Whenever you watch Gor Mahia play, it is usually very common to talk about three things. One is their expansive playing style under Johnathan McKinstry where the side aims at keeping the ball on the carpet. Two is the insistence on playing out from the back using the goalkeeper and the defenders.
When you spark this conversation, one defender in particular will always be the topic of conversation. Dennis Ng’ang’a Njire.
Ng’ang’a is a left-footed defender who can play as a left back, at central defense or even as a midfielder and is usually the one who takes set pieces with his delicious left foot, as well as his ability to bring the ball out of defense or pass it in a way that brings Gor Mahia faithful a lot of joy.
But behind that nonchalant gift of his has been the ‘important’ role his step dad has played in his life, especially having lost his father when he was very young which he says has ‘shaped him to be the man he is today’.
“I wish he would still be alive on father’s day. He passed away when I was very young, so I barely even ever got to know him. If he was still around, I would have wished him a long and happy life,” Ng’ang’a said.
“I grew up with a step dad who has been a very good man and important to my life to be fair since my mom remarried. I did not get to have a father figure until he came in and I feel proud to call him my dad up to this day.
“I thank my dad for raising me to be the man I am today. I would not wish to have a better dad than him. I hope God blesses him for being there for my mom and my siblings.”
Ng’ang’a, who has prominently featured at the heart of K’Ogalo’s watertight defence was acquired from rivals Wazito in 2021 as the club frantically moved to plug a gaping hole occasioned by the mass exodus of key players.
The father of two who also played for KCB says that being a dad has helped shape him as a man, let alone a player, as it has enabled him to learn how to take more responsibility.
“When my son was born, it was one of my proudest moments in my life. I remember going to Kenyatta Hospital to see the mum I didn’t even know that it was a son before I got there, but it is always proud for any man to have a son.
“The biggest joy is usually when for example, we have gone for an away match and I decide to call her and instead of her actually picking the phone, it is the boy himself or the sister who does and they ask where we are playing, maybe in Kisumu or Mombasa or even Kakamega.
“ There was a time we were playing against one of Vihiga or Homeboyz in Kakamega and all my son would say was ‘daddy, daddy’. It is something in my head that makes it very difficult to forget.”
Quizzed about what he wants his children to think of him, an emotional Ng’ang’a said: “ Being my children, what I would like them to know is that they have a dad who will never leave nor forsake them and supports them throughout their lives.