By Josephine Were

1987 to 1991 was arguably the climax of the fanatical aura that has surrounded Mean Machine throughout the years. This Machine attained a God like status and made headlines regularly. Until the discovery of Toivo, the fans got high on the adrenaline that oozed off the pitch when Mean Machine played. Their exploits make for excellent bar conversation. Several conversations later, and with a little help from this Machine’s hypnotic disposition, I find myself in this enviable position; telling their story.

Mean Machine - The Great Era.

The task for Mean Machine of this era was to turn itself around from a team ridden with in-fights and get it to be “De Best”. This called for a lot of personal sacrifices and much concerted effort from all but especially the leadership of the day who had to steer the ship through the turbulent waters and retain focus. Moses Karianjai, Edwin Obuya and the late Ken Kanyi are credited with breathing life into the team which at this time was on the brink of extinction.

In ‘87, Machine met Blak Blad in a pre-season buildup match. Although Machine then was composed of a lot of ‘freshers’ they quickly disposed of Blak Blad and by so doing bruised a lot of egos. Also in 1987, Coke Sevens, the epitome of academic rivalry let loose on the pitch. B.A won.

By the floodlit tournament of ‘88 Machine had become notorious for their victories and high scores. It was therefore no wonder that they went into the tournament as firm favourites. Fans watched in disillusionment as Machine went on to lose the final to Mwamba. But the brand of rugby that the boys showcased caught everyone’s attention and it was evident that Machine was down but not out. Around this time, close bonds were formed within the team, which still exist to date. Camaraderie, friendship, solidarity…these are all words that described Machine then. Girlfriends suffered. ‘The Boys’ came first, girls second. In some cases, girls didn’t come at all. There developed a distinction between the smooth guys and the..not so smooth guys. “Vorous Vorous”-the so called smooth guys versus “The Oyayees” so called because while your ordinary smooth Machine guy spared some time for the ladies, these guys were found in dark corners of dingy bars singing choruses. It has been said that it was poor judgment in that period that put Sammy (Ite) in the “Vorous” team. On the other hand, Bob Mathenge’s being on the Oyayees team can be attributed to the fact that he looked rough.

In the latter part of 1988 Machine met Nondies in the final match of the Kenya Cup, which was the decider. The referee for this tie was Riley, a former Nondies player and secretary of the club then. The penalties Riley gave Nondies, or perhaps more appropriately “Nondeserving”, against Machine were crazy. Machine lost 0-12. The boys protested sighting obvious reasons but their appeal was rejected. While Mean Machine threatened to boycott future KRFU fixtures, KRFU allegedly expelled Mean Machine from the Union. Mean Machine however pointed out and rightfully so, that not taking part in KRFU fixtures was no excuse to be expelled from the Union. Mean Machine were not expelled and had undoubtedly made their point.

Forward to RAF Sevens, Mombasa 1988. Happier times. The boys had intended for this to be a tour but begrudgingly found themselves on the pitch. No one from this era will forget the uncooperative attitude of Sigi, Mawira and Miheso who much preferred to indulge themselves in bars. Maua and the late Mike Muraya on the other hand kept insisting on a holiday in Malindi even up to the semifinal stage when it became obvious that the team would just have to win the very tournament that they had tried very hard not to participate in. It is also impossible for this era to forget John Moore and the late Ken Kanyi being a big nuisance to everybody on the journey to the coast and being very intoxicated with some noxious psychotropic substance (not alcohol) but perhaps it was understandable given that they were cooped up at the rear of the van with (Dr) Steel Pulse, he of the “De Best” and “Gentle Breezes” fame, and the late Joni Nderitu. Meanwhile Maua enjoyed being a terror at every stop made, including a dinghy pub at Voi, after which he forcefully yanked out a plaque from the Voi Lodge signboard while a destination signboard was mysteriously removed from a Coast Bus headed to Mombasa thereby leading to a terrifying high speed bus chase on the highway that lasted more than an hour. Regardless of these few transgressions, the fans insisted that Machine play so Machine played. In between matches they had a beer and slept on the side of the pitch. They won the cup.

Sometime in late ‘88 or early ’89, Machine hit KU again.

