•Ghost Mulee was appointed on October 20 as Harambee Stars' head coach for the fifth time
•Mulee boasts a decorated CV including guiding Harambee Stars to the 2004 AFCON after a 12-year absence
•He faces a huge task in living up to stellar record of his predecessor Francis Kimanzi
Image: ERICK BARASA
On October 20, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) recalled Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee from retirement and appointed him national team Harambee Stars head coach.
The move astounded the nation given that his predecessor Francis Kimanzi had done absolutely nothing substantive to warrant his dismissal.
In fact, three days later after Kimanzi's dismissal, Harambee Stars climbed three places in the Fifa rankings to 103, largely in part due to Kimanzi’s exceptional record with the national team for the short period he was in charge.
The former Mathare United tactician’s latest feather in the cap was a 2-1 humbling of Zambia’s Chipolopolo in an international match played at the Nyayo Stadium on October 9.
The onus of convincing the nation that FKF made a sound decision by severing ties with Kimanzi now lies on the 52-year old Mulee, who has an arduous task at hand.
Mulee, in his usual element, hit the ground running almost immediately and named a 40-man provisional squad that has since reported for residential training at Nyayo Stadium.
Kenya is due to battle Comoros in the first leg of the 2021 African Cup of Nations Qualifiers doubleheader on November 11.
Tactician turned mediator
Mulee has been rocking thousands of listeners on Radio Jambo morning show, Patanisho, which he co-hosts with Joseph Ogidi (Gidi Gidi).
The duo received a shot in the arm only recently after the show was voted the best in the country.
After a long hiatus from coaching, will Mulee rediscover his mojo and lead Kenya into the football’s promised land?
Will he replicate his success with Patanisho at Harambee Stars?
A peep into his playing and coaching career evokes hope that he has the answer for the ambitions of a country that is starving for success at the international front.
Image: FILE
Raised by a single mother, Mulee was born on July 16, 1968, in Nairobi's Jericho Estate where he grew up playing football on dusty pitches.
That Jericho was then the source of many football stars in the country influenced the young Mulee’s passion for the game and the desire to succeed.
“Being born in Jericho influenced my journey in football. The streets of the estates shaped my career a great deal. I always feel glad to see Camp Toyoyo because when I was growing up, the place was rocky and dusty although that didn't deter us from playing,” Mulee, the sixth born in a family of 11, says.
His exceptional skills in the amazing game began glowing quite early at St. Michael’s Primary School, where he pursued his elementary education.
His talent, however, blossomed at Ofafa Jericho High School where he turned out as a goalkeeper/striker.
As a budding footballer still in his formative years, his leadership skills, insight into matches and commandeering nature on the pitch secured him the favour of his teachers who named him the team captain.
No sooner had he been appointed to the position than he steered the team to their debut Kadenge Cup victory in 1981.
Painful memories
While fondly reliving his windfall in school, Mulee would quickly wish to forget Ofafa Jericho's 4-1 humiliating loss at the hands of Starehe Boys Centre, who were by then skippered by former Gatanga Member of Parliament Peter Kenneth.
“We were handed one of our worst defeats by Starehe. The 4-1 loss was so bad that my teammates thought I had been compromised to let in easy goals,” Mulee says.
Nonetheless, like fermented wine, Mulee mellowed through challenges and gradually matured in his trade.
He joined Iqbal FC in the Kenya Football Federation-run Division II League before joining Volcano FC — Kenya's first professional football club.
His high moment at Volcano came when he featured in a friendly match against German Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach, who had visited Kenya.
After a stint at Re-Union FC — where he played alongside high school opponent Kenneth — Mulee wrapped up his playing career at Tusker.
Dive into coaching
The veteran tactician always believed that one day he would join the national team's technical bench as head coach.
Inspired by his mentor —legendary coach James Siang’a — Mulee delved into coaching upon retirement.
In 1996, he pursued a Fifa License in an exercise graced by former Fifa president Sep Blatter.
Mulee then travelled to Tanzania for another Fifa coaching course before heading to Holland, alongside his immediate predecessor Kimanzi, for a Uefa 'B' course.
Image: ERICK BARASA
From Holland, he went to Germany, alongside his current assistant, Twahir Muhiddin, where they emerged as the top two coaching rookies in their class.
Prior to his appointment to head the national team mid last month, Mulee was a CAF Instructor offering prerequisite training to local football coaches.
Coaching journey begins
In 1997, he was appointed the assistant coach at Tusker FC and took over as coach a year later.
