Basketball Lovers Salute Balozi's Rich Legacy

The basketball fraternity in Kenya continues to mourn the sudden demise of former Ulinzi Warriors tactician William Balozi, whom many see as one of the stalwarts that hugely inspired the growth of hoops culture in the country.

Both coaches, officials, and players have saluted Balozi’s immense contribution to the growth of the game in the country, describing his death as a huge blow to the fraternity.

Kenya Ports Authority men’s basketball team head coach Sammy Kiki has cited their rivalry for the game’s continued development in the country.

“He was a very good friend; we were raised together in the same estate, played together since we were children. We have come a long way, as we have been together throughout our childhood up to the time, we became adults before joining different teams. He was a great man,” Kiki said.

Africa Nazarene University head coach Michael Oluoch has echoed Kiki’s sentiments describing Balozi as a basketball mastermind that sustained Ulinzi’s dominance in the domestic league in the past two decades.

“He was a very good guy, polite and humble. It's a big loss to the basketball community in general. He has helped and nurtured many players we have including those on the national team and we will remember him as a great guy who has contributed a lot to the basketball fraternity. It will take a long time for someone else to fill that gap,” Oluoch mourned.

Strathmore University head coach Tony Ochieng lauded Balozi’s priority in nurturing talents in the sport.  

“My sincere condolences to the late Balozi and the entire Ulinzi team. Death has robbed us of a promising coach who molded the Ulinzi team to where they are now. He was very instrumental in shaping up the current players. Rest easy coach Balozi,” Ochieng said.

While expressing his shock at the sudden development, Nairobi City Thunder skipper Griffins Ligare says Balozi has left an indelible mark in Kenyan basketball.

“He was a good person, his passing on has shocked me and I can’t believe it either. I was told he was not feeling well but I thought he would recover. It never occurred to me that it will end this way, may his soul rest in peace,” Ligare said.

Former Kenya Ports Authority captain Samuel Ocholla relished their friendship with Balozi despite coaching different teams

“He was a fierce competitor and a go-getter who always led from the front and outside the four corners of the pitch. He was someone you could sit with, laugh and chat with even after a very rough/tough and emotional game and he loved his rhumba music.

“I received the news with a heavy heart and indeed it's a great loss and a hard one to take. To the family I pass my heartfelt sincere condolences, we have lost a soldier, a father, a mentor, and a soft-spoken friend; we thank them for giving us a son who was dedicated and loved the game to end. Rest easy Lozi,” Ocholla said.

In a career spanning decades Balozi served as assistant head coach from 2002 to 2006, in an era when Ulinzi established themselves as a basketball powerhouse by winning the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) men's Premier League five consecutive times before achieving the same feat twice as head coach Ulinzi as head coach in 2015 and 2019.

He was born in 1971 and joined the military in 1992, serving until his death.