
14/06/2025
Noah Wanyama: Father Who Molded His Five Children To Multi-Millionaire Sports Personalities
In this life, every parent’s wish is always to see their children succeed in life.
While the majority emphasise on academic excellence, the Wanyamas – family of Noah Wanyama, has produced successful athletes, all of whom followed in the footsteps of their father.
The retired footballer is the father of former Harambee Stars captain, MacDonald Mariga, Victor Wanyama, Thomas Wanyama, Sylvester Wanyama, and Mercy Wanyama, all of whom have excelled in their disciplines.
In this article, WoK narrates the success story of the Wanyamas while highlighting the feats achieved by the amazing sportsmen and woman who hail from this family.
Noah Wanyama
The patriarch of the Wanyamas played as a winger for Kenya Premier League side AFC Leopards and the Harambee Stars national team.
Wanyama met his wife and mother to their children, Mildred Wanyama through sports. She was a netball player. The couple met while working for the Kenya Railways in the 1970s.
“I was just a junior clerk and he was senior clerk. We met through sports during the KICOSO games. That is where our journey began,” she said during a past interview with Citizen TV.
Wanyama played for AFC Leopard for 16 years and had a stint with Harambee Stars in the 1970s.
“When I used to play, I would go with them to the stadium. I would give them a ball to play with, and sometimes I brought a ball home, and that is how they learnt to play,” he says.
The veteran footballer believes that the discipline he instilled in his children over the years contributed to their success.
MacDonald Mariga
Mariga is arguably one of the greatest footballers the country has ever produced. He played football in Europe featuring for various clubs in his illustrious career.
The former Harambee Stars captain began his playing career at Ulinzi Stars before moving first to Tusker FC and then to Kenya Pipeline while still in school. He was part of the Kamukunji High School ‘Golden Boys’, which also included Kenyan striker Dennis Oliech
The central midfielder moved to Sweden in 2005 to play for third Division side Enköpings SK. After only one season at ESK, he signed for Helsingborgs IF before the 2006 season. His success at Helsingborgs was immediate.
Mariga signed for Parma which played in Italy’s Serie A. His impressive stint earned him a move to Inter Milan where he won the UEFA Champions League in 2010.
Victor Wanyama
The immediate former Harambee Stars captain’s footballing resume speaks for itself. As of today, Wanyama is the captain of Canadian side CF Montreal Impact which plays its trade in the US Major League Soccer (MLS).
He has featured in the past for Belgian side Beerschot, Scotland’s Celtic FC, English sides Southampton and Tottenham Hotspurs.
Thomas Wanyama, Sylvester Wanyama
The two Wanyamas ply their trade in the Kenyan leagues. Thomas was a midfielder for KPL side Sofapaka.
Mercy Wanyama
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