With Michael Olunga recently joining the ranks of Kenyan stars to score a hat-trick in a match, it’s been 26 years since the last hat-trick for the Harambee Stars was controversially claimed by two players. On August 15, 1998, the Harambee Stars achieved one of their most significant victories in history, demolishing Djibouti 9-1 in a Nairobi Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. That day, Sammy Okoth entered the history books as only the third player to score a hat-trick for the Harambee Stars, following Mike Okoth and Abdul Baraza. Okoth propelled the Harambee Stars into a 2-0 lead with goals in the third and sixth minutes before Maurice Sunguti also netted twice, amidst Said Mahad’s goal for the opposition, and Francis ‘Killer’ Oduor brought the score to 5-1 after 30 minutes. Okoth completed his hat-trick in the 65th minute, followed by Boniface Ambani’s brace and Oduor finishing off the scoring five minutes from time, securing a significant victory for Abdul Majid’s squad. However, the attribution of Okoth’s third goal led to a dispute as both he and Ambani claimed it. Ambani argued that the goal was his, having shot the ball into the net before Okoth touched it. “It was my goal. I was supposed to achieve a hat-trick that day, but they credited it to Okoth. I saw the ball cross the line before Okoth made contact,” Ambani shared with Pulse Sports. Okoth, however, asserts his rightful claim to the goal, supported by records and video evidence. “The competition was intense, and that’s why such disputes occurred. Otherwise, they would be meaningless. Everyone aimed to excel, pushing you to score in each match,” Okoth explained. “There are records showing I was the scorer, and the footage would confirm I netted all three goals. I didn’t even partner with him [Ambani]; I was up front with Sunguti and John Mo [Muiruri]. I wasn’t handed an easy pass.” On that memorable day, Kenya fielded a team including Matthew Ottamax, Kennedy Ambundo, Josiah Ougo, Francis Oduor, Musa Otieno, Philip Ouma, John ‘Mo’ Muiruri, Tom Juma, Eric Omondi, Maurice Sunguti, and Sammy Okoth. Ambani later substituted Sunguti, scoring twice. Nick Yakhama replaced Eric Omondi, and goalkeeper Ottamax was swapped for Victor Onyango. This isn’t the first instance of Ambani claiming a record he believes was rightfully his but not officially recognized. Before Elvis Rupia’s 27 goals in the FKF Premier League last season, the record-holder was believed to be Gor Mahia legend Maurice ‘Sonyi’ Ochieng with 26 goals in 1976. Nonetheless, Ambani maintains that he too scored 26 goals during the 2006 season with Tusker FC, despite official records indicating only 21. “Some goals weren’t even recorded. The person who wrote down 21 isn’t even sure; I am because I was the one scoring them,” Ambani remarked to GOAL in 2021.
