•Initially restricted to playing with the ball only after her brothers had finished, Akida's perseverance attracted the attention of hawk-eyed coaches, who detected her potential right away.
•Her mother Esther Katche provided her with unwavering support and she accepted football as more than just a sport and used it to defy social norms restricting women to a conservative setup.
Image: FILE
Esse Akida's success narrative offers a ray of hope for Kenyan girls yearning for a taste of topflight and professional football.
Akida is a highly regarded female striker whose incredible abilities have astounded teammates and dazzled opponents.
Blasting the back of the net seems effortless for her. Besides her ability to unleash rasping shots with both feet, Akida is known to move at super lightening speed.
She was the first Kenyan to feature in Israel’s top league, the first African woman to score a hat-trick in the Uefa Women’s Champions League and the first Kenyan woman to score in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Born November 18, 1992, in Mnanari, Kilifi county, Akida attended St Jude's and Kilimo Primary School in Kilifi before moving to St John's Kaloleni in 2008.
"There, I played football and won multiple awards, including the Most Valuable Player title in 2011 and 2012," she said.
"In 2012, I competed in the Unicef/Moyas women's league for Matuu FC, a National Youth Talent Academy, where I finished second in the Golden Boot with 37 goals while winning the league with the same club," she added.
Akida's passion for football was ignited by her brothers when she was still a timid eight-year-old. "At the age of eight, I found myself drawn to the football field," Akida recalled.
"My brothers, who let me watch them play football, inspired this adventure. I was only permitted to use the ball after they had finished," she added.
Initially restricted to playing with the ball only after her brothers had finished, Akida's perseverance attracted the attention of hawk-eyed coaches, who detected her potential right away.
Her mother Esther Katche provided her with unwavering support and she accepted football as more than just a sport and used it to defy social norms restricting women to a conservative setup.
"I never skipped a football practice. I am a good player and my mother came to watch me play once and has been by my side ever since. She is my biggest admirer," she said.
Image: FILE
Her path to prominence is proof of her tenacity. She brushed aside social norms prohibiting girls from participating in football on her way to a stellar career.
"In my neighbourhood, girls were not permitted to play football or even spend extended periods outside the home," she said.
"Gender equality, in my opinion, is essential to releasing women from all forms of culturally-inspired discrimination and oppression."
She broke these stereotypes in 2002 when she became one of the first female members of Moving The Goalposts (MTG), a Kilifi-based NGO that empowers girls through football.
MTG supports girls' football and gives women the confidence to assume leadership roles in sports including coaching and soccer management.
It was there that her amazing tale started under the mentorship of MTG founder Sarah Ford.
"I was one of six players who had joined the organisation at its inception. I actively represented MTG in a variety of tournaments both within and outside of Kilifi and Kwale counties, including the Kenya Premier League, in which MTG participated in 2014. When I learned about MTG, a sport for development organisation that gives girls and young women in Kilifi more power, my hope was reawakened."
Thanks to MTG's programmes, Akida improved her abilities. Weekly seminars on negotiation, decision-making, and reproductive health gave her the necessary life skills to challenge the restrictions placed on girls in her neighbourhood.
Her self-assurance ballooned as she witnessed the number of girls playing football in Kilifi and Kwale counties increase from 200 to over 9,000 by 2017.
"I thought by performing well, I would create more space for girls to play football, so I would feel confident when I left the field. There were over 9,000 girls playing football in Kilifi and Kwale Counties in 2017 compared to just 200 when I joined MTG.
"I am happy that girls are now encouraged to play football, attend school and pursue careers in our society. My mother's generation did not experience this. She had to work and take care of the home, and occasionally, they had to force her into marriage with an older man."
MTG provided her with financial support in 2013 to enrol at Kenya Methodist University, where she pursued a bachelor's degree in business administration.
"I was all too aware that there was life after football and that many football players found it difficult to adjust to life without education.
"I drew inspiration from great Kenyan footballers who successfully struck a balance between studies and sports, including former AFC Leopards strikers JJ Masiga and Gor Mahia offensive midfielder William Obwaka who were both medical doctors," she said.
On her first day at the Meru-based main campus, Akida joined the formidable KeMU Queens.
They played brilliant football and brushed aside all teams that came their way. At KeMU the goals continued coming for Esse Akida.
"I hold the record as KeMU's all-time top score with 50 goals. I scored nine goals to scoop the Golden Boot as the top scorer at the 2015 East Africa University Games (EAUG) held at Uganda Christian University (UCU)."
She contributed to KeMU's 2014 Africa University Games (FASU) second-place finish at the University of Nairobi, behind Makerere University. She featured for KeMU when they won the overall trophy at African Nazarene University's International Women's Days football tournament.
