Harambee stars player Mansur Okwaro…Photo/IP
NAIROBI, Kenya
Kenya’s Mansur Okwaro is packing his boots, passport and ambitions for France, with the defender set to join Ligue 2 side Stade de Reims on loan from Nairobi United.
Okwaro, who has been turning heads in the local league, will link up with fellow Kenyan international Joseph Okumu in what could soon double as a Harambee Stars reunion — minus the nyama choma and with considerably better croissants.
The move marks a significant step for the Nairobi United player, who swaps familiar pitches and passionate home crowds for French stadiums, tactical discipline and the unspoken pressure of pronouncing “Reims” correctly on the first try.
Club sources confirmed the loan arrangement, which will see Okwaro test himself in one of Europe’s competitive second-tier leagues, a proving ground known for producing top-flight talent — and for being unforgiving to defenders who switch off for even a second.
For Kenya, the transfer adds to a growing list of players exporting their skills abroad, quietly suggesting that Kenyan footballers are no longer content with watching European leagues on television alone.
As Okwaro heads to France, expectations are modest but hopeful: defend well, learn fast and remember that in Ligue 2, mistakes travel just as quickly as good form.
Wishing him the best.



