Francis Okoth Onyiso is a legendary Kenyan goalkeeper. Football made the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer famous.
But Onyiso lived up to the hype. He made fans anticipate watching the national team, Harambee Stars, matches.
When Kenya’s football history will be documented, thousands of pages will be dedicated to him for having played for Kenya for close to two decades.
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For several years from the 1990s, the soft-spoken Onyiso was an indispensable member of the national football team.
“My first time to earn a call-up and play was in 1997. That is when I started playing as Harambee Stars first-choice goalkeeper,” Onyiso narrated in an interview with Ulinzi Stars media.
Onyiso, however, earned his first call-up in 1994 but was reserved to the bench until 1997 when former coach the late Reinhard Fabisch - who replaced Vojo Gardasevic - thrust him into the limelight.
The retired goalkeeper made his debut against the Super Eagles of Nigeria in a 1998 World Cup qualifier.
“It was not easy joining the national team. I was often called but then I got dropped. It was Fabisch who promoted me into the first eleven,” Onyiso reminisced.
He rose to fame for his exploits in the qualifier that ended in a 1-1 draw at the Kasarani Stadium, Kenyans from all walks of life chanting his name.
“This was a tough match but we managed to contain the Nigerians at a time Fabisch was our tactician. He was a good coach,” said Onyiso.
Since making his debut, Onyiso never looked back until age caught up with him in the last decade when he was dethroned.
Some of the most notable highlights of his career are Kenya’s 1-0 home win over Cape Verde in a 2004 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) thanks to Dennis Oliech’s lone goal as well as gracing the continental showpiece in Tunisia.
Despite being a darling to Kenyans, the former Kenya international has kept a low profile since calling it a day between the sticks in 2015.
He has however not deserted the game completely, and neither has he taken a step back in his service to the nation.
“His performance equals those of Kenya’s first five legendary custodians and it’ll take us many years to get another ‘Kenya One’ from this generation,” Gor Mahia Sporting Director Lordvick Aduda spoke of Onyiso in an interview with the Nairobian.
At the club level with Ulinzi Stars, Onyiso won three Kenyan Premier League titles in 2003, 2004 and 2005 before retiring in 2012.
Onyiso now charges for Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League side Ulinzi Stars as a goalkeeper trainer.