbeaten, under Head Coach Frank Nuttall
Club identity