Jackline Juma: From starting out at only 17 to becoming the first female coach to lead a men’s topflight team in Kenya

Finally!

That will surely be one of the words floating in the air when the 2024/25 Football Kenya Federation Premier League gets underway on Saturday 24 August.

Around 3 weeks later, that word must surely be used when Sofapaka take on FC Talanta at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos on 14 September.

On that day, Jackline Juma will go down the annals of history by becoming the first female coach to ever lead a topflight men’s team when she stands at the sidelines as the new FC Talanta head coach.

That eureka moment, 61 years in the making since the Kenyan Premier League was formed in 1963, will finally see the men’s game making huge strides in giving an equal opportunity to all and diving into unchartered, yet long-awaited, territory.

For Juma, it will be the official start of a reign that will not only be used as a source of inspiration to young Kenyan girls but also as a test of possibilities. 

And of dreams that have finally found wings to explore, but most importantly, that have found trust in being given such an opportunity.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with SportPesa Blog, the 38-year-old Juma, who played for Mathare United Women, Old Is Gold Ladies, MOYAS Ladies, Makolanders Ladies and even received 26 caps for the women’s national team Harambee Starlets, delves into the journey that has seen her name forever etched into Kenya’s footballing folklore after being appointed the first-ever female head coach of a men’s team in the country.

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Starting Out

Just like any other player who has graced the game, all Juma wanted to do was to enjoy the beautiful sport and play at the top level.

But unlike most players, Juma had an understanding quite early on that she would need something extra to help elevate her game.

“I wanted to coach when I was a young player because I thought that if you combined classes with playing, then you would get a deeper understanding of the game,” Juma narrates to SportPesa Blog.

And so, enabled by the environment she found herself in at the time, Juma began her coaching journey at only 17 years of age.

While playing for Mathare United Women then, every player was tasked with a small responsibility of passing on knowledge to young girls who were being supported by the Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) - a community development organization that uses sports to engender broad socio-economic development, while also effecting positive social change.

“I started coaching while still playing for Mathare United Women. I was only 17 then but there used to be a rule at the club that required every player to have a girls team from the zone they came from.

At the time, MYSA used to equip us with coaching classes so we had an idea of what to do and coming from the Korogocho zone, I used to coach the under 12 girls team from that area,” Juma revealed.

It is that early stint around 2003 that set the foundation for the barrier breaking tactician as the spark ignited created a burning desire for more.

Coaching advancements

In the 21 years since, Juma, who last played for the national team in 2016, has moved through almost all the stages and has gotten the requisite qualifications that have propelled her to the FC Talanta job she currently holds.

After doing a number of basic coaching courses under MYSA and KNVB (The Royal Dutch Football Association), Juma completed her Diploma CAF D Licence in 2016, CAF C in 2019, CAF B in 2022 before getting her CAF A Licence - the second-highest qualification badge in Africa - in 2024.

She was also part of a select team of women in Africa who went to Saudi Arabia and took part in the CAF/SAFA High Level Coaching Course in 2024 besides also managing to do the CAF Women Instructor course in Morocco in 2023.

Her inroads in the elite game started in 2017 when she was appointed the assistant coach of the women’s U20 national team.

A year later, she found herself as David Ouma’s assistant at the senior women’s team before taking on the reins as the women’s U17 head coach in 2019.

In 2023, she was appointed the women’s U15 head coach and was also the Gor Mahia Queens head coach prior to landing the Talanta job.

That impressive CV is said to have blown away the FC Talanta CEO Godfrey Mwaloma who ended up giving her the job without hesitation.

The initial plan was to have Juma as one of the technical bench members in the men’s team as she led the FC Talanta women’s team that was to be formed.

However, Mwaloma believed she could do the men’s job given her rich CV, and the fact that the new Football Kenya Federation rules needed every men’s team in the topflight to have head coaches with a Diploma CAF A Licence starting from the 24/25 campaign, a box she ticked.

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Historic FC Talanta appointment

Despite having been in the game for a good part of the last ten years coaching various women’s national teams, and even some lower division men’s teams, Juma became an overnight hit once news broke about her appointment in the men’s top tier.

“It actually got to a point where my phone was going off because there was a lot of traffic coming my way. When I power it back on, there are messages from everywhere - on Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger. 

Mind you, I am not a social media person so I have been feeling a bit odd. I just want to be me, an ordinary coach. But people have really reacted to it which makes me realize how big it actually is,” she reveals.

All through her journey, Juma is grateful of where she has come from and some of the instrumental people who have played a big part in getting her to where she is.

She credits Theo Derks from The Netherlands, who used to offer coaching courses at MYSA, as one of the influential figures who helped shape her career path and believed she would go on to become a national team coach, long before she thought she was even good enough.

Others who have made it into the list include former Harambee Starlets head coach David Ouma, CAF instructor Salim Ali, former Ulinzi Stars head coach Stephen Ocholla and Harambee Starlets head coach Beldine Odemba who is the only other woman in the country with a Diploma CAF A Licence.

FC Talanta future and expected challenges

Juma is well aware that her stint at Talanta will be work in progress, considering the team just managed to escape the relegation places by a single point last season.

In her ideal world, Juma sees her teams asserting their dominance in matches by keeping possession and being confident on the ball, something she would like to bring into a Talanta side known for the reverse.

“My philosophy is that I want us to dominate by playing possession football. These kind of teams are always dangerous because you never know their next action. I want my team to have the confidence to play with or without pressure and express ourselves.

Right now, the key thing for me would be to look at where this team was last season. They fought relegation a lot and it is something I would not want to happen this season. Of course we have goals but I would like to take it one game at a time,” she explained.

In her ride, Juma is also cognizant that she will face challenges along the way with the biggest one set to be about her as a female coach. However, her past experience gives her hope that it will not hover her head for a long time.

“The main challenge and the one that I have experienced before is the early judgement that comes with being a female coach. But then, when the players listen to what you have to offer, they shift and now start to respect.

The only way to overcome this is by accepting that I am a female coach which I cannot change and by showing them what I can offer,” she reveals.

As she begins her coaching journey in the top flight, the trailblazing Juma is hopeful that her appointment will inspire upcoming female coaches to believe that they are able to get to the highest levels in the game even as she encouraged them to get into classes in order to gain the knowledge.

“Getting this opportunity means they are part of this and it should encourage them that if I can do it then there is nothing hard and impossible. Gender should not be a barrier and should not limit them from achieving their dreams.

First believe in yourself. If you do, then you will get what you want. But if you do not, it will be even hard to dream of it. 

Knowledge is also the most important bit. They should up their game, get into classes so that they acquire the licenses and seek experience by implementing. It does not matter where you start from. The more they implement, the more they get the experience which the world will notice,” she said.

About getting the sack, Juma was not scared,” When you decide to be a coach, one thing you should do is to be ready to be hired or fired. That’s a fact,” she concluded.

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Jackline Juma Bio

Playing career

Kenya National Senior Women’s Team ( Harambee Starlets) - 26 caps

Makolanders Ladies - 56 games

MOYAS Ladies - 72 games

Old Is Gold Ladies - 32 games

Mathare United women - 120 games

Appointments

2017-  assistant coach u20

2018 - 1st assistant coach Harambee Starlets

2019 - U17 Head Coach women

2023 - U15 Head Cach Talanta Hela select girls team

Professional Courses

2016 - CAF D License 

2019 - CAF C License

2022 - CAF B License

2023 - CAF instructors Kenya & Morocco 2023

2024 - CAF A License

2024 - High level CAF instructors Saudi Arabia 2024 - For selected female coaches in Africa

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