Kelly Mukuka

Kelly Mukuka gives pre-match team talk

This is Kelly Mukuka and I think I have mentioned him before. He's sort of one of the main men when it comes to the Dynamic Stars Academy. He's a founder member and the head coach. He his also instrumental in the organisation and running of the Dynamic Ministries League which many of the local compound teams compete in, especially if they are unable to afford the dearer fees for the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) amateur competitions. Kelly is also a Paster for the Chelston Pentecostal Church, across the Great East Road in a neighbouring compound, and a well known figure in Chainda compound where he has gained considerable respect following his work with and for the vulnerable children and young adults in the community. He now lives in an outbuilding of his aunties, a small room that he shares with his 19 year old cousin Emmanuel.

Kelly is 35 and was born in Manderu Compound, Lusaka. His mother and father are both alive but are divorced. His mother now lives in neighbouring, although quite distant Mozambique and so contact is mainly through phonecalls and emails. Travelling there is expensive. His two brothers both died from the Aids virus and his one remaining sibling, a sister, lives in Mali. Kelly's first wife died, leaving their only child, a girl, who now lives with her grandparents. He misses her.

Kelly used to play football at a professional level for the Lusaka Dynamoes in FAZ Division 2 between 2001 and 2003, and for the Zambian Bottlery's (Coco-Cola) in FAZ Division 1 from 2003-2005. Before playing competitive football Kelly found employment as the warden of a local comlex of flats and as the financial controller, responsible for collecting rents. In 2005 he moved away from competitive football and became more involved in the church and the responsibilities that his subsequent pastoral role gave him. This pastoral work is unpaid but Kelly does supplement his family income by sourcing and selling tee-shirts, other clothing and shoes to members of the community. This income is intermitent and on a ad-hoc basis. If you read the last post you will know that he is in the process of building a shop from which to sell these items in a more sustainable way.

Undoubtabley, Kelly's main work is done on the football pitch coaching the children in the academy. He is to be found there from early in the morning until the sun goes down, interspersed with trips to the FAZ offices to submit fixture lists, results or attend meetings and develop contacts. He is constantly networking and following up suggestions and concrete donations to the academy and sourcing new contacts with this in mind. The children and young adults in the academy have enormous respect for him as both a man and a football coach and this reputation extends to the vast majorty of Chainda's residents. Many of the children of the academy are orphans, missing one or both parents, affected by Aids and other diseases and Kelly's personalities and enthusiasm with them is a very important and central part of their lives.

Goal Zambia is attempting to develop a working relationship with Kelly Mukuka and though this creates it's own challenges, it's the successes so far thar need to be celebrated. Already the organisation has delivered nearly 100kg of football training and playing equipment to the Dynamic Stars and have contributed finacially with the provision of money towards expenses, medals, the shop. Some money was also allocated to provide a laptop computer to improve communication in Zambia and abroad and to help the Dynamic Stars in their administration and continued development.