From bullying to boxing: Lamu’s Ahmed Hamid fights back with passion and purpose

Passion has pushed many to try their luck in sports like football, rugby, netball, hockey, volleyball, tennis, and boxing. But others find themselves pursuing a particular game after being pushed by life challenges.

In Lamu County, a rising boxer, Ahmed Hamid, 22, is one of the devotees who embraced boxing after being bullied by his schoolmates in secondary school.

According to Ahmed, the bullying left him with scars after having suffered harassment from 2019 until when he completed his studies in 2022.

Ahmed is currently one of the ten young boxers who are participating in the Lamu Youth Boxing Club. They train in the Mkomani area, Lamu Island.

They are under coach Abdalla Feisal, who is also a famous boxer who has played and represented Lamu in other counties and even abroad.

During an interview with the Eastleigh Voice, Ahmed revealed that after joining Form One, older students would beat him in class and mock him.

Abdallah Feisal, the boxing coach. (Farhiya Hussein)

He says his tiny body made the older students take advantage and assault him physically and verbally.

“I was bullied when I was in secondary school, especially in Form One. Older students used to torture me and criticize my small body. They would show up to beat me and even force me to clean their beds and cubicles. I had no choice but to do that for fear of the beatings,” said Ahmed.

He says the harassment reduced when he joined Form Two. “ I decided I will not bully other students but rather, protect them against any form of abuse in school,” said Ahmed.

To achieve the target, Ahmed started engaging in physical exercises, including lifting weights as long as he got his body in shape.

“Then I joined the boxing club at school, the main mission of which is to acquire the skills for self-defence and also to protect others,” said Ahmed.

After completing Form Four in 2022, Ahmed immediately joined the Lamu Youth Boxing Club which is always representing Lamu County in various tournaments.

He says it is the bullying that has so far made him improve in the game and build himself.

“Currently, I have represented my club in local competitions, losing and winning some matches, thus bringing lots of praise to my team. I also hope that in future, I will be able to represent not only Lamu but even the entire Kenya in boxing matches,” said Ahmed.

Coach Abdalla described Ahmed as a diligent and disciplined young man in the game. He says that if Ahmed remains focused, he will be the greatest in the boxing industry.

“I have about five dependable players in my club that I train. They include Ahmed Hamid, Ali Omar and Abdulkadir Mohamed. We have represented Lamu in a match in Kajiado recently. More matches are in the pipeline,” said Abdalla.

Ahmed Hamid (right), the Lamu boxer who was inspired by the bullying he encountered in school to participate in boxing and another boxer Ali Omar. (Farhiya Hussein)

One of the challenges facing Lamu boxers is the lack of funding to strengthen the game and the players.

“We don't have standard boxing arenas. We're just using our homesteads to do our exercises. We would like to ask sponsors to come forward and help us to take the Lamu boxing game far, whether it is at the national or international levels," said Abdalla.

Boxer Ali Omar said his joy is to see well-wishers coming to their aid to boost the morale of the boxing game.

“We are passionate about boxing. Boxing has made us busier, more committed and more responsible. Boxing has assisted some of our colleagues to recover from drug addiction,” said Ali.