Mama Oliech ( Mary Auma Oliech ) will be laid to rest on Saturday 18th August 2018 at their rural home in Seme, Kisumu County. Life isn’t permanent, and no human being is immortal. We are here today, tommorrow we are history.
I think we have more positive lessons to learn from the life of Mama Oliech, and how Oliech ( The Footballer) cared for his mama especially after getting money and fame immediately, he landed a contract with a Qatari based club and later France.
Oliech rose to fame when the family was still struggling, mother being an ordinary fish seller and the prime bread winner of the family. Though he had some elder siblings but the fact is that the mother was hugely looked upon before Oliech’s talent finally paid.
When He landed a contract in Qatar , the first two things he did with his first salary was moving his mom to a new house, and expanding her fish business later on becoming one of the best eateries in the city where even Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg took his first ever tilapia there.
Oliech later built his mom a home in Lavington where she lived up to the time of her death.
According to Mama Oliech’s last interview with The People Daily , Oliech helped whenever he could, when it came to family projects. However, all his siblings are stable and have families and jobs of their own.
When she started battling Lymphoma Cancer, Oliech played a big role in making sure she got well. He found a doctor in Paris France who treated her from 2013 to 2016.He spent huge amounts of money, the mother estimating it to Ksh 19 million .
He also hired for her a private physiotherapist. Also, Oliech supported his mother to open a second branch of Mama Oliech and a pub at Dagoretti Centre.
When Oliech was rumoured to be broke and selling his house and cars to survive, remember it was exactly this time when Cancer had pushed the mother to extreme, and with the Luoism in Oliech he never wanted to open a paybill number to start begging for money to take his mom to India for treatment. He used his savings and even pawned personal properties to procure appropriate treatment. Of all the things he bought her mom, he never touched any; only his!
When his former French club came in to recall him , the truth is that Oliech had ideally exhausted most of the possible avenues.
The way Oliech struggled to give his mom life without bothering other family members and friends, need to serve as an important lesson to us. It was sad seeing how people were so heartless in blaming Oliech for his financial deterioration instead trying to dig deep to the issues behind it.
Funnily some us can not even afford to pay for a malaria treatment solely for our momms without telling them to call other siblings to top up the money. Some would even open paybill numbers.
The way mothers struggle to keep us comfortable at our young age is the same way we should struggle to keep them comfortable at old age. A happy mother is a happy family.
Before you take your Guiness or any other drink , remember your mom ; Imagine those five Guinness you are drinking is enough to buy her food for a whole week. Don’t compete with other siblings, everyone was born at his/her time and the pain she underwent might have varied. Behave as if you are the only kid just like Oliech did.
GOD ALMIGHTY gave Oliech a second chance with a monthly pay of over 1.5 million ( after taxation) because of his mom. Footballers rarely get this chance after officially making a public retirement.
RIP mama Oliech.
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