Mathare United Founder Bob Munro Dies At 78

Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) founder Bob Munro is dead.

In a statement, Munro’s widow, Ingrid, said the 78-year-old passed away on Sunday evening at his residence in Westlands.

“My darling husband Bob, as he is affectionately referred to in Kenyan football circles has been in and out of the hospital for the last six months due to respiratory problems. A beloved father and grandfather, he breathed his last on Sunday, January 19, 2025 at his residence in Westlands, Nairobi,” she said.

During last year’s Jamhuri Day, Munro was feted by President William Ruto with the Elder of the Burning Spear (EBS).

Munro’s footprints across the Kenyan football landscape remain indelible — a testament to the power of sports in midwifing equality in the society.

He established MYSA in 1987 as a self-help youth group to empower young people, majorly in the slums, with skills and confidence to aim higher towards their potential and achieve their dreams.

Munro’s vision was for slum youths to leverage on sports and become role models on and off the field.

Through programmes, such as, photography and film, HIV/AIDS awareness, environmental cleanup, slum health, music and leadership training, among others, tens of thousands of slum youth have soared high into their respective callings rather than be shackled by their harsh upbringing.

Out of MYSA also came Mathare United who have been a mainstay of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League.

They won the domestic cup competition in 1998 and 2000, then known as the Moi Golden Cup, beating Eldoret KCC and AFC Leopards 2-1 on both occasions.

The slumboys then clinched their maiden league title in 2008 under former captain and domestic cup competition winner, Francis Kimanzi.