JC at the fore in action

By Martin Ndeda

I’ve always thought a real man was someone with courage, honor and class. James Curtis Wakhu, JC or Jimmy as he was affectionately known by friends, family and teammates was a real man on and off the rugby park. I first met with JC at Lenana School in the early 80s where he became my rugby mentor and friend. JC was also an awesome swimmer, soccer and basketball player, but as was typical of any Lenana lad of the day, rugby became his first love.

From his fourth year on he was definitely the top schools scrum half and a shoe in for both Lenana and the Combined Schools XVs. After a distinguished high school career which included an Impala Floodlit MVP (for Impala RFC as a student) and a national team call-up in his A-Level year (a feat only a select few including his older brother Patrick have achieved), he was part of the Kenya XV that participated in the 4th All Africa games held in Nairobi in 1987. He joined Mean Machine in 1988 and was a key member of the core that revived and led the team to complete dominance of Kenyan rugby over the next three years. Other members of that core included Edwin Obuya, Austin Kosero, Ken Kanyi (RIP), John Moore Ohaga, Eddie Rombo, Larry Mawira, Oliver Onyango and Gordon Anampiu.

Oliver “O’cee” Khabure (Mean Machine Captain 1990)

JC was not only my mentor, but a big brother too. Without him I probably would never have had a rugby career. My fondest memory of him was a meeting we had when word got to him that I was planning on being a member of the UoN basketball team aka “The Terrorists”. He could not believe that I wanted to play basketball coming from a Rugby playing high school. He convinced me like only he could. I dumped basketball and went on to have an extremely fulfilling life in rugby, which to this day I would never trade in for anything. An amazing talent and an even better human being.

Widely regarded as an extension of the coach on the pitch, his rugby IQ complimented by his beautiful passing technique off the base, overall tactical awareness and game reading capabilities for Kenya, Machine and stints at Impala RFC were way off the charts and remain legendary.

JC’s and my careers will always be intertwined for the simple reason that his last game for Machine was my first. His ended and mine begun at a Kenya cup game in the 1989 season at Barclays Bank RFC. I remember him going down at the end of the first quarter, and the entire Machine nation went dead silent. Eddie Rombo (the captain then), signaled for me to come on as the replacement. I jogged on with my heart racing at about 200mph trying to shift my mindset from touch-judge to scrum-half. I could see the uncertainty/worry on the faces of the ever demanding Machine nation, wondering who the heck this 5’ 6”, 65kg replacing the great JC was, especially for such a crucial game. In retrospect, I think it could well have been more sympathy than worry given that the Barclays back-row at the time (Max Muniafu, Peter Odhiambo and Frank Sabwa) was a nightmare for any scrum-half. I glanced over at JC as he was helped off. He nodded at me and gave a thumbs up sign with the unspoken words “your time has come, you will do just fine”. Long story short, Machine won convincingly, and went on win the Kenya Cup among other trophies that year.

Austin Obimo Kosero (Kenya Captain 1993)

Even though we were blatantly robbed of the Kenya Cup, I’ve always thought of 1988 as the best season of Rugby I was involved in. JC was a huge part in making that season what it was. He always brought his “A” game, played every minute of every game like it was his last. His stocky physic was a real plus at the base of the scrum as he could stand his own when under immense pressure which was the case more often than not, considering that our scrum was light weight. His long pass from the base of the scrum or a line out was exceptional so much so that our fly half– of the ‘Double D’ fame – could position himself miles away and out of easy reach of opposing defenders. The long pass had it’s flipside in that the fly half (no names, I might be sued) demanded the same service from any substitute scrum half which was not always possible. Thank God he adjusted easily to JC’s long term replacement Mato who was a different kettle of fish. Perhaps the more enduring of JC’s qualities was his ability to effectively direct and control the forwards. As a prop my head was forever buried in a scrum down, ruck, or maul rendering me blind most of the time. JC was always clear in communicating the next step, whether ball was lost or a number eight pick up was in operation. He was an extraordinary talent at half back, and a wonderful team-mate.

JC had he chosen to, would have made a comeback from his shoulder injury, played a couple of more years, and in my humble opinion continued to have been the top Kenyan half-back, but he was determined to ensure that the life he lived conformed to the purpose for which God created him. In his own words: “ As my time at the University drew to a close, God laid in my heart the burden for the not yet reached tribes of North Eastern and Coastal parts of Kenya, to facilitate their being reached, by starting a ministry to train disciples after Jesus Christ, to create awareness for the needs of the lost world around us and to send missionaries to these places”.

His character can best be summed up by the choices he made in his life after graduating from the UoN in 1990. . He could well have chosen to join the corporate ranks or even continued with his ministry work in the comforts of the big city, but he joined Sheepfold ministries and with his fellow missionaries left for Garissa where they settled amongst a tribe called Munyoyaya. He was there for one and a half years and moved on to the Archipelago of Lamu where he ministered to the Bajuni people. Talk about compassion and selflessness. His health had begun to suffer, so in 1997 he decided to move back to Nairobi to recuperate. In 1998 he joined the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST) in Karen.

Edwin “Smuff” Obuya ( Mean Machine Captain 1988)
They say behind every successful man there is a woman but in this case I would say behind every successful fly half there is a scrum half…..Big hands, strong upper body, eager to win, ready to take up the dirty balls, constant communicator, all with that soft commanding voice!
JC was one of the toughest and most talented half-backs who ever played the game. Everybody knows about his ability as a player, but it was his leadership and attention to detail that made the package complete. He will always be remembered for the excellence of Mean Machine in his era.

Despite his deteriorating health he studied with determination, but eventually the pain was too much to bear, and it forced him to take a break with the hope of returning for completion at a later date. Every visit to multiple doctors produced the same results: Unable to physically diagnose the cause of the pain. All through his suffering JC maintained a cheerful spirit resigning his fate to the will of his creator. On the evening of Saturday, July 8th 2000 he moved on to be with his maker. What a guy…a humble and gentle icon, who never spoke much, but let his play do the talking for him while politely declining all the attention he was worthy of.

A true Machine hero.

May our good God rest his soul in eternal peace.