Former Players Offer Mixed Accounts as Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Onyango Grow

Click here to read Part 1: Undefeated: Joy Mupalia Speaks Out After Alleged Attempted Rape; More Women Accuse Former Kenya Under-18 Women’s National Team Basketball Coach of Attempted Sexual Misconduct.

Author’s Note: 

Editor’s note: Some names have been changed to protect people who say they fear retaliation. Philip Onyango Ombajo and Joy Mupalia are named because their names are already in the public domain. Onyango has denied wrongdoing. Allegations described in this story remain disputed unless otherwise stated by court records or official findings.

Philip Onyango Ombajo, a former Kenyan women’s youth basketball coach, has denied sexually harassing Joy Mupalia and rejected broader allegations of sexual misconduct.

Onyango spoke after prosecutors declined to pursue attempted rape charges related to Mupalia’s complaint, citing insufficient evidence.

“Who told you she was forced?” Onyango said. “Modern hotel rooms are not locked from inside, ndugu. You use the card only to open the door and can open it anytime. I have told you, and this is final. I did not sexually harass. The police and ODPP, the most qualified people to handle this, gave their verdict.”

Mupalia has maintained her account. She accused Onyango of attempted rape after a July 3 encounter at a Nairobi hotel.

The prosecutor’s decision did not declare Onyango innocent. It said there was insufficient evidence to support the attempted rape charge.

Onyango also denied taking off his clothes and questioned why Mupalia did not scream or leave.

“How and why should I have taken off my clothes to do what?” Onyango said. “Did she even make noise and run for help? I have never slept with my player and will never do. Otherwise, I could not be successful all these years to date.”

Mupalia disputed his account.

“Shame on him,” Mupalia said. “Me and him know what happened, and of course, he won’t accept it. I hope his daughter does not experience this.”

Mupalia said Onyango asked her personal questions before the hotel encounter.

“He asked me if I have a boyfriend,” Mupalia said. “He was asking if I am a virgin and so many personal questions that I couldn’t answer.”

Hotel room at the center of the dispute

In an interview with The Nairobian, Onyango denied the allegations surrounding the July 3 incident.

“The only mistake I made was to allow her to sleep in the same room with me,” Onyango told The Nairobian.

The hotel room arrangement remains one of the central facts in dispute. Several coaches and players interviewed by The Africana Voice said a coach sharing a hotel room with a female player raised serious ethical concerns.

Kenya Ports Authority sports administrator Lennox Safari described the situation as unethical and “an issue of his own making.”

Onyango told The Nairobian that he discussed Mupalia’s relationship status because he believed it could affect her career.

“This lady is only 22 years old,” Onyango said. “As a responsible coach, I thought that it would be nice if I talked to her about the impact of having a relationship at this point while pursuing her career.”

Mupalia said she told Onyango she had a boyfriend to discourage his advances.

“Onyango is such a liar,” Mupalia said. “When we entered the room, and he undressed, I was uncomfortable. He was telling me things that made me uneasy. He then starts talking to me about sex and how he would help me if I give in.”

Mupalia said she was seated in a chair while Onyango was on the bed.

“He then brings his hands and touches my hips,” Mupalia said. “I faced away from him and gave him my back. I was thinking of something to tell him so that I could get away from him. I told him I have a boyfriend, and he wouldn’t like to hear what I’m doing here with you.”

Mupalia said Onyango became angry after she mentioned her boyfriend.

“Instead of listening to his nonsense, I took out my phone and texted a really good friend of mine who is a lawyer,” Mupalia said.

Some former players say Onyango helped them

Several women who lived at Onyango’s home or played under him said they did not personally experience sexual misconduct.

Their accounts do not resolve the allegations. They describe their own experiences with Onyango.

“I played for him like four years. He never requested for anything from me, to be honest,” said Janet, whose name has been changed. “Honestly, Onyango was a good coach, and he helped many of his players to achieve in life. The only problem with him is where now people complain of his manners of sexual harassment.”

Janet said she started living at Onyango’s residence when she was 16 and stayed there during much of her high school life.

Esther, whose name also has been changed, described herself as Onyango’s student and daughter.

“I can honestly say I never had any sexual assault during my time, and I wouldn’t like to discuss more in this regard,” Esther said.

Rachel, another woman whose name has been changed, said she did not experience sexual harassment from Onyango.

