Chained: A Memoir
The Good. The Bad.
The Harrowing.
From Rural Kilifi
To PAOK in Greece
Esse Akida's story is a remarkable journey of overcoming deeply entrenched barriers in rural Kenya to play for the national team and captain a football club in Europe.
Born a Curse
Became a Football Star
Kenyan footballer Esse Akida, the third-born and only girl in a family of four boys, was born and raised in the rural coastal region of Mnarani, Kilifi. In her Chonyi subtribe of the Mijikenda people, Akida was deemed a bad omen due to her dark complexion at birth.
She would, soon thereafter, be seen as a disgrace for playing football, as the deeply patriarchal culture strictly reinforced gender roles. Girls playing football was thus considered extremely dishonourable, so much so that Akida’s father would regularly beat her to dissuade her from playing football.
Akida's earliest memories of being drawn to the pitch are when she was eight, watching her brothers play, even though she was never allowed to play. Two years later, in 2002, Moving the Goalposts (MTG), a non-profit that empowers girls through football, opened its doors in Kilifi.
MTG talked to the parents in the area to let their girls train; Akida's parents eased their stance on not letting her play football, and she never missed a training session, penning the preamble of how a girl from rural Kilifi broke the chains of grinding poverty and cultural barriers to playing pro club football in Europe.
Using sports as a radical tool to
inspire social justice and inclusivity
through our 4Bs
Be Informed
Utilising football to create awareness of the inequalities and discrimination facing greatly marginalised communities in Kenya and beyond.
Be Heard
Utilising tournaments to providing vulnerable/marginalised persons with safe and inspiring spaces to express themselves.
Be Involved
Collaborating with individuals, institutions and initiatives to drive social development, inclusion and equity through football.
Be Brilliant
Utilising football to create opportunities for the socially and culturally disadvantaged to develop the fundamental values (such as teamwork, discipline and effort), emotional intelligence, grow and reach their full potential.
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2002
A Seed is Sown
Akida joins Moving the Goalposts (MTG), a Kilifi-based non-profit that empowers girls through football, and becomes immediately captivated by the beautiful game, never missing a training session. -
2012
Maiden Major Title
Akida wins first major silverware: The Unicef-Sponsored Kenyan Women’s National League with Matuu FC, who dethrone holders Mathare United WFC to clinch maiden title. -
2013
University Scholarship
Akida enrols for a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration at Kenya Methodist University on a partial scholarship courtesy of MTG. -
2014
Back to The Roots
Akida joins Spedag, a football club based in Mombasa. The aim of the club (which would latter be at the heart of Akida's own initiative: Beyond the Game): to nurture talent in the coastal region of Kenya, where Akida hails from. -
2016
Kenya's First Wafcon Goal
Akina finishes as the top scorer at the 2016 Cotif tournament in Spain and joint top scorer in the Cecafa Women's Championship 2016 in Uganda, and proceeded to play in Kenya's Wafcon debut, scoring Kenya's first-ever Wafcon goal in a 3-1 defeat to Ghana. -
2017
Thika Queens Sojourn
Thika Queens FC, the Kenyan league champions then, signs Akida. Soon thereafter, a move to Europe comes knocking. -
2019
Fullback in Israel
Akida suits up in 19 matches for Ramat HaSharon, scoring four goals and providing five assists while playing as a fullback for the Israeli side. -
2020
Covid Happens
Akida joins Beşiktaş from the Israeli league but only manages to play two games in the Turkish league, as the season is disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. -
2021
Kenya's First UWCL Hat-trick
Akida joins PAOK Thessaloniki and scores a hat-trick for the Greek side in a 6-0 win over Moldovan side Anenii Noi (August 2021) to become the first Kenyan to score a Uefa Women's Champions League (UWCL) hat-trick. -
2021
Golden Boot in Greece
Akida scores 18 goals in her debut season (2021-22) at PAOK to finish as the season as the league's top scorer. -
2024
Chained: Overcoming Entrenched Barriers
Akida launches her memoir, CHAINED: a candid look at the shackles of dreaming of pursuing the beautiful game as a girl growing up in a deeply patriarchal community, steeped in grinding poverty.
Quotable Quotes
Excerpts from Esse Akida's journey: a remarkable story of hard work, resilience and a never-say-die attitude. Get a copy of Akida's Memoir: Chained at Nuru Bookstore.
“Unlike my siblings, I was born with with a dark, thick complexion, which is considered a black complexion represented a bad omen for the family.
Esse AkidaFootballer/Author of the Memoir: Chained
Some believed I was a cursed child (for being born with such a dark complexion). Many thought I wouldn’t survive my teenage years. My Grandfather even predicted that if I lived beyond my teens, I would become a troublesome child, and this troubled my parents.”
Esse AkidaFootballer/Author of the Memoir: Chained
Coming from a community where girls were not allowed to play football to being able to make a name and a living through football has been a whirlwind journey of resolute resilience of changing notions, inspiring inclusion a game at a time.
Esse AkidaFootballer/Author of the Memoir: Chained
