Aime Kitenge has been retired from playing professional football for 15 years but still has fond memories of the doors that Jomo Sono opened for him.
Kitenge arrived at Jomo Cosmos at the beginning of 1996 after being spotted playing for the Burundi Under-23 team against their South African counterparts in 1995.
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Within two years of his time at Cosmos, Kitenge found himself on a flight to Europe.
"I ended up in South Africa after playing for Burundi at Milpark against the Under-23 which had Brian Baloyi, Thabo Mooki, George Koumantarakis, Randall Borman, Papi Khomane, and the likes in 1995," discloses Kitenge.
"The first team that wanted me was Real Rovers, but I had they then apparently changed management, so the deal fell through and by then Jomo Sono had overtaken them.
"Bra J (Sono) opened my first door by signing me for Cosmos, giving me a salary plus signing-on fee ad getting me to play outside Burundi for the first time.
"Next up, Bra J took me to Scottish club Clydebank through his contacts, but I couldn’t get a work permit due to caps despite all the efforts they made, so I didn’t play through the year I spent there.
"After that, I went St. Patrick’s where I won the league after they got me a work permit.
"It was a hell of a challenge being in Europe because on the night before my first training session it snowed, and I refused to go to training.
"However, I remembered where I had come from so, I had to endure the difficulties.
"After winning the league in Ireland they wanted me to sign a five-year contract Bra J said I must come back.
"When I came back, Bra J asked me to come and train on the day that Muhsin Ertugral had visited looking for players to take to Turkey.
"Muhsin was with a Turkish club at the time and immediately after one session Bra J told me that I’m wanted by a team in Europe.
"Bra J handled the negotiations, but the deal eventually went off because I think Bra J didn’t reach an agreement with them.
"I was a player who had just won the league in Ireland.
"After that there was another deal secured by Bra J in China and had my visa and ticket to go there.
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"But then on the day when I was supposed to leave Bra J said I shouldn’t travel because the Chinese people had refused to sign a certain document, but I still say credit to Bra J for taking me to Europe against all odds.
"In the end Bra J said I shouldn’t travel because that club had refused to sign the document," says Kitenge who then had another frustrating spell at Mother City after the issuing of his work permit was delayed with the club eventually relegated.
