FKF boss Mwendwa marks one year in office amid crisis

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President, Nick Mwendwa, marks a year since being elected into office on Friday with the impasse over the domestic top flight the biggest thorn in the flesh for his administration.

As he marked his first 12 months in office, the 2017 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) remains suspended after he failed to broker an agreement with the league management company on the identity of the 18 teams who will feature in the competition expanded from 16.

Swept to power in the wave of ‘Team Change’ Mwendwa who succeeded Sam Nyamweya in the February 10 football elections has expressed satisfaction with his scorecard with his critics accusing him of high handedness in dealing with contrasting views.

Sensing defeat, Nyamweya who was vying for a second term since the federation was renamed FKF in 2011 quit the race at the plenary hall just before the polls that Mwendwa and his Team Change went on to sweep all positions in the National Executive Committee.

While disbursing funds to the 20 FKF branches on Thursday at a function held at the federation’s Nairobi headquarters, Mwendwa recollected on the milestones achieved in the past 12 months rating his first year in power as a success.

“We came on and we started by installing a secretariat with now 34 full time employees to discharge our duties when we moved to the Goal Project.

“It was not easy but we were determined, we had to forget about doing our business from Nyayo Stadium. It is one year but it appears like a long period,” Mwendwa asserted.

He noted Kenya has made great strides in amending its relationship with world football governing body FIFA that has seen the embargo on its annual grants lifted.

At the time his team took over, FIFA had cut support to Kenya for lack of accountability and transparency.

-Improved relationship-

Mwendwa prides also in an improved working relationship with the Government that is the chief sponsor of the national teams.

“The song of unpaid allowances and air tickets is no more. It has been a fantastic partnership with the Government that has seen our activities for our national teams flow easily.

“Harambee Stars played more matches than any other team in Africa last year during the FIFA weeks, losing only two and going unbeaten in eight. All this we did with a local coach,” Mwendwa outlined.

The remark was aimed at dismissing his critics who slammed the appointment of former Kariobangi Sharks and Mathare United boss, Stanley Okumbi to lead the Stars bench as the First Coach before the paint had dried on his election.

Okumbi’s first assignment was to lose back to back 2017 Afcon qualifiers to minnows Guinea Bissau that snuffed out Kenya’s hopes of featuring in the recently concluded continental showpiece increasing the pressure against the soft-spoken coach.

“Harambee Starlets went to the Awcon and learnt great lessons; we have seen what happened to Guinea Bissau and Uganda in the recently concluded Afcon. Not very impressive performances but big lessons learnt,” Mwendwa observed.

He was referring to the maiden campaign of the nation women’s team at the top table of continental football where they crashed out of the group stages after losses to West African giants, Ghana, Mali and champions Nigeria.

The hiring of German Andre Spires as the Technical Director was in line with Mwendwa’s vision of laying structures that would ensure a constant stream of quality talent at all levels of the game.

Under Spires, 2000 coaches were taken through basic coaching courses in 2016, an endeavour that continues this year.

Mwendwa is also keen to enforce the requirement that all coaches handling domestic clubs must have at least CAF A certification by 2019.

Routine training of referees, structures for the youth teams including the Under 17 national team whose selection by Spires involved MRI tests to ascertain age and beach football are other areas the federation boss noted as achievements.

Mwendwa declared his two major setbacks in his first year were failures in club licensing and suspension of the national Under 20 team from the 2017 African Youth Championships.

“We count club licensing as a major step in the growth and professionalising of football. We now have centralized system for players, coaches, referees and officials.

“However, we all know the challenge that the same has brought with some clubs failing to comply and challenging the penalty we imposed in accordance to the AGM resolution. I however assure you this issue will be sorted once and for all,” he pledged.

Mwendwa revealed he had been summoned by President Uhuru Kenyatta to explain why the national junior team was thrown out of the continental competition on age cheating grounds.

“I was called to State House and answered some questions. We did not do our best but we certainly have corrected that,” Mwendwa added.

He noted their efforts had been appreciated at the black tie 2016 Sports Personality of the Year Awards where for the first time FKF finished runners-up in the Federation of the Year category.

As the hour glass tipped to the second year of the four he was mandated to be in charge of Kenyan football, the resolution of the FKF versus KPL row will determine how he will start shaping his first term.

“He should learn how to engage with dialogue, not majesty,” Gor Mahia chairman and beaten FKF presidential candidate, Ambrose Rachier advised when commenting on his decision to force through KCB FC and Vihiga United to the KPL.