Coronavirus: Former Kenya captain Otieno to undergo self-isolation after discharge

Former Harambee Stars captain and defender Musa Otieno will undergo 14-day self-isolation after he was discharged from hospital due to his coronavirus infection.

Otieno was admitted at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) after testing positive 10 days ago and now he has been allowed to go home.

On June 30, the former AFC Leopards star was taken to hospital after suffering high fever and underwent various tests including one of Covid-19 which emerged positive later.

He became the first former and current Kenyan player to have confirmed he had contracted the disease.

On their Facebook page, Harambee Stars confirmed the discharge of their former captain.

“It's a good morning with good news. Our legend Musa Otieno was discharged from hospital yesterday [Thursday] after recovering from Covid-19,” Harambee Stars posted on Thursday.

“He will now undergo 14 more days of self-isolation at home where he will be tested again after the period.

“Let's continue praying for Musa and giving him our support messages. We also must stay safe by following all the guidelines provided by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO).”

The 46-year-old is an iconic footballing figure in the country having captained the national team from 1993 to 2009 where he also made 105 appearances for Harambee Stars.

He captained the team in the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Tunisia after helping them qualify for the first time since 1992.

Otieno also played for local giants AFC Leopards and Tusker and won Kenyan Premier League (KPL) titles.

After making his name in the local scene, Otieno joined Santos FC of South Africa where he equally had a good stint, especially during the 2001/02 season when they won the league title.

He left Santos on loan to Cleveland City Stars before returning to the Lansdowne club and retired in 2011.

The veteran defender has served as an assistant coach of the Kenyan men's and women’s national teams before.

The soccer pundit, through his non-governmental organisation, Kick-off to Hope, had been distributing essential goods to the residents of Maringo Estate during the coronavirus pandemic.

After contracting the disease, Otieno later confirmed every one working under his foundation had been tested.