Kenya's Nakuru town is situated in the great Rift Valley. And this is the home of Nakuru West Queens, a women's football club currently participating in the Kenya Premier League.

Josephine Luyali, aged 23 is a midfielder for the Nakuru West Queens, a women's football club based in Kenya's Nakuru town. Africa is known for great footballers, many of whom developed their skills at a young age using home-made footballs created from plastic. Luyali is no exception. She joined the team in 2018 after completing high school.

Luyali participated in various county tournaments, which helped her attract attention from Kenyan Premier League teams.

"I came to Nakuru by playing county tournaments. A friend introduced me to the Nakuru West Queens coach. By then I used to stay with a friend. I started playing in division one when our coach discovered my talent.”

Nakuru Queens coach Bernard Esitoko says that although ladies are not considered as strong as men, when it comes to football, they have a passion for the game. They are dedicated when on the pitch. This is what inspired him to get involved in scouting and coaching them.

"We saw an opportunity in these girls to help them overcome the most common challenges they face daily for instance early pregnancies and early marriages," says Esitoko.

Additionally, Esitoko says, most parents believe that football is reserved for men. Some have therefore been up in arms against their daughters joining the team.

But even with this hurdle, Luyali's spirit has not been dampened. She is not only a player, but she is also a mechanic. Her passion in both fields is fueled by her quest to be one of the best footballers but also to be financially stable to help her siblings and parents.

"I played in division one for a year, then I decided to start some side hustle for an extra income. That’s how I joined a local garage. But the challenge was, I needed to train as a mechanic to be able to work.

I would go for mechanic training for two days and the next two I would be on the pitch playing football.”

For Luyali it seems like a footballer who is juggling between two roles with much ease. However, the downside has been creating balance between dribbling the ball on the pitch and dealing with different parts of vehicles in a garage.

"At the garage, I am required to give more time to the person I am working with. Sometimes we would have a misunderstanding, because I was needed at the pitch at the same time. That became a challenge.”

On the pitch, Luyali's agility, prowess and passion is easily noticed as she runs for the ball, dribbles past her team-mates while in training. Her training begins at 9.00 am. Five gruelling hours later, she leaves and heads to the garage to complete her day's work.