Marion Serenge is on the cusp of history. She is in the Junior Starlets’ squad, a contingent of players in training poised to make history as the first Kenyan team to play at a FIFA World Cup. This is just 14 months after Marion was crowned the Safaricom Chapa Dimba Western Region Most Valuable Player (MVP).
A Form Four student at Archbishop Njenga Girls’ High School in Kakamega, Marion scored one of the two goals in Junior Starlets’ 2-nil home win, which cemented a 5-nil aggregate victory over Burundi in the fourth and final round of the FIFA Under 17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
“It was my first time scoring for the national team. I was so happy that my goal helped take Kenya to the World Cup,” she recalls.
The soft-spoken teenager began playing football seriously two years ago after being pushed by her dad, Fred Serenge, who has been the football coach at Archbishop Njenga Girls for the past 24 years.
“It is a rare situation that you find on one side, you’re a parent; on the other side, you’re a coach, and at the same time, you are also a mentor. One thing I like about Marion is her self-drive. Initially, I can’t say she was a very top player, but through her commitment in terms of training and with my guidance, she has rapidly scaled great heights,” Fred says.
It has been a whirlwind 24 months for Marion who professes a love for the French language, which she is studying for in her KCSE exams. She also has a liking for Spain, a country she visited as part of the Talanta Hela Under 19 side and where the Junior Starlets will camp for training ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
“Football has changed my life. When I was scouted in Chapa Dimba and called up to the national team, it was the fulfilment of a dream. My other dream is to play professionally in Europe. I am on a journey to achieve my dreams. So far, football has helped me greatly. I am now World Cup-bound, which is beyond my wildest dreams,” says Marion.
Numerous material benefits have also resulted from her blossoming talent. In June 2024, Kenyan sports journalists feted Marion as the month’s sports personality and gifted her an LG Washing Machine. She also upgraded her family’s TV to a 55-inch through proceeds from football, much to her father’s delight.
The Serenge name has a football pedigree in the country. Fred, who played for the national football team Harambee Stars and who also had stints with AFC Leopards and Kenya Breweries FC in his heyday, was clear about his goals: “I have developed people’s children. I have made big names. I have actually been able to change people’s lives, and I felt I could also impact the same in my child, Marion.”
Marion’s grandfather played for Kenya in The Gossage Cup, the precursor to the CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup; her uncles turned out for Harambee Stars and her elder brother currently plays in Kenya’s top-flight league.
With her historic exploits with the Junior Starlets, young Marion, who hopes to play professionally in Europe after completing her high school education, now has bragging rights within the extended Serenge family.
Watch the video below to see how she balances football success with being a KCSE candidate and her advice to a young girl dreaming of a career in football.