He went on to manage Tusker FC in the top tier for 10 years — winning three league titles (1999, 2000 and 2007).
His first taste of regional glory was in 2000 when he clinched the Cecafa Club Championship crown before retaining the title the next year.
His success at the local level earned him flirtatious glances from regional clubs, most notably, Rwandese giants APR.
Mulee's stint at APR won him a league title at his first attempt and an appearance at the finals of Cecafa Club Championship against Uganda's SC Villa.
Nationally, he was roped in as an assistant coach of Harambee Stars.
Mulee, however, vehemently refutes claims he ever guided Tanzania's Yanga in his coaching history.
"Although many were misled to believe that I once coached Yanga that was never the case. What actually happened is that I went to follow up on a player whose signature I was interested in while I was still guiding APR. Someone at Yanga stealthily took photos of me and posted to the social media to suggest that I had been unveiled as Yanga's new tactician, which was actually a lie," says Mulee.
National team coach
In 2003, Mulee left APR to join Harambee Stars as the head coach.
“As a kid, I had always yearned to be Harambee Stars' coach and when it became a reality, I felt as though I had already made a huge stride in my career even before the real work began," he says.
A year later, he was on the touchline as Harambee Stars battled it out against Mali, Senegal and Burkina Faso at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia.
Mulee was by then a national hero after leading Stars to their first-ever appearance at the continent's top football showpiece since 1992.
An impressive 3-0 destruction of the Burkinabe added to his glowing reputation despite falling at the group stage.
“I jetted out of the country with three things in mind: win a match, score a goal in regulation time and make it into the second round. Out of the three, we managed two. I can't forget how Titus Mulama netted our first ever AFCON goal against Mali,” Mulee said.
He was, however, sacked after the 2004 African Nations Cup finals but returned for a brief second spell in 2005 which merely lasted a day.
He was due to lead the team during a four-nation tournament in Egypt but the Fifa-recognised Kenya Football Federation (KFF) chairman Alfred Sambu said Mulee would not handle the national team.
In 2006, he was appointed coach of Tusker FC for another stint during which he clinched the national title a year later.
The same year, he was appointed deputy coach of the national team and got promoted to head coach the following year.
In 2008, he was sent packing over what the then Tusker FC CEO Peter Serry described as "poor results".
"It has become inevitable and we have decided to seek other alternatives to stop the decline,” Serry said back then.
Mulee returned at the Harambee Stars helm for a third and fourth time in March 2007 and September 2010 respectively.
Dire results
However, his fourth stab ended disastrously after Harambee Stars lost all their group stage matches at the 2010 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup in Tanzania.
Three straight losses to Malawi, Ethiopia and Uganda left Mulee with no choice than throw in the towel.
“These are some of the creams of our top-flight league, yet they cannot even win a single match. For this, I take full responsibility. If I cannot win, why should I keep the job?” Mulee posed while announcing his resignation.
Mulee, however, maintained his position that his efforts had been stifled and the team's fortunes dwindled by an indifferent KFF office that did nothing at all to promote football in Kenya.
"My advice for the team is that the future coach deserves to be afforded a conducive environment with everything in place for him to deliver good results," Mulee advised.
Pillar of strength
Throughout his topsy-turvy coaching career, his wife, Carol, has been a pillar of strength.
Married for 26 years, they met in a matatu where she fell in love with his romantic sound of laughter.
“She is very industrious. Every day she wakes up very early and prepares my breakfast. She is a nice banker and a good chef,” Mulee said.
The couple is blessed with three boys, Jesse, Jeff, and Carl.
Internationally, he looks up to former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and his long-serving Arsenal rival manager Arsene Wenger for inspiration.
He, however, confesses his admiration for Tottenham Hotspur tactician Jose Mourinho too.
“How could I possibly forget to mention Jose Mourinho, whose philosophy is apparently applicable everywhere he goes and wins him many trophies with various teams?" Mulee says.
Continentally, he has a lot of respect for former Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi for taking African football to an entirely new level. He prefers listening to rhumba music during his free time.
BIO
Name: Jacob Mulee
Date of Birth: July 16, 1968
Place of Birth: Nairobi, Kenya
Education: St. Michael's Primary School, Ofafa Jericho High School
Clubs: Iqbal FC, Tusker
Teams managed:
Achievements:
1999-2009: Tusker (Three KPL titles)
2000: Cecafa Club Championship trophy (Tusker)
2001: Cecafa Club Championship trophy (Tusker)
2004-2005: APR Rwanda Premier League title, Cecafa Club final
2004: Took Kenya to Africa Cup of Nations