Joseph Okumu scores first Ligue 1 goal for Reims against Lyon
The towering Okumu featured for Kenya in Lilongwe during the last FIFA Series friendly as Stars hammered hosts Malawi 4-0 in their opener and then floored Zimbabwe’s Warriors 3-1 in the final to lift their first trophy under coach Engin Firat.
On return to France, Okumu was handed a start by manager Will Still as Reims sought to make it two wins out of two in Ligue 1, having defeated FC Metz 2-1 in their last assignment and after a 0-0 outcome in the first half at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Okumu put Reims ahead in the 55th minute.
Valentin Atangana delivered a corner which Yunis Abdelhamid deflected onto Lyon’s crossbar and the ball fell back to Okumu, who reacted well to push it past the stretching hands of Anthony Lopez. However, Ghana international Ernest Nuamah struck for Lyon in the 65th minute to deny Okumu and Reims victory in the away battle.
Against Malawi and Zimbabwe, Okumu was making a return to the Harambee Stars’ squad having missed the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Gabon and Seychelles last November. Okumu was ruled out owing to a knock sustained while on club duty and was replaced by Dennis Ng’ang’a, as Kenya went on to lose 2-1 against the Panthers and recovered to humiliate the Pirates 5-0 in their second Group F game.
After the defeat to Gabon, Firat admitted Kenya had missed the services of Okumu. “We played minus our key players (out injured) and especially missing Okumu at the back affected my game plan, we were not strong enough at the back, we needed his experience to play against a team like Gabon, but we must focus without him until he returns."
Milestone for Okumu
The goal against Lyon marked the first for the Harambee Star in the competition since moving to Ligue 1 in 2023 from 20 appearances.
“I am happy to have scored my first goal for Reims, I knew the goal would come but I had to wait patiently, I hope these will open up for many more to come,” said Okumu.
“I always want to help my team when called upon, I am ready to play, and when I get the opportunity it is all about helping the team to win matches.”
Okumu joined former Harambee Stars captain Dennis Oliech as players to have scored in Ligue 1 from the East African nation. Oliech, who was the first Kenyan to play in France, enjoyed a chequered career having started in Nantes in 2006 where he scored two goals in the first campaign and another two in the second season before moving to AJ Auxerre, where he scored 25 goals from 165 appearances.
In a recent interview with Ligue 1 Show, Reims coach Still defended his decision to sign Okumu and three other players - Teddy Teuma, Keito Nakamura, and Mohamed Daramy – saying the new acquisitions had helped improve the team’s style of play.
“I'm very happy and proud of everyone because I think this is the Stade de Reims that everybody wants to see,” said Still. He added: “We showed great maturity, it is proof that the club is making tracks in the right direction.”
Who is Joseph Okumu?
Born in Kisumu, a City in the Nyanza region, Okumu started his career at a tender age and eventually signed for Chemelil Sugar, his first club in the Kenyan Premier League. After two seasons at the Sugar Millers, Okumu caught the attention of the South African club Free State Stars, who came for his services.
He played for one season at Free State Stars, managing seven appearances before he moved to the USA to sign for League Two side AFC Ann Arbor. At AFC Ann Arbor he made eight league appearances in the 2018 season and in the same year, he signed for USL Championship side Real Monarchs.
In 2019, he transferred to Swedish Allsvenskan side IF Elfsborg for an undisclosed fee. At Elfsborg, he managed three appearances before he signed for Belgian club Gent on June 21, 2021. At Gent, he formed the team’s defensive backbone and helped them to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League last season.
What next for Okumu?
The Harambee Star will hope to keep his starting place when Reims take on Nice in a Ligue 1 fixture at the Stade Auguste-Delaune II on April 7. Reims are currently lying ninth in the 18-team table with 39 points from 27 matches.
They have managed 11 wins, six draws and suffered 10 defeats.