The pains and gains of Kenyan players going professional

Hotshots Michael Olunga and Jesse Were are the latest additions to the growing list of Kenyan players moving abroad in search of ‘newer challenges’.

Both forwards are the only Sportpesa Premier League players to have surpassed the 15-goal mark, netting 19 and 22 respectively in the 2014/15 season.

As Citizen Digital wishes them well, we take a look at how their imminent departures could impact on Kenyan football.

A research by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics released a list of the top clubs around the world.

The ranking, which is based on the performance of clubs in the various leagues from January to July, saw the Nigeria Premier League ranked number one in the continent.

However, it stated that the league was without a title sponsor and is engulfed in financial difficulties as clubs are being forced to pay indemnities of referees for home games.

Of the most lucrative leagues in Africa, Kenya failed to appear among the to three leagues with Absa Premier League (South Africa), Etisalat Egyptian Premier League (Egypt) and Glo Ghana Premier League (Ghana) taking the slots.

League success is often pegged on retaining the best players within the league as is exercised by the world’s top leagues. The Absa Premier League (PSL) and the Etisalat Egyptian Premier League are a model African example of club leagues that have warded off lucrative transfer offers from top European clubs to retain their star players.

Itumeleng Khune, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Teko Modise, Mohammed Aboutrika, Amr Zaki and a host of other names are good examples of world class players that have chosen to ignore foreign prospects to play for their home country leagues. And perhaps this should explain the success of these two top leagues in Africa.

As the exodus of top Kenyan players moving abroad looks set to continue, big sponsorship deals continue to evade the Kenyan local league.

Recent focus has been shifted onto how the Sportpesa Premier League is managed and the wrangles at the Football Kenya Federation does Kenya little favors.

The last five years have seen the Kenyan league produce quality players and the influx of incoming foreign players joining the league have helped elevate its status in the continent and even globally.

However, if the league is to keep climbing higher up the continental rank, the secret is in ensuring its top players feel challenged to remain in it.

While Victor Wanyama, Clifton Miheso, Jesse Were, Michael Olunga, Ayub Timbe, Francis Kahata increase the visibility of Kenya as a footballing nation in the international scene, they are all a huge loss to Kenya’s own league.