Ex-Harambee Starlets goalkeeper Kadondi dead

Ex-Harambee Starlets goalkeeper Kadondi dead

Former Harambee Starlets goalkeeper Maryann ‘Maraa’ Kadondi has passed on, while receiving treatment in a Nairobi hospital on Sunday.

Kodondi, has been Starlets’ Kits Manager since 2015, and Goalkeepers Trainer until her demise.

According to Football Kenya Federation Vice President Doris Petra, she has been battling unspecified illness since February 2020, keeping her out of duty for a period even before the COVID-19 breakout.

“It is a sad day in our football, especially women football. Maraa was dedicated lady in the technical bench, and her passion always pushed her an extra mile for team. It saddens me because I have been in contact with her and she has been saying how eager she was to return to the team again,” mourned Petra.

Narrating her battle in the hospital, Petra told Citizen Digital that Kadondi was admitted at the St. Francis Hospital, Nairobi towards July this year.

“She has been there and she had improved at a point, and we all hoped she would be discharged. It’s only yesterday (Saturday) I was called by one of her brothers who said her condition was getting worse. There was a recommendation to transfer her to a different facility. Sadly, I was called at 10am by the family breaking the news she is gone,” she re-counted.

Starlets head coach David Ouma mourned Kadondi as an effective team-player in his technical bench, reflecting on her illustrious football career both at club and national team level.

“We will really miss her. She knew how to work with everyone. Whenever we were preparing for matches, she would offer spirit lifting talk to the players in an infectious way. Of course, with her experience she had a lot to offer.

“She is among the pioneer Harambee Starlets players. She also played professional football in Rwanda and later in Congo, when our women football was still struggling awfully,” he recalled.

Kadondi, whose demise was described by FKF president Nick Mwendwa as “a sad day in Kenya’s football” as he broke the news on his Twitter account, is survived by a daughter.

Tags:

Nick Mwendwa Doris Petra Harambee Starlets Maryann Kadondi

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