Former Gor Mahia defender Joshua ‘Mangulu’ Onyango has opened up on the challenges that forced him to cut short his stay in Zimbabwe after just less than 8 months with Scottland FC, despite winning the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League title.
The towering centre-back has since returned to the SportPesa League, joining KCB on a short-term deal that will run until the end of the year.
Onyango moved to Zimbabwe after spending four years with Gor Mahia, having joined the Kenyan giants from Kariobangi Sharks in 2021. During his time at Gor, the defender won several domestic honours and established himself as one of the club’s regular defensive options.
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His move to Zimbabwe was expected to provide a new challenge and an opportunity to experience football outside Kenya for the first time. However, despite the success on the pitch, Onyango admits adapting to life away from home proved difficult.
Speaking on the TikiTaka Show, the 22-year-old explained that his biggest challenge was settling into a new environment, with his physical and mental well-being also becoming a concern.
“Zimbabwe isn’t a bad country. It is a good country and there’s money, but for me as a footballer, I found it hard settling with many things happening to me, being that it was also my first time outside the country,” Onyango said.
“It could reach a time when I could be just very sick and when taken to the hospital, the check-ups would show that I am not sick. It was just a scare of me almost getting sick. There was a time we even went for medical check-ups accompanied by my team manager just to know what was wrong and the doctor told us I’m not sick and I was just about to get sick.
“It was the first time to experience such and on such occasions, thoughts of voodoo were on my mind.”
The defender also pointed to the language barrier as another challenge that affected his integration into the team.
According to Onyango, communication with the technical bench was difficult because the head coach understood only a little English, while his assistant did not speak English.
“The other thing was the language barrier. The head coach understands a little English, his assistant doesn’t understand any English, so to get instructions I had to use the likes of Khama Billiat or Musona,” he explained.
“In this situation, I was the one to look for them. They are nice guys and they would tell me what the coach wanted as I had to be staying near them. It reached a point I felt the coach thought I wasn’t respectful because as the coach would be talking, I had to be asking them what he was saying. I don’t know if it was a problem, but from his appearance I would know that he wasn’t pleased.”
The lack of playing time also became another major concern for the defender. With Scottland involved in weekend and midweek fixtures, Onyango says breaking into a settled starting XI became increasingly difficult.
“It reached a point I didn’t get playing time and in Zimbabwe there are times matches are played during the weekend and midweek, so I wouldn’t have time to break into the squad because the coach would likely go on with the squad that featured in previous matches,” he said.
“To me, I felt like without playing, in as much as I was still earning, I was wasting my career.”
The former Kariobangi Sharks defender also raised concerns over the business side of football at Scottland FC, claiming the presence of brokers and intermediaries affected his chances of getting regular playing time.
“The other thing I feel is that clubs which have money there also have brokers who, for them to make money, they’ll have to be bringing in new players,” he added.
Onyango further alleges that issues surrounding his signing fee contributed to his lack of opportunities, although he chose not to name the individuals involved.
“There were so many people involved in the deal which I can’t reveal, but what I can say is that there were people who didn’t get a share of my signing fee, which played a role in me not playing. That was a must, which I didn’t know,” he claimed.
“That’s why I’ve said that at Scottland there are a lot of brokers who, when you don’t give them money, getting playing time will be very difficult. In as much as you train well, getting playing time will be difficult.”
Ultimately, Onyango says the possibility of losing his focus and momentum as a footballer influenced his decision to return to Kenya.
“What made me come back is that I feel I’d have lost focus because the moment you don’t play as a player, you’ll start thinking of many things,” he said.
The defender also admitted that failing to travel with his family was another decision that made his adaptation more difficult.
“Another big mistake that I did was before going to Zimbabwe, I should have negotiated that I go with my family, but the money that came with it, I kind of didn’t think about that,” Onyango said.
“These are the things that made me lose focus as I missed home and food. But when I return, being that our team manager is someone who played football and always insists that foreign players should come with their families, so it’s something I will look into.”
Having returned to the SportPesa League with KCB, Onyango now has an opportunity to regain his rhythm and confidence through regular competitive football under Coach Robert Matano.
His short-term deal with the bankers runs until December 31, 2026 after which he is expected to return to Scottland FC.
For now, the former Gor Mahia defender will be looking to make the most of his time at KCB, with consistent playing time likely to be central to his efforts to rebuild his momentum after a difficult first experience abroad.