“He has never approached me,” Rachel said. “Since I started working with Coach Phillip, I have never come across anything with him concerning this situation.”

Former KPA official describes limited knowledge

Agatha, whose name has been changed, said she was unaware of any sexual harassment complaints against Onyango when she worked with him at KPA.

“He would not have been in my team if I knew that he was sexually harassing my girls,” Agatha said. “Nothing of the sort was brought to my attention.”

Agatha spoke to The Africana Voice at Onyango’s request. She said she remembered tension between Onyango and Anthony Ojukwu, KPA’s head coach, but said she did not know of sexual misconduct complaints at the time.

“I loved my boys, each with their weakness and strengths,” Agatha said, referring to Onyango and Ojukwu. “Though Phillip’s weakness was not women. This recent incident was a shock to me.”

Later, Agatha said she did not always stay in the same accommodations as the team during international trips.

“I’d not stay with them on international trips,” Agatha said. “We would be together, though PO got his accommodations outside the camp. FIBA gets accommodations for 14 players and officials in a 3- to 4-star hotel. Philip was paid as a player, and he preferred to source for cheaper accommodation and save some cash.”

That arrangement, she said, meant she did not always know where Onyango stayed during trips.

Agatha later reviewed a recorded conversation involving Onyango and Ansalim Onalo. She said the recording changed her view of how he interacted with others in basketball.

“I now understand why and how he has made a lot of enemies,” Agatha said. “He talks too much. I have listened to the saga. Unfortunately, PO comes out as a braggart, big gossiper who should be in the periphery of KBF, not in the kitchen.”

Still, Agatha said she believed Onyango helped many players.

“Phillip has a kind heart, and he genuinely loves the game,” Agatha said. “He will scout for players, keep them in his house and develop the player to a world-class standard. He is full of compassion. To get the girls to play the way he wants, I know that he can be a bully.”

Others in Kenyan basketball view his legacy differently.

“Whatever good he has done with these girls has been superseded with the evils he has done,” said Kariba, whose name has been changed.

Onyango has denied wrongdoing.

Kenya Basketball Federation declined to comment for this story.

Background

Mupalia said Onyango invited her to Nairobi on July 3, promising to help her secure a position with the Kenya Ports Authority women’s basketball team.

She said Onyango booked one hotel room for both of them. Mupalia said she objected and later alleged that he pressured her to have sex with him.

Onyango denied the allegation.

Mupalia later called a friend to describe what she said had happened. The friend recorded the conversation, and the audio circulated on social media.

The recording led to an online petition that drew nearly 2,000 signatures. The petition demanded action from the Kenya Basketball Federation and accused basketball officials of failing to protect women and girls.

“A known basketball coach who has worked for the club team Kenya Ports Authority, the women’s national team and various high school basketball teams in the Mombasa area has been molesting and raping young girls and women, using sexual favors as bait in the name of offering basketball opportunities,” the petition stated. “This has been happening knowingly under the Kenya Basketball Federation leadership over the past 15 years.”

The petition did not name Onyango.

After the public backlash, Onyango resigned from several basketball roles. The Kenya Basketball Federation later barred him from federation-sponsored activities.

In a letter signed by KBF Chairman Paul A. Otula and Secretary-General Ambrose Kisoi, the federation cited sections 12(4) and 14(2) of its rules as grounds for the action. The letter did not expressly state that Onyango had committed any wrongdoing.

A man believed to be the former KBF Secretary-General, Vitalis Gode, said KBF set up a committee to investigate the allegations. He said the committee found the allegations accurate and said Onyango admitted to soliciting sex from the woman in a hotel room, but said, “nothing happened.”

The Africana Voice has not independently verified that committee account.

Nation Media Group also terminated Onyango’s contributor arrangement.

“Onyango was a contracted contributor to the Nation Media Group,” Managing Editor Elias Makori said in a Twitter message. “Once the allegations were brought to our attention, we terminated his services immediately. The Nation Media Group upholds moral sobriety and does not entertain such conduct as Onyango was alleged to have been involved in. NMG has a clear policy on sexual harassment.”

Kenya Ports Authority also ended its association with Onyango.

Prosecutors declined to pursue the attempted rape charge at the time, citing insufficient evidence. Since then, more women have alleged sexual harassment or assault by Onyango.

Those allegations remain disputed.

Part three of our investigation will focus on new allegations.