George Waweru, a Kenyan footballer based in Sweden, has succeeded in duping Kenyan Times, Kenyans at home and abroad that he was voted “Swedish Player of the year” for 2006/2007.
According to a story that was published in Kenya Times (28th February 2006), “The award is a great achievement by Waweru who moved to Sweden in 2005 with an aim to revive his career nearly cut shot by injury”.
The story was lifted from Kenya Times and published in KSB where it immediately ran into problems.
The first question was how a Kenyan national could have won the “Swedish Player Of The Year” award (a very high profile prize in Swedish football) without Kenyans in Stockholm noticing. The award is normally handed over at Globen, one of the most prestigeous venues in town while the event itself normally attracts all mainstream media.
Secondly, the award is normally dished out towards the end of every year especially in November. Waweru’s story came up yesterday, three months after the award was handed over to Fredrik Ljungberg who won the 2006 beat. Although Waweru claimed in KT that he was awarded the 2006/2007 prize, the 2007 Swedish Player of the year will be handed over towards the end of this year.
“ I really feel proud to have been named the Sweden player of the year. It is a moral boosting award I acn say I’m yet to offer more during my career here (Sweden),” said Waweru.
According to Kenya Times, Waweru is playing in the “Swedish premier league” while the truth is that Waweru plays for Västerås SK Footbal Club, a team in division three league and which is based miles away from Stockholm city.
The Kenya Times Text, whose reporter claimed to have spoken to Waweru, appears to have lifted sections of the text from a KBC report which was published on 10th February 2006. The report, which was titled “George Waweru eyes Swedish move” said:
“Former international defender George Waweru is set to move to Sweden as he strives to revive his career nearly cut shot by injury. Waweru said in an interview that his agent Patrick Mok has arranged for him to undergo trials in Sweden next week. “Iam hoping to restart my career in Sweden next week,” he said. Waweru also revealed that he had just been released by Tanzanian side Mtibwa Sugar. The lanky defender said he would not mind playing for the national team Harambee Stars despite being abandoned by the side after the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Tunisia. “I will respond to call to join the team and do duty for my country,” he added. Waweru was sacked from Tusker Fc immediatly after the Nations Cup finals. He had a brief stint with Rwandan side APR and left under unclear circumstances”.
Parts of the KT story said: “The lanky defender said he would not mind playing for the national team Harambee Stars despite being abandoned by the side after the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations finals”. This appears to have been lifted from the text above (in bold).
Another part of the KT story quoted Waweru as saying: “I feel I still have a lot to give my country and I would respond swiftly if I was called upon to join the national team”.
The 2006 Swedish player of the year award was handed over by Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt in November last year while “Take That” a leading British band, played at the function.
It looks like Kenyans abroad are becoming sophisticated and can go a long way to dupe a national Newspaper back home if that is what it takes to lift a profile.
The publication of the Waweru story will, most likely, embarrass Kenya Times because it shows that the level of Journalism at the paper is very low. It should have been very easy for the Journalist to check the story.
The fact that the Journalist claimed to have spoken to Waweru on the phone raises even more pertinent questions because the text of the story appears to have been lifted from a KBC story that was published in February last year.
If it were true, Wakenya could have stormed Globen during the prize giving ceremony, waving Kenyan flags and singing “yote yawezekana” songs to the white Swedish crowd. There is no way the event could have passed quietly and this impossibility is what appears to have exposed the story.
Okoth Osewe
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