Record Kenyan champions Gor Mahia will lock horns with Tanzanian giants Simba SC in the annual Simba Day celebrations at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday.
K’Ogalo have named a 25-man squad for the fixture, with some stars expected to join after national duty with Harambee Stars, in what promises to be a day of spectacle, rivalry and footballing poetry.
For Dar es Salaam, Simba Day is no ordinary date on the calendar. It is carnival and coronation rolled into one — a theatre where football meets music, and where Simba SC summon their red-clad faithful to celebrate identity, pride and power.
This year, their guest is none other than Gor Mahia, the Kenyan green machine, carrying with them the weight of a storied history. The plane carrying K’Ogalo touched down in the coastal city in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Their Ghanaian head coach, Charles Akonnor, fresh from signing a two-year deal, called the encounter “a chance to measure ourselves against fire.”
He knows well that for Gor Mahia, this is more than a friendly. It is rehearsal and prophecy, a glimpse of the battles to come in the Kenyan Premier League and on the continental stage.
Simba Day, as tradition dictates, is a theatre of spectacle. Beyond the whistle and the ball, the day is a festival of rhythm, with Tanzania’s finest artists drumming up the noise and colour. It is also a marketplace of ambition, where Simba unveil their recruits and parades them before their roaring faithful.
Then, when the music stills, the climax arrives — the friendly match against an invited rival. In 2025, the task of opposition rests with Gor Mahia, and the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium is set to heave with anticipation.
For K’Ogalo, this invitation is both a blessing and a challenge. Having surrendered the KPL crown to Kenya Police FC last season, Gor Mahia are desperate to reclaim their throne.
They have bolstered their ranks with new signings — George Amonoo, Ebenezer Adu and Siraj Mohammed among them — and will use this match to weld the old and the new into a single fighting unit.
But there are notable absentees. Goalkeeper Bryne Omondi, who has already signed for the club, has not travelled. Others, including Michael Kibwage, Sylvester Owino, Lewis Bandi, Alphonse Omija, Alpha Onyango and Ben Stanley, are tied up with Harambee Stars duty. They will join later.
Still, Akonnor insists the squad is balanced. The rivalry between Simba and Gor Mahia stretches beyond goals and trophies.
It is East African pride at play, a duel of neighbours whose histories mirror each other’s dominance. Simba arrive with a continental pedigree, regulars in the CAF Champions League.
Gor Mahia carry the weight of record titles in Kenya and a restless ambition to return to the group stages of Africa’s most prestigious club competition. As the Tanzanian giants unveil their signings under the floodlights, Gor Mahia will be seeking to write their own script — one of defiance, preparation and a return to old glory.
Beyond the pitch, the politics of football hover like shadows. Kenya Police FC, the original invitees, were forced to withdraw due to CECAFA Kagame Cup commitments.
Their absence opened the door for K’Ogalo, and with it, the chance for Nairobi’s faithful to carry their chants into Dar es Salaam. Already, buses are rolling across the Namanga border, ferrying green jerseys and unshakable faith.
For Simba, the day is about celebration. For Gor Mahia, it is about a statement. The Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, with its vast stands and fevered atmosphere, will be the crucible where those ambitions meet.
It will be music, rivalry, and destiny intertwined in 90 minutes. And so, as the countdown narrows to September 10, the stage is set.
GOALKEEPERS
Gad Mathews, Kevin Omondi
DEFENDERS
Philemon Otieno, Paul Ochuoga, Bryton Onyona, Sylvester Owino, Joshua Onyango, Mike Kibwage, Lewis Bandi, Siraji Mohammed
MIDFIELDERS
Ernest Wendo, Lawrence Juma, Enock Morrison, Fidel Origa, Ben Stanley, Austine Odhiambo, Alpha Onyango
FORWARDS
Samuel Kapen, Patrick Essombe, Chris Ochieng, George Amonoo, Ebenezer Adu-Kwaw Shariff Musa Felix Ouoch Mark Shaban
TECHNICAL STAFF
Head Coach Charles Akonnor Kobi-Mensah Bismark – Assit. Head Coach Ben Owu – Goalkeeper Coach Joshua Kofi -Video analyst Brian Odongo – Team Doctor – Kit manager Ibrahim Odero
by TONY MBALLA
