- The Charter Hall roof might come tumbling down today from a furious exchange of fire between a heavily armed lethal soldier and a brave policeman whose father inspired him to take up boxing in 2004.
There’s no love lost between KDF’s Robert Okaka and Police’s Humphrey “Jakababa” Ochieng since they first fought in last year’s national league in Embu with Okaka beating Jakababa in a fiercely contested bout. One would think the two were fighting over a disputed parcel of land.
- KDF’s Cynthia Mwai (right) in her semis 3-0 win over Nairobi’s Sylvia Obwamu. Sylvia battles big-hitting Kisumu’s Sonia Atieno
Today is the Big Rematch when the duo clash in the Kenya Open Boxing Championships finals at Charter Hall from 2pm. It’s the main fight of the final showdown.
Okaka, who celebrated his 26th birthday on March 21 this year, maintains he’s the best light-heavyweight in Kenya.
“I’m tops in my weight class, I’ll prove that today,” roared Okaka in an interview with boxersworld.co.ke
I asked Jakababa whether he agrees Okaka is the best light-heavyweight in Kenya.
His response was an emphatic NO! But he didn’t say much, further fuelling the tension that has gripped this eagerly awaited blockbuster.
“It won’t be an easy job,” said the 31-year-old Jakaba whose father, Charles Ochieng aka Karateka, inspired him to take up boxing in 2004 at Kayole Social Hall.
Coach Gilbert “Mamba” Miruka honed the raw fighting skills of Jakababa to become one of Kenya’s best boxers in the light-heavyweight division. He joined the Kenya Police in 2017.
Jakababa singles out KDF’s Hezron Magaga as the toughest opponent he has fought so far in locally, not Okaka as some ring analysts would believe. He has lost three times to the towering Magaga, son of the late Kenyan prominent heavyweight Fred ” Sachi” Sabat. By stating Magaga is the toughest opponent he has met, Jakababa is somewhat sending a subtle message to Okaka he’s after all not as tough as he thinks, a comparison the KDF soldier will not take lightly.
Okaka’s boxing journey started in 2021 at Jericho Boxing Club under longtime resident coaches, Elijah Mringie and Nixon Bisto.
He began boxing when he was a form four student at Makongeni Secondary School. Life was not a bed of roses for Okaka then but he weathered the storm courageously. At one time Okaka was a water vendor, garbage collector and even sold scrap metals to survive in Nairobi, also known as “Shamba la Mawe” (City of Stones).
As a water vendor, Okaka used to push his handkart, or _mkoko_ as it’s known in the street lingo, selling water in Ofafa Maringo Estate where he stayed.
In 2023, through his boxing potential, Okaka was employed by KDF.
He made his international debut the same year in the Africa Championships in Yaounde, Cameroon, winning bronze and added his second bronze medal in the 2024 Africa Championships in Kinshasa, DR Congo.
Little wonder Okaka feels Jakababa is not a threat with all his wealth of international experience. Okaka should however take into account Jakababa is a never-say-die boxer and has a big heart. He can dish out punishment and absort it in equal measure. Okaka normally likes to carry the fight to his opponents throwing bombs.
Among other highlights include men’s flyweight bout between last year’s losing semi-finalist Emmanuel “Manu” Chondo vs Diouff Muimi whom Chondo has beaten twice, women’s light-flyweight pitting KDF’s defending champion Veronica Mbithe vs Nairobi’s Faith Nafuna, bantamweight Shaffi Bakari vs KDF’s Kelvin Munyau, lightweight KDF’s Washington Wandera vs Ethan Maina of Police, ladies light-welterweight Cynthia Mwai of KDF vs Kisumu’s Sonia Atieno and men’s light-welterweight featuring Africa Championships bronze medallist Aloice Vincent Ochieng and clinical puncher Anthony Maina of Prisons.
In some of the highlights in the semis, Nairobi’s Emmanuel Chondo outpointed KDF’s international Abednego Kyalo while at light-welterweight Police’s Aloice Vincent beat Nakuru’s Caleb Wandera.
“The game was okay I took advantage of my right punch, it was landing perfectly and he failed to contain it,” said a jovial Chondo who scored his first win over Kyalo who had previously defeated him twice. It’s the first time the Jericho Estate-bred Chondo is fighting at flyweight having campaigned at minimumweight in 2023 and 2024.
“I fought well, I feel like I won but what messed me up is a public warning I received for leaning on the ropes,” said Kyalo.
It will be interesting to see how Cynthia Mwai, an alumni of Ndururi High School in Nyahururu, tackles 18-year-old schoolgirl Sonia, the novices and intermediate champion.
A member of Korumba Boxing Club in Kisumu under coach Charles Onyango, the daring Sonia has vowed to cause a major upset to take over from Cynthia who made her international debut in the Serbia Women’s World Championships.
“I don’t care about my opponent boxing for Kenya, today I’m beating her,” said Sonia who is itching to join the national team.
Reigning Africa light-middleweight champion Boniface “The Hammer” Mogunde is expected to maintain his seven-year unbeaten run locally with a deserved victory over Nairobi’s Michael Oduor. Mogunde will definitely make mincemeat of the Nairobi boxer.
Besides individual glory, there’s also the overall team title at stake in the Kenya Open tournament, the most prestigious local event in the calendar of Boxing Federation of Kenya (BFK).
It’s a two-horse race between KDF and Police. The soldiers have 10 boxers in the finals and Police 9 followed by Prisons 5 and Nairobi 4.
KDF and Police have uncorked their guns ready for the war! Who will laugh last?
