In the heart of Kiandutu slums and the neighboring Kiganjo estate in Thika, Kenya, football is more than a game. For Coach James Ndisho Njoroge, it is a quiet revolution.
He speaks like someone committed to transformation. In places often defined by what they lack; sanitation, security, or stable incomes, James sees hope. While many football coaches have directed their focus toward boys’ teams, James saw an overlooked need for girls through a story that changed everything for him. A nine-year-old girl was already expecting a child. From that moment, he made coaching girls his core responsibility.
“Even if I could not change everything, I knew I had to try to change something,” he reflects.
That something has grown into two active safe spaces where young people, especially girls, can train and begin to reimagine what their futures could look like.
His coaching skills have deepened through CFK Africa’s Sports for Development program. James is more than a coach now. He is a mentor, a guide, and often, a trusted adult in a child’s life. “I have learned how to safeguard children, how to communicate with them, and how to watch over them beyond just the pitch,” he says. The Value-Based Sports training he has received through CFK Africa has shaped his entire coaching philosophy. Discipline, confidence, and integrity are just as critical as athletic skill.
Football, under James’ leadership, has become a powerful launchpad for slum youth. Through the support of the program, several of his players have secured secondary school scholarships. Class attendance has improved.
Attitudes are shifting. Where once there was aimless wandering, there are now structured days filled with training, studying, and reading. “Now they have dreams,” James says. “They believe they can make it to university. They believe they belong there.”
The ripple effects extend beyond the field. James has seen his players step into other community spaces. They are joining music groups, attending library sessions, and even taking on peer leadership roles. They are alert, aware, and watching out for each other. “They have become leaders in their own way,” he says. “When someone steps out of line, their teammates speak up. That accountability is powerful.”
To James, this model of coaching should be the standard. “There are many coaches out here honing sports techniques, but coaching is more than drills. It is about giving young people direction, alternatives, and belief in their own potential.” For him, a true coach builds more than athletes. They help shape futures.
His vision is expansive. He dreams of his players going beyond Thika and Kenya. He hopes to see them earning scholarships abroad, playing professionally in Spain or the United States, and returning to lift others as they rise.
“We have already started leveling the field,” James says. “Now, we just need to keep playing.”
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