Launch of the Eliud Owalo Foundation: A Vision for Empowerment and Transformation
The morning was filled with excitement, joy, and a sense of purpose as Gor Mahia patron, Eliud Owalo, officially launched his foundation during a grand event in Nairobi on Saturday. The foundation, established in 2023, is driven by the powerful slogan “Elevate Lives, Empower Futures.” Its mission is to build thriving and empowered communities through five key thematic pillars: climate change and environment, community health and wellness, education and digital inclusion, women’s economic empowerment, and youth empowerment.
Owalo emphasized that every Kenyan has the right to live a healthy, productive, and dignified life. However, he pointed out that there are significant gaps in service delivery that make this goal challenging. “That is what I hope to change with my foundation,” he said. He described the day as a “defining moment” and called the foundation a “vehicle for empowerment and transformation.”
“Through meaningful and strategic partnerships, we will aim to transform Kenyan communities,” Owalo added. He highlighted the pressing issue of Kenya’s youth bulge, noting that the potential of young people is often limited by outdated cultural norms, inequitable access to education, and high unemployment rates.
“We are dealing with a demographic reality that is a ticking time bomb. We have to make this challenge an opportunity. The youth in Kenya are not just the future; they are the present,” Owalo stated. He warned that when youth lack opportunities, frustrations grow, leading to crime, substance abuse, and social unrest. But when youth are empowered, the opposite happens.
To address these challenges, Owalo outlined several initiatives that could turn Kenya’s youth bulge into a national boom. One of the most impactful strategies is sports.
“By leveraging sports as a tool for empowerment, the foundation is nurturing healthy, disciplined, and employable young leaders. Sports also serves as a unifying and transformational platform for talent development, mental and physical wellness, peace-building, and social cohesion while creating jobs through event management and sports enterprises,” Owalo explained.
During the ceremony, Owalo shared how the foundation has already made an impact through its support of various sporting events and institutions. “The foundation’s football and basketball tournaments have already produced scholarships and opened doors for playing professionally,” he said.
Key Figures and Partnerships
The launch event also marked the unveiling of the foundation’s board of trustees. Among the 17 members, four are prominent sportspeople. These include former AFC Leopards and Harambee Stars forward Joseph “JJ” Masiga, former Gor Mahia and Harambee Stars player Nahashon Oluoch Lule, former rugby star Humphrey Kayange, and Kenyan basketball legend Ronnie Owino.
The other 13 trustees are: Angela Wamola, Chris Mensah, Esther Koimet, Jude Loveday, Prof Hazel Miseda, Dr Joseph Magutt, Justice Joyce Aluoch, Mary Okello, Amb. Michael Okoth Oyugi, Amb. Peter Nicholas Rateng’ Oginga Ogego, Philip Thigo, Phyllis Wakiaga, and Amb. Raychelle Omamo.
Additionally, former footballers Tobias Ocholla and Mickey Weche were named as football advisors in the foundation’s panel of advisors.
High-Profile Attendees and Support
The event was attended by several notable figures, including the European Union ambassador to Kenya, Henriette Geiger, who served as the chief guest. Nation Media Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Geoffrey Odundo was also present, along with Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru, Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka, Vihiga Governor Wilber Otichilo, and a host of Owalo’s former cabinet colleagues, politicians, government officials, and business people.
In her remarks, Geiger praised the foundation, stating that it “resonates with the European Union’s vision of transforming Kenya’s youth bulge from a challenge to an opportunity.”
Waiguru reflected on the event as a moment “of learning what we can do beyond public service.” Lusaka hailed the occasion as “more than a launch of a foundation but a launching of hope.” He emphasized that “the government cannot do everything.”
Otichilo described the occasion as “special,” adding that the foundation will “transform Kenya.”