Nairobi — Even though not much can be said about the gains of youth soccer development in Kenya, an occasional bright star tends to appear in the horizon every now and then.

One such bright star is shining in far away Canada. Paul Waiganjo Kihara is determined to make a name for himself and his country in Montreal, where he plays for Nepean Hotspurs.

Kihara will turn 22 in July and has been living in Canada since 2001.

The 6ft tall former St Mary's High School football captain is determined to succeed where many have failed. "Leadership was in me," he says.

"I had to lead, I always want to be in front, in class, on the pitch and when we are out, I have not known any position than to guide others."

In 2001, while still a student at St Mary's High School, Kihara's family moved to Montreal, Canada, where his father, John Kihara, was posted to work in the Kenya High Commission.

The relocation abroad initially destabilised the budding soccer player. He joined St Pius High School in Form Two, and busied himself trying to get into the school's football team.

"I immediately enrolled in school and joined the institution's club, where I made many friends," he says.

"It was not easy because of the climate difference, cultural shock and new environment forced me to work under check lest I overdo anything."

Kihara's talent soon showed through, and his fame spread in the school and outside.

Soon a club nearby, the Nepean Hotspurs, came calling, keen to try him out. He gladly joined the Hotspurs' under-17 team. The Hotspurs are an amateur youth team in the Montreal league.

Within his first year in the school, Kihara had done enough to convince the coach to name him captain of the St Pius High soccer team.

He then had to work out a balance between playing soccer for the school, his club and keeping up with his academic demands.

"I relished the challenge, we would train in the morning and attend classes later.

"Then I had to pass by the club and see what the coach had in his programme. This was my busy schedule, yet I promised myself to succeed," he said recently when he came home to join his father's campaign team.

His father unsuccessfully vied for the Naivasha Constituency Parliamentary seat in the last General Elections.

The Hotspurs won the 2001 under-17 title in the Eastern regional soccer league.

Kihara guided his team to a repeat performance a year later.

When the Hotspurs registered entered the Ottawa Royals Championship, Kihara's lifted the golden boot with 20 goals to his name. The Spurs won the tournament.

His school team also won the Western Conference junior boys tier championship. The team went on to win the senior title of the same tournament.

Kihara's ability saw him emerge top scorer in the Eastern Regional Soccer League and the Eastern Ontario District Soccer Association with 13 goals in 11 matches.

Upon graduating from high school, Kihara opted to join Carelton University, where he is currently studying political science.

Despite the occasional injury that keeps out of competition for short periods, his college team managed to win the Ontario University Association men's soccer championship in 2005.

The victory saw him receive the Mayor's award for athletics excellence.

"This success enabled me get noticed, and I was called up to the national team, Harambee Stars' under-21 squad in 2005," he says.

"For the first time, I attained my childhood dream - to put on the Harambee Stars jersey. It meant everything to me, and though it was at the youth level, I still view it as a lifetime achievement."

The junior Harambee Stars coach then, Yusuf Chippo, was mandated to select the best young players for the East and Central African championship.

The selection was done at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, and Kihara was one of the hopefuls who turned up for the selection.

The coach handed him a ball and asked him to do something with it.

"I suppose I impressed him," he says. "I was shortlisted and asked to join the team camp for residential training. We travelled to Zanzibar, where the hosts won, but it was a bad one for me, I did not score."

Coach Chippo recalls being told of a player riding high in the Canadian league. He initially had his reservations.

Canada is not known to be one of the top nations in the world of soccer.

"We had little information on him," says Chippo. "A friend guided me to his parents and we persuaded them to allow him to come. That is a decision I will not regret, the boy was good.

His work rate, composure before goal and speed work amazed many. It was the perfect answer to our striking problems as we went to Zanzibar. Unfortunately we lost at the quarter-final level."

Chippo says there is little information available on Kenyan players abroad. He believes Kihara has a bright future ahead in soccer.

Kihara has five caps to his name to date with the national team. He has linked up with a Ghanaian agent, who wants him to join a second division club in Germany.

In January, he was among the nine players selected for a training camp with Canada's top league side, Attak Football club.

The nine players selected by coach Marc Dos Santos were Raphael Belanger-Vaillancourt, Cedric Carrie, Kevin Courcelle, Daniel Kijowski, and Mohamed Sylla.

The others, Gonzalo Paredes, Ladislas Bushiri and Paul Kihara Waiganjo, all played for the Ottawa Fury Club in 2007. Gildas Toufilana, a goalkeeper, played for Congo DR during the uner-20 World Cup last summer in Canada.

"I am very pleased with the number of players who came to the try-outs," said Dos Santos in a statement on the club's Website.

"I knew some of them, but there were also some surprises like Kihara. It was very positive. We could easily have a second team in Quebec, there are enough good players."

There is also interest from Montreal Impact Club, where he has been assured a slot, albeit in the reserve squad.

"I am sure if the German deal does not go through, I will be able to make it through the Montreal Club," he said.

Though Kenya has not been doing well in international competitions, Kihara is ready to provide his services should the national coach offer him a chance. Until then, he will continue to hold on to his dream of one day being a big star.