Marjolen Nekesa

Marjolen Nekesa Wafula (born 27 October 1998) is a Kenyan footballer who plays as a midfielder or striker for Czech Women's First League club Slavia Prague.

Marjolen Nekesa

Personal information
Full name	Marjolen Nekesa Wafula
Date of birth	(1998-10-27) 27 October 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth	Kitale, Kenya
Position(s)	Midfielder, striker
Team information
Current team	Slavia Prague
Number	9
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
4	Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2022	Minsk	15	(31)
2022–	Slavia Prague	16	(14)
International career
	Kenya
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Early life and education

Nekesa grew up in Nangili, Kakamega county Kenya.^{[citation needed]} She was introduced to play football by her father at a young age.^[1] Nekesa attended Butere Girls High School before moving to the United States to attend Oklahoma Wesleyan University, where she majored in sports management.^[2] She scored 25 goals as a freshman.^[3]

Club career

In 2022, Nekesa signed for Belarusian side Minsk, where she debuted and scored her first goal for the club during the Belarusian Women's Super Cup final.^{[citation needed]} She was regarded as one of the club's most important players.^[4] In 2022, she signed for Czech side Slavia, where she played in the UEFA Women's Champions League and became the first Kenyan women's player to play in the Czech Republic.^[5] She was the top scorer of the 2022–23 Czech Women's First League with fourteen goals.^[6]

International career

Nekesa was called up to the Kenya women's national football team for the 2018 Women's Africa Cup of Nations.^[7]

Style of play

Nekesa mainly operates as a midfielder or a striker and has been described as "zapped opposing defenses with electric determination... combustible consistency might be the midfielder’s greatest asset".^[3]