My name is Samson, and I am a secondary school laboratory teacher, FKF referee, a credited coach with CAF, and TAFA co-founder and executive director.  I was born in Kasarani, a cosmopolitan community made of all ethnic representations. This marginalized community should not be confused with the popular Kasarani in the capital Nairobi. It is situated along the north lake of Naivasha, in Nakuru County, and is characterized by large families that have been seriously affected by poverty, unemployment, drug, and substance abuse, and related social crimes. Most of its population are children and youths. This community's population depends for a living on flower farms constructed in the area, illegal fishing in Lake Naivasha, and small retail businesses. 

As a member of this community, I grew up in a humble family of my mother and two siblings. I grew up as a child of grace, I never felt pleasure or comfort as is found in fairly stable homes. My mother, the third wife in a polygamous home, in a Maasai community that did not value education, moved and settled on her own to educate her children. My poor background taught me the need for humanity and selfless service to others. In the long run, these experiences have made me so concerned about the less fortunate and the suffering in the community of my residence.

At the age of 15, one morning while walking to school, I passed by a young boy in the street who was begging for food. I stopped to talk with the boy only to find out that he had been neglected by his only parent. He lacked food, clothing, and shelter. The homeless boy who had been disowned by his drunkard mother felt I was from a good family and probably able to solve his problems. He asked for food, and I had Ksh 50 meant for my transport to a local secondary school where I learned. I was in a dilemma to give my cash and walk to school or just avoid that emphatic humanity response and proceed to school. Upon the innocent persistence of this helpless boy, I felt intrigued by his situation and took him home to see if my mother would agree to share my sibling’s little food that had been prepared for lunch. My mother, a flower farm worker who was ailing from the side effects of farm chemicals refuted my generosity since we too were hardly managing life, she pushed back and asked me if I expected her to feed every hungry child in Kasarani. My mother saw my pleading eyes and gave the boy some food. Illuminated, I went to school and on my return in the evening, I still found the boy home who would be later part of my family and responsibility. I sought the help of well-wishers to help the boy continue his schooling. Touched by this incident, I felt the urge that so many other children were helpless and needed someone or a helping hand to lean on.

I was a passionate footballer, coach, and high school referee. On a careful study of the environment I lived in, I noticed that Football would form the basic ground to meet young needy youths since just like me that was an activity most of them were passionate about. Upon graduation from high school, my former high school management offered me a job as a technician in the science laboratory (chemistry, physics, and biology) and I also became the director of the mentorship program at the school. In my extra time, I took school-based lab technician courses and coaching courses and I am currently at level CAF D (diploma) coach which allows me to do coaching at any academy in KENYA. As a coach, I was nominated and became the Six Stars Gala award winner for the outstanding academy coach of the year 2020.

Over the years having gained leadership skills in school as a student leader and football team captain and later a professional coach, I felt a strong drive to reach out to the needy children and youth in Kasarani to give them purpose and hope that would keep them off the streets and away from drugs. I could use these skills in the future to help needy kids. Most kids in the Kasarani vicinity engaged in football but most of them did not have a chance to showcase their abilities. Others were barred from participating in existing football clubs through discrimination. They dreamt of playing for Kenyan senior football clubs or even joining the international football community. Together with three friends from Loldia primary school, we organized friendly games that upon observation brought together many kids and kept them away from the streets and drugs. It was a hard beginning but at least it was working, we could see a positive impact on children and hopeless youths. We organized frequent games and coaching that was only done in the field. Through this, we realized that we could start something that will help these kids have a life-changing program that in addition to football could include other programs that make a difference in their lives. This turned out to be the inception of TAFA.

Since championing such a program on our own was close to impossible, we reached out to friends and well-wishers who were expressed interest.  In 2019, we formed Talanta Africa Football Academy (TAFA). This would become a platform to take children off the streets and provide hope for vulnerable young people, giving them a reason to smile and look optimistically into the future, and to impart relevant knowledge and skills for self-reliance. And it would also educate on the importance of community service and selfless service to others, by providing meaningful spiritual nurture to young souls and illuminating the lives of that society by showing them that we need God in everything. We need to instill Christian values from a tender age. We want to show the kids that at the epicenter of everything is God, that God will always be there for them no matter what.

It was hard to operate in the open air, since over time, TAFA had grown into a home of solace for the less fortunate. Vulnerable youths sought refuge and self-rebirth in TAFA. We needed a place to be a center of operation in running our activities. Resources were scarce and even renting a place proved difficult. TAFA cannot be grateful enough to Deb Snell, a selfless American who was supporting St. Andrews High School. She generously offered to pay rent of $35/month after we established TAFA COMMUNITY CENTRE at a rented building.

Additional programs that were required for all football players were added in 2021. The academy is guided by objectives summarised into three pillars: Behaviour change through Character molding, life skills development, mentorship, guidance, and counselling.  

We also based our services on the pillar of skill development, which was enforced by nurturing football talents, arts and crafts, computer skills, and indoor games, however, this was left open for further review and incorporation of otherrelevant games and activities. 

Another pillar that I and the TAFA staff are so concerned about is academic excellence. The 21st century demands an average secondary education for someone to be competitive in the general growth of a nation. TAFA achieves this through programs such as donated stationaries to kids, scholarships, and offering short literacy courses and assessments. 

If you ask me about this TAFA: I see TAFA as a young passionate and ambitious academy whose stakeholders look into the future in a manner that should be transformative. TAFA will offer skill-based courses to high school graduates and provide a first-class solution to 21st-century life dynamics. As an active member of the football society and talent promoter, I position TAFA to identify and facilitate a pool of talent in football among the less fortunate into the global world, eradicate discrimination of any form, and excavate Kenyan talents into the global society. I see TAFA be a center of refuge for orphans and children from broken homes and provides bright needy students with equal opportunities in education through scholarships. TAFA and its stakeholders are optimistic to establish the TAFA COMMUNITY CENTRE in our space as a home for all the programs of hope and love in the face of hostility. Why our own space? Our own space means freedom, it means security, it means no cost at all on rent, it means a place where the youth can spend time and fill their mind with lots of positivity. It means a place where they can speak to their God with no fear.

But most important at all it means a legacy that will live on and the traditions passed from one generation to the next.