Dennis Oliech: Harambee Stars Legend Asks Government to Give Him Job in Sports Ministry

- Oliech admitted he is a free agent and is looking for work

- He hopes to get a job with the sports ministry

- The former Harambee Stars striker has played for top European sides line Nantes and Auxerre in France

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Harambee Stars legend Dennis Oliech has requested the government to consider him for a position in the Sports Ministry.

Oliech, 36, is a free agent and last played professionally for his boyhood club Gor Mahia in 2019 but left in controversial circumstances.

His tale is that of a legend still trying to find his next path after playing at top level for some time in the 2000s.

In a candid interview with KTN, the former Harambee Stars striker admitted he is currently unhinged as far as any form of employment is concerned.

“At the moment in Kenya I’m currently unemployed, that’s why you see me in media these days looking for work,” he said.

“But not work in media. Maybe in the ministry of sport. Perhaps they can offer some of us former players a job and this is why I’m roaming around media houses so they can see (Dennis) is looking for work,”

It was a rather disheartening interview coming from one of Kenya’s most recognized strikers, who at one point, was on the verge of playing his football in England.

Oliech’s mistakes

In the same interview, Oliech opened up about some of the moves he made as a young footballer which perhaps cost him the chance to set himself up financially for life.

His biggest regret which has been constantly highlighted by media was the turning down of a lucrative offer that would have seen him change national allegiance from a Kenyan to Qatari national.

Aged 19, Oliech was listed by British newspaper The Guardian as one of the most sought after talents alongside big names like Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie and Wesley Sneijder.

Between 2003 and 2005, while playing for Al Arabi in Doha, Qatar, Oliech was handed the nickname Ferhan Mehsud.

At one point, he received an offer to play for the Qatar national side but he turned it down.

“They offered me a lot of money. But I was young, I still didn’t know much about money so I turned them down because at the time I was thinking what I’d do with such an amount of money. So I declined and told them I’m Kenyan,”

Asked whether he had regrets about missing out on more than 800 million, Oliech said, “Money isn’t the end of it. Next time you get people playing for Qatar they’ll tell you life is hard even with that money. It is that way with Arabian countries,”

Another mistake the former striker admits to making was coming to get a UK visa in Kenya when he was on the verge of joining either Sheffield Wednesday or Sheffield United.

Oliech revealed he was denied the Visa while in Kenya and this hampered a potentially lucrative move to English second-tier football.

Despite declining the lucrative Qatar offer in 2004, Oliech’s advice to young football players is to take the chance to play in the Middle East even at the peak of their careers.

Despite declining the lucrative Qatar offer in 2004, Oliech’s advice to young football players is to take the chance to play in the Middle East even at the peak of their careers.

“Football can take you anywhere, if you have the chance to go to the Middle East while young, go. Don’t wait until you are 30 years. Right now Qatar started some youth programmes so if you get the chance to go there, why not?”

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