Gor Mahia’s matchday atmosphere is rarely complete without the chants that rise from the stands, driving the energy of the Green Army from kickoff to the final whistle. One of the key figures behind those songs is Leonard Ong’owo, popularly known as Taya Dok, the coordinator of the Gor Mahia Team Choir.

In an interview with LTN Sports on Friday morning, Ong’owo shared his journey within the Gor Mahia fan movement, the structure of the Team Choir and his views on the club’s current situation on and off the pitch.

LTN Sports: Many fans know you as the voice behind the Gor Mahia Team Choir. How did your journey begin?

Taya Dok : My journey started about 20 years ago , that’s around 2006 after my KCSE exams. I was drawn to the stadium by the energy of Gor Mahia supporters. The craze and the atmosphere around the fans made me want to be part of it. At that time I was just among the crowd singing along with everyone else.

I was singing alongside people like the late MC Ochuodho and Toby Suba. They were leading the chants then and I used to join them without knowing that one day I would become a coordinator and soloist like them.

LTN Sports: Did music always play a role in your life before joining the choir?

Taya Dok: Yes. Music has always been part of me. I started composing songs when I was in Class Four. Singing is something that has always come naturally to me.

LTN Sports: When did you move from being a regular supporter to part of the choir leadership?

Taya Dok: In 2011 I met San Bishop, also known as Lorenzo, who was my schoolmate at Maranda High School. We had participated in music festivals together while in school.

When we met again at Gor Mahia he pulled me into the leadership group as one of the coordinators. At that time I did not even realize I was being prepared to take a bigger role in the choir.

LTN Sports: Is Team Choir a branch within Gor Mahia or something different?

Taya Dok: Team Choir is an independent body. It is simply an entity within the Gor Mahia fraternity. We are not a branch and we are not attached to any particular group or structure.

We exist to support the team through songs and chants.

LTN Sports: How can supporters join the Team Choir?

Taya Dok: Before, when we started, the registration fee was two hundred shillings. Later it went to three hundred, then five hundred and eventually one thousand.

Now things have changed. If you want to join the K’Ogalo Team Choir you must first be a registered Gor Mahia club member. That means you pay the club membership fee of twelve hundred shillings. After that you can join the choir.

LTN Sports: Do you have to belong to a specific Gor Mahia branch to join?

Taya Dok: No. You do not have to be part of any branch. The choir has members who belong to branches and others who do not.

What matters is that you are willing to sing, support the team everywhere and travel with the team when possible. If you can cheer and stand with the club, you are welcome.

LTN Sports: How many members are currently in the choir?

Taya Dok: Right now we have about one hundred registered members. Our target is to reach five hundred members eventually.

LTN Sports: Does the club support the choir in any way?

Taya Dok: We mainly do it for the club out of passion. In the past there was some support from the previous regime, but currently the support is minimal.

Many times when we ask for assistance we are told that the priority is the team travel. Because of that we mostly manage our activities ourselves.

LTN Sports: There are claims that choir members enter stadiums without paying. What is the truth?

Taya Dok :When our chairman Ambrose Rachier officially recognized the K’Ogalo Team Choir and gave us a certificate, there was an agreement about matchday entry.

Sometimes a certain percentage of the choir buys tickets while another percentage is allowed entry. For example, if we are fifty members we may buy thirty tickets. Other times we buy tickets for everyone.

It depends on the situation, but the arrangement was agreed with the club office.

LTN Sports: Where is the Team Choir based?

Taya Dok: Our office is along Jogoo Road near Mogas stage. That is where members can find us and where we coordinate most of our activities.

LTN Sports: Gor Mahia were recently knocked out of the Mozzart Bet Cup. How did the fans take that result?

Taya Dok: There is a lot of pressure on us as supporters. If we continue playing like this even the league will not be guaranteed.

Every season we seem to exit the Mozzart Cup in a disappointing way and it is something the club leadership needs to address.

LTN Sports: Who do you think carries responsibility for those results, the players or the technical bench?

Taya Dok : can blame both sides. The players and the coaches share responsibility.

In such matches you expect a strong starting eleven especially in the first half, then you make changes later. But that did not happen.

LTN Sports: Gor Mahia are currently leading the league. Are you confident the team can win the title?

Taya Dok: I hope we can win it, but right now we are relying too much on individual brilliance. Tactically we are struggling.

Even when we win you can see that we are not dominating games the way Gor Mahia usually does.

LTN Sports: What changes would you like to see within the squad?

Taya Dok: We have too many players. Some of them go through a whole season without playing. When they are finally given a chance they look unprepared.

I think the club should work with around twenty to twenty five players so that everyone remains competitive.

LTN Sports: Recently another group known as Choir Maler has emerged. Are there now two choirs?

Taya Dok: As far as I know we have one choir, the one I coordinate with about one hundred members who have been travelling with the team for the last three years.

If another group has been recognized by the office then the club leadership would have to explain that decision.

LTN Sports: The choir has previously supported Gor Mahia youth and women’s teams. What is your position now?

Taya Dok: Last season we contributed small amounts to help the youth team and the women’s team. But there were a lot of politics within the club and we decided to step aside for a while.

At the moment we are focusing on supporting the senior team, though in the future we hope to reconnect with the youth side again.

LTN Sports: Finally, how confident are you with the current squad if Gor Mahia are to win the league?

Taya Dok: Honestly I am not fully confident. We struggle to beat teams and many of our wins come after hard fights.

We need quality in midfield and in attack if we want to dominate again.

Despite those concerns, one thing remains certain whenever Gor Mahia step onto the pitch. The songs of the Green Army will still rise from the stands and at the front of those chants will be Leonard Ong’owo, the man who has turned his love for music and football into the driving voice of the K’Ogalo Team Choir.

LTN sports: Closing remarks and Maybe a rallying call to fans