AMRI KIEMBA: REDEMPTION

A proud heart can survive a general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride, so goes an African proverb.This might be well said of Amri Kiemba, the Taifa Stars and Simba midfielder who has finally blossomed without actually changing his style of play that had threatened to relegate him into just another player among many in the Vodacom Premier League. Kiemba’s  story  is a story of faith in one’s talent.

Many of us had feared it was going to be downhill  when he was released by Yanga. Very few Tanzanian players have the courage to move on to higher levels after being released by  Simba and Yanga. Many h despair, some even completely hang up their boots seeing nothing but failure ahead.  For a player who is not mentally strong, failure to breakthrough at Simba and Yanga can wreck his career completely. Simba  and Yanga are a wild jungle, a race against time to survive  the ridiculous fans expectations, there is no time to nurture the weak ones. There is no time given for a player to adapt. It is either instant delivery in terms of performance or  instant dismissal.

So seeing Amri Kiemba becoming an integral of the national team set up is still a surprise to many of us.  He has cemented his position both at club level and the national team. For player who was released into the wilderness by Yanga only to later on resurface at Simba after several seasons is a remarkable journey of faith and belief. It is a testament of strong belief in ones talent. A triumph of sort against his doubters.

At one time, Kiemba was in the wilderness of Kagera turning out for Kagera Sugar in the Vodacom premier league. His redemption is a story of a player who never changed his style despite the criticism and the rejection at Yanga. He believed in what he was doing, keeping his style .His game is based on close ball control, a player who has to feel the ball, neatly controlling it before passing it. His style tends to be slow like he has a sexual fondness for the ball, he just has to keep it close, feel it with a part of his body before releasing it.  At times it can be annoying watching him taking his time with ball especially when his team is trailing. At times he can be slower than a crippled tortoise taking all the holding on to the ball.