Harambee Stars attacking midfielder, Mohammed Bajaber, is settling in well at Tanzanian football giants Simba Sports Club.

The 22-year-old, nick-named “Star Boy” for his sublime football skills, signed a three-year deal last month with Simba SC, popularly known as “Wekundu wa Msimbazi” as one of the club’s key signings for the upcoming season.

Bajaber joined Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL) side Kenya Police FC on a two-and-a-half-year contract earlier this year from the now relegated Nairobi City Stars. He joined Simba SC last month for an undisclosed fee, just six months into his contract at Kenya Police FC. He won the league title with Kenya police, having scored seven goals in 11 matches.

His arrival on the big stage came in the unlikeliest of ways, having only come on as a substitute in the match that has defined his career.

Bajaber introduced himself to Kenyan fans and to football fans in the region on March 20. In the 75th minute of the match, Bajaber beat his maker, dribbled into Gambia’s box and curled a shot into the top right corner, beating Gambia’s goalkeeper in a 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifier match played in Cote d’Ivoire. That goal earned Harambee Stars a 3-3 draw, and sent social media abuzz. Suddenly, everyone was talking about the new player in Harambee Stars squad with dazzling footwork and an eye for goal.

He had only come on in the match as a 62nd-minute substitute for defender Erick Johanna Omollo.

Although he had scored many goals for Kenya Police FC in the FKF-PL, and at his former team Nairobi City Stars, Simba SC took note of his abilities after his goal against Gambia, and many local fans nodded in appreciation.

Now, the player who nearly quit football due to persistent injuries says that goal changed his life.

“I scored an incredibly emotional goal, especially after facing injury setbacks in the season. When I came on in the match, I just wanted to enjoy the game because the opponents were 2 – 0 up. When Erick ‘Marcelo’ Ouma passed the ball to me, I saw space left by the defenders, dribbled past them to obscure the goalkeeper’s view, and shot the ball into the top right corner. That goal changed my life and raised my profile,” he told Simba SC media last week in Egypt, where the team is in pre-season camp.

He is happy to be at Simba SC, but sad to have left Harambee Stars camp when the team was preparing to compete in the ongoing 2024 African Nations Championship (Chan).

“The teammates and the technical bench are welcoming. Meeting new people speaking different languages, and having foreign-based players makes me feel comfortable and helps me adapt to life at the club quickly,” Bajaber, who joined Simba SC from FKF-PL champions Kenya Police FC, said. “I was sad to leave the national team. I had an injury and I wasn’t fit to play, so instead of missing both opportunities, I joined Simba SC to fully recover during the pre-season.”

Bajaber’s departure to Simba SC was a huge setback for Harambee Stars coach Bennie McCarthy, who replaced him with Shabana FC striker Brian Michira.

“He’s always been loyal to me and the national team. It was a huge blow, but I was very proud to see him take this step. We thought he was halfway towards recovering and could be available midway through the group stages,” McCarthy from South Africa explained afterwards.

“He was released to make room for players who had worked harder throughout the season. Instead of keeping him here when he is not going to play, we decided to let him go,” the former Manchester United coach further explained.

Some of the top key players who left McCarthy’s camp for greener pastures are strikers Moses Shummah (Kakamega Homeboyz) and Emmanuel Osoro (Talanta FC. Both joined Power Dynamos of Zambia.

In the 2024/25 season, Shummah and Osoro performed exceptionally, with Shummah winning the Premier League Golden Boot after scoring 17 goals and Osoro netting 16.

Bajaber is excited to be at Simba SC.

“I never imagined playing for Simba,” he says.

It is his elder brother, Zuhum Omar, who informed him of the possibility of getting an opportunity to play for Simba SC, and he started following the Tanzanian club on social media, discovering its large fan base. Unbeknown to him, his brother had been negotiating a transfer for him with Simba SC. Aware of the pressure Simba faces to end a four-season trophy drought, Bajaber hopes to help “restore the club to its former glory” and win trophies. He appreciates the warm welcome the club’s fans have accorded him and looks forward to making them proud.

Alongside Bajaber, the 22-time Tanzanian Premier League champions have signed up Ghanaian forward Jonathan Sowag, South African defender Rushine De Reuck, Tanzanian midfielders Rushine De Reuck and Morice Michael Abraham, and Senegalese defender Alassane Maodo Kanté.

Midfielder Francis Kahata (2019-2021) and defender Joash Onyango (2020-2023) are some of the Kenyan players who have played for Simba.

Bajaber began playing football in Saudi Arabia at the age of five before moving to Kenya, where he played for Premier Academy and Ligi Ndogo in Nairobi. At 16, he joined Star Field Academy in Nairobi and attended two-week trials with Danish top-tier side FC Midtjylland in 2021. The youngest of four siblings (three boys and one girl), Bajaber’s family has roots in Yemen, though neither he nor his parents has lived in Yemen. His parents were born in Kitui, Kenya, before relocating to Nairobi. His parents prioritised his education over football, but his elder brothers convinced their father to let him pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer. The rest is history.