Esse Mbeyu Akida was never expected to live long. In the eyes of her Chonyi sub-tribe of the Mijikenda people, her dark complexion at birth was seen as a bad omen. Her grandfather even prophesied that if she survived into her teenage years, she would bring heartache and endless tribulations to her family.
In a way, the prophecy came true. But instead of bringing suffering to her family, as her grandfather had foreseen, Esse caused heartache to her opponents on the football pitch. Despite being born into poverty and surrounded by superstitions that could have easily held her back, Esse rose to make herself, her family, and her country proud by reaching the pinnacle of women’s football.
Now, after a trailblazing career, she has added another achievement to her name—Esse has become the first local female footballer to publish a memoir. is an eye-opening account in which she lays bare her life story, offering readers a raw and unfiltered glimpse into her journey—the good, the bad, and the painful. “My mother always said I was special,” Esse writes in her memoir, co-authored by journalist Zachary Oguda.
“Unlike my siblings, I was born with a dark, thick complexion. For her and those who witnessed my birth, it was strange, as my brothers had lighter skin, which is more common in newborns. In my tribe, a black complexion represented a bad omen for the family.
Esee Akida presents her new book to Speaker of the Senate Amason Kingi. “Some believed I was a cursed child, pe.
