Tragic Wekesa was due for Homeboyz RFC comeback in a fortnight

Tragic Andrew Wekesa was only a fortnight away from returning to action with his club Homeboyz RFC after a lengthy injury lay-off before he was slain in cold blood on Sunday.

Speaking to Citizen Digital, his devastated Head Coach Paul Murunga said the team will postpone any Kenya Cup fixture set to coincide with his burial as investigations into the former Kenya Under-19 international’s killing continue.

Police confirmed on Monday that three assailants said to have played a part in the killing sparked by a bar scuffle between the player and the suspects before one of them reportedly went for what is believed to be a screwdriver and stabbed Wekesa in the chest.

Citizen Digital could not verify whether the three were arraigned in court on Tuesday from the prosecutors handling the case after the player succumbed to his injuries after being rushed to a nearby hospital.

Tributes continued pouring in for the Kenya XV Simbas trialists from his club and social media as the sport continues mourning the loss of a third young player in just over a month.

Murunga told of the grief and despair being felt by his players paying tribute to Wekesa, 25, as a young and talented man who had a lot to achieve in a career that was ruthlessly cut short.

“We have lost one of our best players. He has been with Homeboyz since he left Kakamega High School. I saw him play at high school level and saw his talent.

“Considering his big brother Peter Wekesa was already playing here, it was a good avenue for Andrew to join us,” Murunga who is the immediate former Kenya 7s assistant head coach told Citizen Digital.

“I also coached the Under-19 Confederation of Africa Rugby Cup team and Andrew was one of the brilliant players we had at that particular level. Losing a prop is not an easy thing for a team.

“They play a key role and it’s a big loss to us at Homeboyz and the entire rugby fraternity. The gap he has left will not be easy to fill,” the Head Coach mourned.

“Andrew’s death was brutal. The case is still with the police and they are in a better position to give us more details.

“The burial arrangements are underway and we are going to support the family in every way we can as a club to give Andrew the last respect he needs as a player,” Murunga grieved.

The coach added no burial date has been set saying his players were in a bad state since the shattering development filtered through.

“We hope this will soon come to pass.  Most of the players received the sad news yesterday (Monday). They had already made plans to train and after the session, some from management and playing staff went to view his body in Kitengela.

“In the evening, we held prayers as a team with our chairman Mike Rabar,” Murunga told.

Due to the tragic loss, Homeboyz have scaled down their training.

“If Andrew was still here, we would have gone on with our training as usual. So we agreed that we will be meeting every day, have a chat and light training instead of just staying at home in mourning.

“We do not know when he will be buried but we are waiting for communication from the family. That will help us know if we are going to postpone the match if they are both slated for the same week. Considering it a criminal case it might take longer so we are going to continue with our training,” Murunga announced after a light training session with the team.

Wekesa last played for Homeboyz in the Kenya Cup against his former side Impala RFC where he spent the 2015 season before joining his team last year.

His progression was curtailed by serious injury but he was on his way back to the first team before tragedy struck.

“If we play this weekend, it will be against Impala RFC and the last match Andrew played against his former club.

“It’s a game that both clubs are going to play in honour of Andrew despite the results. If the match is still on, we are going to play the game since he was a player in both clubs,” Murunga stressed.

Homeboyz paid tribute to Wekesa in a touching post on their Facebook page describing him as a big, strong and courageous player.

“The brave and courageous young man always had an infectious smile on him. Until his death, he was a member of the Homeboyz Rugby Team having joined in 2011 after clearing high school.

“He was called up to the Kenya Under-19s that same year and went on to represent the country at the CAR Games. He later had a short stint at Impala before returning to Homeboyz. He played his last game for the club this season against Impala in a Kenya Cup game tie, where he picked up an injury and was scheduled to return to action in February.

 “Investigations are still going on, as the matter is currently a police case. We therefore urge you to let the family grieve the loss of their loved one until a time when the police will submit a conclusive report.

 “Our thoughts are with the family, friends and his teammates at this difficult time,” the full post read.

Tags:

Police Rugby murder mlolongo Homeboyz RFC Paul Murunga Andrew Wekesa Kenya Under 19

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