Rising African giant Hilal “The Tornado” Mohamed escorted by coach Abdalla Feiswal Abdallah aka Dula in a past competition▪️Hilal Mohamed aka The Tornado has taken Kenya’s boxing by storm and proved he’s one of Africa’s Emerging Stars in the squared circle.
▪️The meteoric rise of Hilal and other promising junior boxers in Lamu is part of a broader “Ndondi Mashindani” initiative introduced by Boxing Federation of Kenya
In the winding, narrow streets of Lamu Old Town, where the scent of roasting cloves gels with the salty breeze of the Indian Ocean, one of Kenya’s talented junior boxers, Hilal “The Tornado” Mohamed, is gently knocking on the doors to boxing stardom.
Growing up amidst the silent, carved doors and sandy pathways of Lamu, Hilal’s boxing journey has so far been nothing but phenomenal.
Within a short span of two years, the 15-year-old grade seven student at Lamu Boys Junior Secondary School, has signalled his intention to rise to the top, emerging a four-weight winner in various tournaments. This is indeed a testament of his innate potential in the four-squared circle.
It all started in 2024 in Tanga, Tanzania, where Hilal, representing a combined team from Mombasa, beat Tanga’s Ramadhan Salim in the 32-34 kg category. The following year 2025 Hilal outpointed Lawrence Kirima of Mukuru Fight-4-Life Club in the finals of a junior tournament in Nairobi 34-36kg.
Hilal’s juggernaut continued unabated. In one of his most difficult fights, Hilal outpointed the tough Alvin Otieno of Kibra Olympics in the national junior championships finals 37-40 kg at the Green Park Terminus Hall. He maintained his unbeaten run the same year in December during the Coastal Region Championships finals 41-44 kg, rounding up the year by outpointing Hamisi Peter at Mama Ngina Waterfront.
Hilal’s style is as unique as his birthplace. He fights with the speed of a dhow boat catching the wind and the defensive prowess of a man used to maneuvering through tight spaces of Lamu. Available records provided by Hilal’s coach, Abdallah Feiswal Abdallah aka Dula, show he’s unbeaten in 12 competitive bouts.
“Hilal is unstoppable as of now, he has really impressed me with his consistency,” coach Abdallah told boxersworld.co.ke in an interview.
Abdallah is so inspired by the performances of Hilal and other boxers in his club who have excelled beyond his expectations as the founder of Lamu Boxing Club. He introduced boxing in 2023 when his uncle Soud Hussein – now based in Nottingham Forest in England – gave him a piece of land at Peace Villa to establish a boxing training venue. That marked the birth of Lamu Boxing Club.
“Actually by 2022 there was no boxing in lamu,” recalls Abdalla, “so I introduced boxing in 2023, then in 2024 my uncle Soud gave me the land to construct a good spacious place for my club. The previous gym where we were training was unhygienic. In 2025 Hero Boxing Club was opened, which now makes it two boxing clubs in Lamu.
“As a coach I will say my boxer Hilal is energetic with unique footwork that gives him an advantage over his opponents and confidence, he has that champion vibe in him.
“What we’re lacking is good sparring partners from different gyms but the junior tournaments, though few, help him a lot fighting boxers outside Lamu.”
The open air Lamu Boxing Club training venue has two punch bags, one speed ball, two pairs of sparring gloves and three skipping ropes.
Abdallah is very grateful for the support he has received from Ace Standard and Mombasa Cement.
“I thank them a lot, without the support of Ace Standard and Mombasa Cement, I would not have managed to set up the club on my own.
“It was not an easy job clearing the bushy farm and mounting a ring and poles to hang the punch bags and cementing the floor. The club is about 3km from Lamu town, this gives the boxers nice space for roadwork when going and coming from training.”
Abdallah’s objective of introducing boxing was to keep away the youth from abusing drugs, a habit prevalent in Kenya’s Coast Region. So far the club has 10 boxers.
In addition to Hilal, other prominent juniors in Lamu Boxing Club are Ali Ahmed, Mohamed Samson and Athman Omar.
Hilal and Ali Ahmed were in 2025 included in the national team for the inaugural African School Games in Algiers, Algeria but they did not make it because of a delay in the issuance of passports. Ali was also in Tanga for the Mombasa Combined vs Tanga contests, winning all his fights and was runners-up in the 2025 National Junior Championships.
An employee of Lamu County Government, Abdallah is thankful for the county’s support and appeals for more well wishers to assist him in this worthy cause of keeping the youth away from drugs and engaging in criminal activities.
