BY: ABDIKADIR OKASH in Nairobi, Kenya
NAIROBI—An inspiring story has emerged from Wajir County and this time round, it’s not Barrack Obama’s visit but a youngman who lost hope in Kenya and sought to try his luck in the neighbouring Somalia where earning from talent is the last thing on a young man’s diary.
Mohamed Daud Mohamed, 20, was born in the Southern side of Wajir County. His family lives in Sarif where he was schooled and spent most of his earlier life.
Mohamed was Somalia’s flag-bearer during the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil.
According to Mohamed Musa, a relative, Mohamed numerously tried to join the Kenyan police, but missed the opportunity. The last time he tried was two years ago.
“In 2014, he tried to secure recruitment as an Administration Police officer, but the process was not transparent. He insisted I speak to the Wajir South Member of Parliament (Abdullahi Dakalow).
“I discouraged him from the process because I knew he had another passion,” Mohamed Musa said.
In 2014, olympian Mohamed Daud participated in an inter-schools athletic competition in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa. According to school records, he did not do well because of poor training and lack of a trainer in the region he comes from—North Eastern Kenya which borders Somalia to the East.
Before he became a regional star, Mohamed was a legend in his hometown of Sarif in Wajir County. He was known for speed and physical agility, and when his school misses out in the competition, other schools in the village would ‘poach’ him for the inter-regional competitions.
Twice in 2014 , he attempted to signed up to train as a Kenyan athlete in Eldoret town. He was rejected both times.
His cousin Mohamed Musa said, “A friend encouraged him to travel to the Somali capital, Mogadishu where he stood a higher chance of getting signed up as an athlete than in Kenya. He acted on the suggestion and the rest, as they say, is history.”
At the time he arrived in Mogadishu, Somali Olympic National Committee was embroiled in deep financial crisis due to strained budgetary allocation . The committee was conducting a nation-wide search for talent amid the danger posed by the militant group Al Shabab.
By then, there were not professional trainers and medical practitioners assigned to the athletes and most young Somalis were fleeing the country due to violence and poverty.
The training ground—Banadir Stadium in Mogadishu—was not fit for an athlete to train and to Mohamed, the poor state of the facility was just part of the journey, not the destination.
Somalia is home to the best athletes at the global stage. Mo Farah, who represented the UK in the 2012 London Olympics and Mohamed Ahmed who came 18th in the men 10,000m for Canada, are from Somalia. They both left Somalia while they were young.
Its closely impossible to earn from your talent in Somalia due to the state of securty and the yet-to-be stable federal government which is yet to formulate comprehensive policies to encourage sports and reward talent among the young Somalis. In 2012, Samia Yussuf, 22, who featured in the 2008 Beijing Olympics died off the Libyan Coast as she tried to reach the shores of Europe.
Somalia participated in 11 Olympic games, but has never won a single medal. This year, Somalia has two runners taking part in the games—Maryan Nuh and Mohamed Musa.