It is said that 1989 was the year of the merger between Mean Machine R.F.C and its adoring fans. It started when Bob Mathenge had a birthday party where Popo formally introduced Toivo to the unsuspecting guests. This party would change the history of campus. Players and fans felt invincible. It might have been their constant state of intoxication. It might have been that they were all slowly coming to the realization that they had created something big. Future generations would say that this era had unleashed a monster.

The 1989 Inter-varsity rugby match drew one of the biggest crowds of the games. Many KU students viewed the game as the closest thing to a fight- and they were looking for a fight. Machine had heckled in their kitchen and dining halls. When KU heckled back they looked like rowdy school boys. Machine had jumped their queues at meal times and seduced their women. These guys were sitting on a gold mine and yet had never come so close as to touch it. Machine on the other hand had swum in it. Despite a spirited fight by KU, Machine won 16-10.

The deciding Kenya Cup match of the season was against the Nondies. Machine went onto the pitch aware of the fact that they had lost only once that season, to Barclays. At the transport yard near Engineering block the crowd waiting for the transport to the game was too big for one trip although others had already gone to Parklands, where the game would be played, on their own. “The Boys” went on the last trip.

When the boys were dropped off at Parklands, they walked straight to the gate and went past the people charging. The gatekeepers tried to stop them physically and when this did not work they issued a few racist slurs. One or two of the boys issued rejoinders as they marched in unison. The boys were causing a stir. They were usurping the role of the team as the stars of the day. They were setting the mood for victory and their attitude symbolized the spirit of the day.

Machine won the Kenya Cup. Final score 13-12.

1989 was also the year that the “Ninja Squad” was born. “Ninjas” was a group of players who did not fit Machine’s image yet. The squad comprised of firebrand players like Waziri, Splaser, Bwaab, Ouku, Mbaya, Agata, Gordon, Tuku, Racki, Jackie who along with the rest of the team won ESS that year.
Machine beat Mwamba in Christie Sevens finals and lost Enterprise and Mwamba Cup finals. Machine of this era will never forget the day they were to meet KCB in the Enterprise Cup. As usual people waited for transport near the Engineering block. This time they also waited for John Moore. Unknown to them, John Moore had been picked up by the country’s eager law enforcers and was languishing at Central Police Station listening helplessly to the idle banter of his team-mates as they awaited his arrival. It’s no wonder that John Moore, now a successful lawyer in his own right, has dedicated his life towards freeing his fellow countrymen from his former oppressors who caused him to miss this game.

1989 was the year of Hollywood and pirating on campus. By this time if you still had a woman you were running on reserve power. Toivo destroyed the very best of them. Jess channeled LPs from Visions, guys slept on Uhuru Highway from Toivo, Popo invented vulgar kikuyu songs. A watchman’s rungu, helmet and stool were channeled-Maua was somewhere in the vicinity at the time. Bwaab’s relationship with the Chiromo people began to hang on the rocks. Machine and its fans travelled to the coast. Popo was in charge of buying Toivo. 10 jerricans were bought and before they left, two had been cleared in Ogai’s room.

In 1990 Engineering hit ADD in Coke Sevens. After that, Machine steam rolled over all teams in Kenya Cup. They registered emphatic wins against Mwamba, KCB and Quins whipping them 40-6, 35-6 and 42-9 respectively. Nondies had however beaten them 15-9 in the first leg. It was now their second encounter. At half time, Machine were down 4-9. In the second half, they camped in Nondies territory eventually winning the game 14-12 and handing the white shirts their only league defeat so far that year and later taking the Kenya Cup title. Meanwhile Jacky Githaiga, Miheso and Mike Kingori led The Ninja Squad to their second consecutive ESS win.

1990 was not without its theatrics. The boys were barred from taking part in the Kenya Harlequins Blackrock Easter festival because of “unbecoming conduct” by the team or their supporters. Throw in a few missing memento plaques from the Nakuru Athletic Club and they now had to play their remaining union fixtures away from their home ground. A referee was also mobbed at a 7’s tournament.

This extremely exciting era both on and off the pitch no doubt goes down in history as a redefining moment for Mean Machine that would pave the way for the likes of Waziri, Gikuhi, Gimudah “Black”, Okuku…

Additional reporting by Paul Kukubo.