The making of Dismas Mbaka: From clumsy beginner to league champion with Nairobi City Thunder
From clumsy beginner to league champion, Dismas Mbaka’s journey with Nairobi City Thunder is a story of grit, resilience, and inspiration for a new generation of basketballers in Shauri Moyo.
It is said that time is a great storyteller, and in the case of Dismas Mbaka, who currently plays for the reigning Kenya Basketball Federation Premier League champions Nairobi City Thunder, it narrates a story so incredible that one of his first coaches, Wycliffe Salim Okoth, describes it as a “miracle”.
“I have coached and nurtured so many basketball players but none has impressed me with their transformation as Dismas Mbaka. He is a miracle,” Okoth, alias Coach Babji, tells The Eastleigh Voice during an interview at the Shauri Moyo YMCA hall.
It was at the Shauri Moyo YMCA hall where Dima, as Mbaka is known by those close to him, first started playing basketball soon after he completed high school in 2017. He joined the Shauri Moyo Bucks Academy, where he learned the basics of the sport under the tutelage of Okoth and another coach called Charles Otieno, also known as “Jabush”.
Like Mbaka, Okoth and Otieno are also long-time Shauri Moyo residents. They have been involved in running basketball training programmes in the area and other parts of Nairobi since 1998. They have known Mbaka for almost a decade, and when they started coaching him, Okoth helped him hone his skills while Otieno provided strength and conditioning training.
At 18 years of age, it was considered late for Mbaka to start in the sport, and Okoth laughed as he recalled his protégé’s early struggles learning how to play basketball.
“At that age, an aspiring basketballer is expected to play like an experienced professional, but Mbaka was clumsy with the ball,” Okoth says with laughter. “He had awkward movements and each time he got the ball, he would just turn and shoot at the rim,” he adds.
Otieno, for his part, remembered Mbaka being reserved, shy, and very cautious on the basketball court. “Unlike now, Mbaka back then feared contact. He was afraid to drive through bodies, but he has now built that confidence,” Otieno says.
Mbaka’s struggles as a basketball novice, as Okoth further recalled, also attracted laughter from children who were already advanced in their basketball education as members of Shauri Moyo Bucks Academy’s underage basketball teams.
“Those kids now look up to him,” Okoth says, marvelling at how Mbaka has managed to silence early doubters of his potential.
“More kids in Shauri Moyo are taking up basketball because of Mbaka's influence. That includes his two younger brothers, one of whom quit playing football to concentrate on basketball,” Otieno adds.
Interestingly, Mbaka, as Okoth reveals, drew inspiration for progressing in the sport from his Nairobi City Thunder teammate Faheem Juma. Juma, now 32 years old, is also a long-time Shauri Moyo resident and a late bloomer in basketball. He started playing when he was 21, and his remarkable progress motivated Mbaka to emulate him.
“Mbaka is disciplined and focused. He knew he had gaps in knowledge and skills in the sport, and he continuously worked hard to improve himself,” Otieno says, before Okoth echoes the sentiment by stating that Mbaka used to train three times a day. “Morning, afternoon, or evening. It never mattered what time I came; I always found him here (Shauri Moyo YMCA hall) training.”
Within two years of training with Okoth and Otieno at Shauri Moyo Bucks, Mbaka had shown considerable improvement to earn recognition from NeoSasa Morans, a lower-tier basketball team which shares strong ties with Shauri Moyo Bucks.
“NeoSasa Morans recruited him for their junior team, and I accompanied him to some of their matches where, despite them losing, he played really well,” Otieno says.
Dismas Mbaka (second left) and his coach Wycliffe Salim Okoth (far left) pose for a photo at the German School in 2019. Okoth, who runs a basketball training programme at the school, had taken Mbaka there for a match. (Photo: Wycliffe Salim Okoth)
Mbaka’s performances for the NeoSasa Morans Juniors would soon earn him promotion to the senior team, but in 2021 he was on the move again as top-flight club Nairobi City Thunder came calling.
Still, even after making it to the top flight, Mbaka continued to dedicate his time to Shauri Moyo Bucks and maintained contact with Okoth and Otieno, even occasionally making time to join them in community service activities.
“Mbaka is almost here every afternoon helping to train members of our youth team. He has never forgotten where he came from, and despite the success he is enjoying with Thunder, he is still humble and reserved,” Otieno says, before Okoth adds that they still offer him coaching advice.
“Due to our community basketball commitments, we rarely get time to attend his matches. However, I watch his matches online and I share my thoughts with him after matches. He has also maintained his morning training sessions with Otieno,” Okoth says.
Soon after joining Thunder, the team was acquired by Twende Sports in 2023, and they quickly transformed the team’s operations, making it the first basketball team in Kenya to employ full-time professional players.
“When Twende Sports acquired Thunder, they held new trials and Mbaka was one of the players they retained. With the high standards that they were bringing to the game, it spoke highly of Mbaka’s hard work and dedication to be among the players who Twende Sports found fit to advance their vision,” Otieno says.
Commenting further on his development as a player with Nairobi City Thunder, Okoth expressed a wish that Mbaka be given more responsibilities as an offensive player.
“I hope to see Mbaka deployed more in offence, not just defence. I see him as an all-round player like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan were,” Okoth says.
Wycliffe Salim Okoth, also known as Coach Babji, was one of Dismas Mbaka’s first basketball coaches, focusing mainly on developing his dribbling and passing skills. (Photo: Justin Ondieki)
Under the management of Twende Sports, Nairobi City Thunder took the KBF Premier League by storm, winning the 2023–24 season with an unbeaten record. Thunder followed up that performance with qualification to the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season, becoming the first Kenyan basketball team to qualify for the competition.
Through Mbaka, as well as Faheem Juma, the Shauri Moyo Bucks have also benefited from Nairobi City Thunder’s success, serving as further testament to Mbaka’s efforts in giving back to the community that made him.
“Through Mbaka, Nairobi City Thunder has taken in some of the children playing in the Shauri Moyo Bucks academy as their ball boys. Thunder provides transport for the kids and pays them a stipend from which they save to buy basketball shoes,” Okoth says, before adding that Thunder’s coach, Brad Ibs, once made a courtesy call to Shauri Moyo Bucks and volunteered to pay the club’s KBF Division Two licence fee so that the team can compete in the league this season.
Reflecting on his success and the prospect of watching Mbaka compete against the rest of the continent at BAL 2025, Okoth expressed happiness and pride at his progress.
“As one of his first coaches, there are no words to express how happy and proud I am of Mbaka. He has put Shauri Moyo back on the map. We had gone down a bit but he is pulling us back up again,” Okoth says.
Nairobi City Thunder are scheduled to make their BAL debut in May in Kigali, where they will contest matches against APR of Rwanda, Libya’s Al Ahli Tripoli, and South Africa’s Made By Basketball in the Nile Conference of BAL 2025.
On his part, Otieno chose to overlook Mbaka’s achievements with Thunder, stating: “The accolades do not mean much to me. I am more proud of the man Mbaka has become. He is a role model in our community, not just as a sportsman, but as a person. He is a person of good character, and that is what matters most to me.”
Charles Otieno, also known as Jabush, was one of Dismas Mbaka’s first basketball coaches, focusing on his strength and conditioning. (Photo: Justin Ondieki)
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