Kevin Muhire (with the ball) was instrumental in Rayon Sports’ impressive campaign to quarter-finals of CAF Confederation Cup this year
Amavubi promising forward Muhire Kevin has agreed to a three-year professional contract move to Egyptian Premier League side Misr Lel-Makkasa SC.
Muhire, a former Rayon Sports striker has been undergoing trials with the Egyptian side since late last year.
By press time, KT Sports was yet to gather more details on his contract but according to his former side Rayon Sports, Misr Lel-Makkasa SC has agreed to pay $30,000 for Muhire’s services. USD $20,000 will be paid to the blues while $10,000 will be paid to his academy Gikondo Football Center which nurtured him.
Muhire was a street footballer whose extraordinary skill and flair was being talked about in Rwanda football circles before being scouted and signed by then second division league side Isonga FC in 2013, a few months before turning 15.
He joined Isonga academy nearly two years after enrolling to Gikondo Football Center.
Muhire joined Rayon Sports in 2015 – at the age of 17 – and has since played a pivotal role in helping the Blues to win the 2016 Peace Cup and the 2016/2017 league title.
He was also instrumental as the eight-time champions made history to reach the round of last eight in CAF Confederation Cup this year.
Last month, the former Isonga FC forward was voted as Rayon Sports’ Player of the Year, Azam Rwanda Premier League’s Youngster of the Year and was named on the Team of the Year.
Since 2013, Muhire has featured for national football teams at all levels, quickly rising through the ranks from the youth U-17 team, junior U20 team, Olympic U23 team to the senior Amavubi.
His first official match in Rwandan colours came in 2014 when Amavubi Starlets lost 3-2 to their Ugandan counterparts in the qualifiers of the 2015 Africa U17 Cup of Nations. In 2016, Muhire was part of the junior U20 Amavubi team that also lost to Uganda in the U20 AFCON qualifiers.
The midfielder’s debut in senior Amavubi was in Rwanda’s goalless draw with Morocco in an international friendly match in 2015. It was during the preparation of the 2016 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) finals, staged in Kigali. However, the then 17-year old Muhire did not make it to the final Amavubi squad that played the tournament.
He was also part of the Amavubi team – then under Johnny McKinstry – that finished second at the 2015 CECAFA Senior Challenge in Ethiopia after losing 1-0 to Uganda Cranes in the final.
In October 2018, Muhire was an unused substitute as Amavubi lost 2-1 to Group ‘H’ rivals Ivory Cost in Kigali and 2-0 away to Guinea in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
However, he started in the most recent qualifier against Guinea, which ended in a 1-all draw.
In November 2018, he played for the Junior Wasps as they battled for a 2019 Africa U-23 AFCON Qualifying spot but lost to DR Congo 5-0 on aggregate.
Muhire’s move to Egypt has improved the list of Rwandan professional players plying their trade outside Rwanda.
He joins Dany Usengimana who plays for another Egyptian second league side Tersana SC, Amavubi skipper Jacques Tuyisenge (Gor Mahia, Kenya), Haruna Niyonzima and Kagere Meddie (SC Simba, Tanzania), Kayumba Soter and Mico Justin (Sofapaka, Kenya), goalkeeping pair of Jean Luc Ndayishimiye *AFC Leopards, Kenya) and Emery Mvuyekure (Tusker FC, Kenya), Amini Muzerwa (Tusker FC, Kenya), Djihad Bizimana (Waasland-Beveren, Belgium) and Solomon Nirisarike (AFC Tubize, Belgium) and Olivier Kwizera (Free State Stars, South Africa) among others.