Abdallah recalls how Hilal was hooked to boxing in 2024 when he accompanied his best friend Ali Mohamed for a training session.
“I remember seeing Hilal for the first time in early April, 2024, he came to watch his friend Ali Mohamed train at our club after the schools were closed. On the third day Hilal fell in love with boxing and started training with Ali.
“After sometime, I told Hilal to put on his gloves for a sparring session with Ali. Unable to persevere Ali’s constant punches Hilali cried from the pain of the punches but gradually he got used to it.
“Ali Ahmed is among the best boxers in my club. He was selected to represent Mombasa Combined against Tanga in Tanzania together with Hilal. Mohamed Samson is also a good boxer. He joined the club after Hilal and Ali, and has won fights in national juniors and in the Kenya vs Uganda game in Kampala last year.”
Abdallah narrates some of the challenges facing grassroots coaches in Africa.
“It’s not an easy task to be a grassroots coach in Kenya. You spend a lot of money. I have to cater for their transportation costs during training and when travelling to take part in the competitions I pay for their accommodation and food. If you have no money of your own you cannot manage.”
Abdallah is however satisfied Hila and teammates have not let him down by excelling in the junior tournaments, encouraging him to work harder to buy more equipment for his club.
Lamu Boxing Club has now become a hub for local youth, providing a structured outlet for discipline and hope in a region where economic opportunities are limited.
The success of Hilal and his teammates is part of a broader “Ndondi Mashinani” (Grassroots Boxing) movement initiated by the Boxing Federation of Kenya and being spread in the Coastal Region by BFK’s g toaffiliates. This initiative aims to nurture talent far from the capital city Nairobi, ensuring that the next generation of “Hit Squad” (Kenya’s national team) members includes more boxers from the Coast Region.
For the people of Lamu, Hilal represents more than just a fighter; he is a symbol of how the island’s youth can transition from the laid-back Swahili
culture and life style into boxing champions, mirroring the journey of other Coastal star boxers such as Shaffi Bakari and Mwinyi Kombo who are in Kenya’s elite national team.
Hilal’s parents, father Mohamed Omar Shee and mum Nyamwenye Iddarus Said, are so mesmerized by his rapid rise. As Omar gazes at the silent Indian Ocean waters with boats transporting locals to various destinations, he thanks the Almighty Allah for guiding and protecting their son.
“We’re very happy with our son’s fast rise in boxing, we pray for his success every day. We want to see him at the top to represent the people of Lamu and Kenya as a whole,” says Omar.
“His interest in boxing and karate started when he was four years, the introduction of boxing in Lamu enabled him realise his dream. He started attending training at Lamu Boxing Club, he also used to play football like many other kids in Lamu but his interest was more in the combat sports.
“Hilal is the fifth born in my family of six children. The first born is Leila Mohamed followed by Rukia, Amina, Omar and last born is Mahmud.”
From the foregoing, there’s no doubt boxing is experiencing a gradual but steady rise in popularity in Kenya’s sleepy and slow-paced Lamu County, which borders and shares a land boundary with Somalia to the northeast.
Lamu is characterized by its traditionally Swahili culture, narrow streets with no cars. Donkeys and boats have been their main mode of transport until 2021 when motorbikes joined the fray to the chagrin of some residents who detest noise.
For all its laid-back life style, boxing has now entrenched itself in Lamu, thanks to pioneer Abdulla Feiswal Abdulla who will always be remembered for introducing the sport in Lamu.
Meet Hilal Mohamed “The Tornado”
Club: Lamu Boxing Club
Age: 15 years
Stance: Both orthodox and
southpaw
School: Lamu Boys Junior Secondary
Ambition: To become a world champion
Boxing idol:
Prince Naseem Hamed
Titles won:
2024
1: Tanzania 32-34 kg winner
2025
2: Nairobi junior championship winner (April)35-36kg
3: National championship winner (August)37-40 kg
4: coast Inter-Counties winner (Dec) 41-44kg
When and where he started boxing: I started boxing at Lamu Boxing Club in 2023
First coach and how he has benefitted: Coach Dula is my only coach and I have learnt many things inside and outside the ring from him. He’s like my teacher.
Toughest opponent: Alvin Otieno from Kibra Olympics
Most memorable win: National juniors final vs Alvin Otieno
Boxing challenges in Lamu:
1. Traveling cost to national games
2. Lack of sparring partners
Hobbies:
1. Boxing
2. Swimming
3. Football
Favorite food: Biryani, pilau and coconut fish
