Giniwasekao

Giniwasekao, (or giniwasekawo), a corruption of gini wasekao (or wasekawo depending on the Luo dialect in use), Luo for "We have taken this thing" is a catchword popularised by Gor Mahia fans in anticipation of winning the 2013 Tusker Premier League. It is an acknowledgement by the fans that after an 18 year wait, Gor Mahia finally stood a good chance of winning the Kenyan Premier League in 2013 thanks to a very strong performance in the first leg. Whenever two Gor Mahia fans meet, it is an acceptable greeting for one to call out "Giniwasekao," to the other person, and the other Gor Mahia fan will answer as if in acknowledgement, "Giniwasekao."

The origins of this chant are rather obscure, but the catchword is said to have been in use by 1992. During the 1992 Kenyan General Election, the core of the supporters of the opposition party Ford Kenya presidential candidate Jaramogi Oginga Odinga gathered at his home in Bondo to keep vigil and monitor the election results. Morale among the group was very high and they were very hopeful that their party would win the elections. Throughout the night, they would cheer each other up and toast to the health of Jaramogi saying, "Gini wasekao," to mean that they were sure to win the elections. When the results finally came out amidst massive irregularities, Jaramogi was a distant fourth behind Moi, Matiba and Kibaki.
From then on, those that identified with the progressive side of the Kenyan political divide would encourage each other using the words, gini wasekao, which they took to mean that in spite of the massive odds stacked against them, they would emerge victorious in the end. The Proclaimants of "Gini wasekao" considered it a prayer to God to grant them strength and favour so that they the fighters for justice would overcome the repressive forces.
In the runup to the 2013 General Elections, some supporters of Raila Odinga revived usage of the phrase. Many of them in their updates on social media and in political meetings would sign off with the words, Gini Wasekao, to mean that Raila was sure to win the 2013 elections.
Despite being the football club with the largest number of supporters in Kenya and being the only Kenyan football club to ever win a , by 2013, Gor Mahia had gone 18 years without winning the ultimate prize in Kenyan football, the KPL Cup. Twice, in 2010 and 2012, K'Ogalo had come sed best, losing on the final day of the league toentual league winners, Ulinzi Stars F.C. and Tusker F. C. respectively. In both years, K'Ogalo had had a strong run in the 2nd leg but were let down by poor runs in the 1st leg that had allowed their opponents to build up huge leads in the league standings which made it difficult for Gor Mahia to overtake them despite their impressive second leg runs. In 2013, initially under coach Zdravko Logarusic, K'Ogalo started the 2013 KPL very strongly, ending the first leg with over 7 points lead over the second placed team. This was one of the best 1st leg finishes ever in the history of the club. Supporters of the club could start to see that something big was about to happen here and many started to dream again of winning the KPL after close to twenty years in the cold. A number of diehard Gor Mahia fans, among them Dr. Jarunda Jaluth Mambobiad, Ben Agunda, Achieng' Achimoah, Philip Owiti, David Kay, Tony Anelka and George Onyango Friday then started using the phrase Gini Wasekao in reference to Gor Mahia's 2013 KPL title ambitions. This proved to be a big hit with the club's followers and soon most of the fans of the club were using it in everyday speech when referring to Gor Mahia's chances of winning the league. In the second leg of the 2013 KPL, even after the departure of Logarusic and takeover by Bobby Ogolla and Bobby Williamson as head coach, Gor Mahia continued its impressive run and by the 25th game, with 5 games to go, Gor Mahia had a seven point lead o ver the second placed side, Sofapaka. It was looking more and more likely that K'Ogalo was indeed going to lift the Cup this year. Naturally, chants of giniwasekao grew louder and louder with every match result that favoured Gor Mahia.

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