- Josephat Lopaga opens up about his challenging recovery after nearly a year on the sidelines.
- Lopaga marked his SportPesa League return by scoring the winner as Kakamega Homeboyz beat Sofapaka away.
Josephat Lopaga marked his return to the SportPesa League in style, firing Kakamega Homeboyz to a 0-1 away victory over Sofapaka at the Dandora Stadium, on Friday, October 3.
In an exclusive interview with the SportPesa Blog, “Baragoi,” as he is famously known, revealed that it has not been an easy recovery journey after being out of action for close to a year since departing Belarusian club Dinamo Brest in December 2024, where he spent two successful seasons.
Lopaga opens up about his challenging recovery journey after nearly a year on the sidelines
“I feel great; it’s been a long journey, almost a year for me to be back in competitive football. It’s always refreshing to score as an attacker, and I’m happy to be on the scoresheet in my second match at Homeboyz.”
The 23-year-old, who joined Homeboyz on a two-year contract, is grateful for having had a turnaround in fortunes.
“It takes a lot of sacrifice. I have been working a lot behind the scenes, and I appreciate everyone who has been part of the process.”
Josephat Lopaga believes his story will inspire young footballers from Samburu County
Hailing from Baragoi in Samburu County, Lopaga believes his narrative will inspire the next generation of stars from his region.
“I come from Baragoi, as you always hear, the bandit-stricken area. It’s a pleasure to come from such an area and score in the premier league. It’s a motivation to all the kids in Samburu that yes, we can make it at the biggest stage.”
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He further expressed delight in playing in a team with talented forwards, which includes Otanga, Machaka, Omollo, among others.
“It’s a good relationship for the team. It also gives the coach a hard time deciding who to play, and the one given the chance has to perform at the top level.”
Baragoi rose through the ranks of the Gor Mahia youth team in 2017, moving to Mount Kenya United in 2019.
He then joined Posta Rangers for two seasons before making the switch to AFC Leopards in 2022.
Lopaga then embarked on a journey abroad, signing with Omani side Dhofar before his transfer to Europe later that year when he joined Dynamo Brest.