2015 saw her score in the 2-0 triumph over Soccer Queens in the Women Premier League tournament game in Nakuru, where KeMU emerged victorious.
In the inaugural Inter-county championship held in Laikipia County, Akida was one of the 15 players from KeMU selected to represent Meru County.
"I won the Golden Boot and finished as the tournament's top scorer with nine goals. Meru County emerged victorious in the women's football competition following a 5-4 victory over a highly skilled Laikipia County on penalties," she said.
Akida has enjoyed a stellar career plying trade for local and foreign outfits.
She played for Spedag Ladies from 2014 to 2017 before joining Thika United in 2018. Together with Mildred Cheche and Millicent Mwanzia, Akida tied for first place as the Kenya Women's Premier League's top striker in 2012 while attending the National Youth Talent Academy (NYTA).
"My participation in the Sakata Ball tournament in 2010 led to my later selection to the National Youth Talent Academy."
She credits coach Robert Okalo, with helping her become more proficient at scoring goals by teaching her how to hit the target.
She penned a deal with Ironi Ramat HaSharon a year later and shifted base to Besiktas in 2019.
"I signed a two-year contract with PAOK in 2021 and then extended it for a year. Thankfully, I excelled with the Thessaloniki team during the final stretch of my contract."
"I won the Golden Boot during my tenure in Greece, scoring an incredible 17 goals in just 18 games," she said.
Image: LEAH MUTASHI
Akida and the Harambee Starlets were closely associated for a considerable time. Her influence on the national team is hard to ignore. She represents achievement and is a genuine Kenyan national treasure.
"I participated in the Rio Olympics qualifying match in 2015, where Kenya defeated Botswana 2-1 overall. We ultimately lost the two-leg match to Banyana Banyana of South Africa, 2-0 overall," she said.
The same year, Akida played against Algeria in the qualifiers for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations where they wrote history by punching a maiden ticket to the coveted showpiece.
2016 saw Esse Akida score her first goal for the country as Starlets beat Ugandan Crested Cranes 4-0.
Flashes of individual brilliance helped her clinch the silver boot with five goals in the CECAFA tournament in neighbouring Tanzania. Hassifa Nasuna of Uganda won the Golden Boot with six goals.
Against Ghana, in the Starlets' inaugural AWCON match, Akida scored a spectacular goal.
The modest goal poacher attests to having learned that perseverance, hard work, and patience are the keys to success from her inspirational coach at Harambee Starlets, David Ouma.
Her skill on the field was demonstrated during the 2016 COTIF Women's football tournament in Valencia, Spain, where she scored five goals to take first place, including a memorable performance against Española and Benfica Portugal Women.
“My three goals against Benfica Portugal Women in the opening game helped the Kenya Harambee Starlets defeat their opponent 3-0. I scored two goals for my team in our 3-1 victory over Española in our second match.”
Her accomplishments went beyond the field as her county honoured her as a young hero, a significant turn of events signifying her influence on the neighbourhood and beyond.
In addition to shattering gender norms, her story encouraged a new generation of girls to follow their aspirations without fear.
A friendly match in Addis Ababa in 2012 featured an acid test between the national team and Ethiopia to mark Akida's debut. Kenya suffered a humiliating 5-0 loss.
Having no international experience, Akida acknowledges that this was the hardest match of her career.
She watched the match from the terraces due to passport issues, even though she was a member of the Kenya team that drew 2-2 with Rwanda in the All Africa Games qualifier in 2013, where Kenya was eliminated on the away goal rule.
She shared her unforgettable career highlight as a footballer thus far.
"I will always treasure the match against Algeria when I came off the bench in the away game in Algiers and was credited with two assists that gave my team, Starlets hopes for the Awcon in a 2-2 draw. I still remember it very well.
She also experienced her worst moment in football when she performed poorly in Kenya's friendly match against Cameroon at Moi Stadium, Kasarani.
Akida became the first Kenyan woman to bag a hat-trick in the Uefa Women’s Champions League. She marked her debut for PAOK FC with a hat-trick in the 6-0 thumping of Moldovan outfit Anenii Noi in the Uefa Women’s Champions League qualifiers.
Her life is not all about football though.
“In my free time, I like to watch movies and go out with friends. I rarely attend classes or the pitch. I watch and enjoy movies of all genres—horror, action, romance, television shows, you name it. I am not that picky.”
She wrote another chapter in history by becoming the first Kenyan female footballer to launch a memoir Chained, during a colourful ceremony at the Kenya National Library in Nairobi’s Upperhill.
Her book captures her glistering football career that spanned over two decades.