Gor Mahia FC supporters once stormed Makongeni Police line to demand the immediate release of Maurice Ochieng, who would later change the history of the club and make it a household name in East and Central Africa.
In a recent interview with Nation, Ochieng who is the Kenya Premier League (KPL) all-time joint top scorer alongside Boniface Ambani narrated how the K,Ogalo fans forced him to terminate his contract with Police FC in 1975.
According to Ochieng, he started his career at Luo Union before joining Gor Mahia after the merger between the former and Luo Sports Club in 1968.
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However, a few years later, a visit to his uncle at Kiganjo Police training camp would turn his fortunes around.
While at Kiganjo, he got a chance to play for the law enforcement officers in a friendly match against their arch-rivals Kagumo Teachers Training College.
Ochieng did not disappoint, he scored all the goals in a match which the policemen won 14-0. His exemplary performance made the Kiganjo Police Commandant give him a job.
“I underwent training and was appointed an instructor at the college at the end of it. One of my fellow instructors was Kipchoge Keino.
“It was a good time in my career working and chasing my passion of playing football,” narrated Ochieng
In his first move against Gor Mahia, Ochieng scored Police FC's only goal in a game which ended 1-1.
His performance that day made K'Ogalo fans realize that he was still one of their players, since the club had not yet officially released him.
Therefore, a group of Gor Mahia fans stormed Makongeni Police line, demanding to have their star back.
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“It is when Gor supporters realized that the man who had just scored against them was a former member of their club. One day a crowd of about 200 people stormed Makongeni Police lines where I was staying, demanding that I quit the force and join them,” stated Ochieng.
He added that a few days later, Stan Ramogo a Gor Mahia official, alongside fans visited and handed him new contract terms. In the new terms, Ochieng was to earn four times more than what he was being paid by the Police.
Ochieng wrote a resignation letter with the objective of parting ways with Police FC, however, Police Commissioner Bernard Hinga did not to let him go easily.
To stop Ochieng from returning to Gor Mahia, Hinga promised to promote him to the Police inspector role.
“Hinga had a soft spot for me and he decided to counter Ramogo’s offer by offering me a promotion to a full inspector.
“Meanwhile, he gave me three months to think about the whole thing. However, after three months I decided to take up Ramogo’s offer on June 1, 1975,” he explained.
Ochieng went on to achieve incredible milestones with Gor Mahia. In 1976, he bagged 26 goals to emerge the league’s top scorer, helping his club to win the KPL title. No other player had recorded that number of goals in a single season.
He also had a stint as a coach at Gor Mahia, helping the KPL multiple champions clinch the CECAFA Cup in 1985. Ochieng achieved the feat without six of his first team players who were serving a suspension.
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