The body of Gor Mahia and Kenya’s national football team Harambee Stars legend Allan Thigo was cremated at the Hindu Crematorium in Kisumu on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
This was in adherence to his final wishes to be laid to rest within 72 hours of his death. The 77-year-old football icon passed away on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at his home in Bungoma.
The ceremony took place in Kisumu following a memorial service at the Mama Grace Onyango Hall.
Thigo requested a quick and private cremation, which has sparked, as noted by the Daily Nation , a debate about funeral traditions within the Luo community.
Family members, friends, and a section of Gor Mahia fans attended the private event.
His passing follows other recent, notable, fast-tracked funerals for prominent figures in Kenya.
He served as a player for record Kenyan Premier League champions Gor Mahia for an extraordinary 13-year spell between 1970 and 1982 of his playing career.
Thigo earned his iconic nicknames such as the “90-minute man,” “midfield general,” “Ogango Wuon Pap,” and “owner of the field.” His ability to control games and connect defence to attack made him one of the most complete midfielders of his era.
One of his most remarkable achievements came in 1976 when he led Gor Mahia to an unbeaten league title, a historic feat that remains etched in Kenyan football folklore.
He later guided the club to the final of the 1979 African Cup Winners’ Cup, further cementing his legacy on the continental stage.
He scored a record 88 goals for Gor Mahia and earned 86 caps for the national team, Harambee Stars.
In a heartfelt statement, Gor Mahia Patron and former Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Delivery and Government Efficiency in the Executive Office of the President of Kenya.
Allan Thigo
Eliud Owalo led the club and the wider football family in paying tribute to Thigo, describing him as a generational talent whose impact on the game will endure for decades, shortly after he passed away on Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Bungoma.
“Kenyan soccer has lost the greatest attacking midfielder of his generation,” Owalo noted, adding that Thigo’s style of play brought fans and players together through “flow, entertainment, and orchestration of the finest midfield play ever displayed by a Kenyan team,” Owalo led the Gor Mahia family and the entire Kenyan football fraternity in mourning the fallen legend.
In his message message of condolence, Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya said: ”I extend my profound condolences to the family, friends, the Gor Mahia F.C. family, and the entire Kenyan football fraternity following the passing of one of Kenya’s finest football talents and legendary midfield maestro, Allan Thigo. Kenyan football has lost a true icon and an astute attacking midfielder whose brilliance, influence, and contribution to the mastery of the game will forever remain etched in Kenya’s football history.”
