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Ochan: The chef who chose to prepare title cuisine with Kobs
Multitalented. Ochan is a chef who has no problem serving culinary delight with the rubber egg but also dreams of serving cuisine in politics. Photo | JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
- He was one of the several signings made by the club that included James Odongo, Arthur Mpande, Saul Kivumbi and Byron Oketayot.
- The scrumhalf switched from the red and black of Pirates to the blue and black of Kobs, and has no regrets at all.
Betway rugby league title was down to preparation. Brian Ochan was a big part of the team’s success after crossing from Black Pirates.
He was one of the several signings made by the club that included James Odongo, Arthur Mpande, Saul Kivumbi and Byron Oketayot.
The scrumhalf switched from the red and black of Pirates to the blue and black of Kobs, and has no regrets at all.
“I had to make a decision and I thought Kobs was the right place for me,” he says.
He had been part of the Kobs junior side before moving to the Sea Robbers nine years ago.
Childhood club
“Kobs is my childhood club so it was easy to make the decision,” Ochan adds.
At Pirates, Ochan won the league in 2018 but he admits the pressure of winning at Kobs is quite different.
“Kobs is a club that wants to win everything. The management, players and fans are all proud of their team and expect to win all the time,” he says.
Ochan’s arrival coincided with the departure of Ivan Kirabo and that sent him straight into the thick of things. That made him Kobs’ first choice number nine, starting six of the eight games.
Incidentally, the only game he didn’t play was the title decider against Pirates on the final day.
Head coach Davis Kyewalabye, himself a former scrumhalf, has nothing but plaudits for Ochan.
“He’s been great for us. I think he hasn’t played this much rugby before,” he said.
Pecking order
Indeed, at Pirates, Conrad Wanyama and Stephen Alul ranked higher in the team’s pecking order and playing time was hard to come by for Ochan.
Edgar Sseruwagi, Khemis Rashid and Adrian Kasito have all auditioned for the Kobs number nine jersey but no one has made it their own, at least not yet.
In the final game of the season, in which Kobs beat Pirates 15-5, Kyewalabye made a tactical change and omitted Ochan from the starting lineup.
Sseruwagi is fancied as a better defender and did well for the Blue Army to close out the season.
“We wanted to win and the coaches chose the best team for the day. We got what we wanted,” Ochan explains.
What next?
“I see us winning more trophies because the team has a good blend of youth and experience. It can push us for some years if kept together,” he adds.
Ochan has been attempting to find his footing in politics and lost the Naguru 2A LC3 Councillor in the February elections. The life in the ghetto pushed him to try to solve the issues affecting the youth.
“I thought I would contribute in solving issues that affect us as the youth,” Ochan says. “Of course, selling rugby to government and everyone out there was also on my mind.”
That dream came crushing as he lost to NRM’s Michael Onout.
That’s not the end for the bald Ochan though – his goal is to represent his home constituents of Agago West in Parliament.
The chef
Olenge, as Ochan is fondly referred to in rugby circles, is a qualified chef. He runs a small chicken business at Yamo Bar and Restaurant in the ghetto of Naguru to fend for his wife and two children.
