Joseph Shikokoti: A One Time Harambee Stars Towering Defender Now a Parking Attendant
As push and pull between the Government and the Football Kenya Federation continues, ex Harambee Stars defender Joseph Shikokit has come out to share his challenges.
The former Harambee Stars centre back was forced into retirement as he suffered a severe injury that kept him off the pitch while playing for Altabara FC of South Sudan.
Shikokoti, who was among AFC’s record transfers in 2014, was bought from Tusker at a hefty fee of Ksh700,000.
Besides representing Kenya at the international scenes, Shikokoti played for Kenyan football clubs like Tusker F.C, A.F.C Leopards, Ushuru, Nairobi Stima and Tanzanian based club Yanga.
The towering defender together with his teammates at Nairobi Stima were served with shock after their employer terminated their contracts in July 2020 thanks to the exit of their shirt sponsor, making them free agents.
Shikokoti has come out to point out that since quitting football he has experienced many challenges which have forced him to do any available job.
“At the moment I am open to do any work that comes my way, as you know people at home must feed. I have two children and a wife,” he told TeamKenya
“At one time I was called by a friend whom we were working with at the gym as bouncers, he told me if the situation gets hard, I could join him and we work as security as well as parking attendants at some place in Lavington, Nairobi,” Shikokoti revealed.
He also noted that a business that he had set up for the wife was also affected by the pandemic leading to its closure.
During a past interview with a local radio station last week, the ex-Kenyan international defender appealed to well-wishers to help him get back to the pitch as a coach after he suffered an injury that ended his career.