The chanceless innings of the club attests to the sincerity and absolute selfless motives that led to the establishment of one of, if not THE finest sporting establishment in the coastal town of Mombasa at the end of the first world war and some 18 years before the next world war.
The significance of this would be understood by those who are conversant of the history not only of the small band of migrants who settled in Mombasa far from their native India but also weathered secular discord, colonial control and the effects of the two world wars in such short time at the turn of the 20th Century.
Today, where once a humble wooden structure was enacted to begin with, thereafter came a one floor stone and cement club house, later to turn into a multistory club house, stands a massive 5 story building. This having been born in the last decade where the once Sports only complex has turned into a complete community complex with two, twenty story buildings to house members of the community, a mosque, an Imam-Bargha and Madressa fully equipped with a state of the art kitchen and serving area.
This change bears witness to the changing needs and times of the community as modern conveniences have changed the attention span and needs of our generations from the early days where ball, bat and a football were the prized possessions and every free moment was spent getting dirty on the club grounds to an era of shorter games, gymnasiums replacing walk tracks and weights substituting for the hours of slogging under an unforgiving African sun.
As summed up by Marhum MohamedJaffer H. Khaki at the 50 years celebration in the early 70’s, the future generations would have to work at building on the hard work and sacrifices of the earlier generations to keep the Sporting facility alive and serving its holistic purpose of communal unity, integrity, trust and giving a place for every member to gain physical fitness and relax from the harsh trials of the daily grind.
In the last 25 years, various committees endeavored to uphold what had been painstakingly set by their predecessors and the club house saw progressive renovations with the addition of a library, Gymnasium, a walk fundraiser to build a permanent wall on the periphery and the kindergarten was renovated through the generosity of Marhum Zulfikar Khimji. With Tennis, Football, Cricket, Volleyball continuing to be the mainstay of the club, onward migration of youths for studies, more taxing school curriculums and increased timings and the modern-day conveniences of smart gadgets have taken their toll in the club’s activities. The seniors walking group established informally in the 80’s took a formal shape in the 90’s which added life to the evenings with elders enjoying a leisurely stroll or get together whilst keeping an eye on the youths on the pitch.
For the last 10 years, the community has been lost as the club was reshaped to what we see today. What was once a self-governed body with it’s own constitution, thriving on the generosity of it’s patrons and well wishers has now been formed into a body under the Jamaat perhaps, heralding a new beginning and a fresh future in the times to come. Hosting badminton facilities, a fully fitted gymnasium, volleyball court, minus the tennis courts, children’s play area and squash court, the new club sets it’s vision on a new tomorrow to tackle the needs of the community in the coming era.
One cannot forget the sincere and noble intent of this club’s founders, to give all members a place to come together as one, achieve physical well-being and showcase the community’s talent on the field of sports whilst carrying themselves with integrity, discipline and dignity as true followers of the Jaffery creed and shining on the moral, ethical, logical and spiritual ethos – to be proud members of a unified Jaffery Fraternity.