After taking over the reigns at Bandari, experienced Rwandese coach Andre Mbungo has set his sights on firing the club back to continental football.
Mbungo yesterday inked a two-year long contract and was subsequently unveiled as the new boss at the coast-based club, filling the void left by Ken Odhiambo who decamped to 2009 league champions Sofapaka.
The former AFC Leopards coach, who watched from the stands as the club switched off Western Stima 2-0 last weekend, narrated his dream of winning local trophies, which is the license to Caf matches.
Bandari last featured in the prestigious continental matches in 2019, where they were eliminated by Guinean giants Horoya in the play-off stage.
Bandari had earned the chance to represent the country by virtue of winning the Shield Cup in June 2019 after beating Kariobangi Sharks 3-1 in the finals.
Mbungo, who described his return to Kenyan football as emotional, heaped praises to the playing unit assembled by his predecessors and pledged to get the best out of them and deliver titles.
"It feels good to be back to the Kenyan league after a year. While at Leopards, I played against Bandari and I was impressed with the quality of the players. I watched them play Stima last weekend and I realised we can win trophies and play Caf matches. It is a long journey and with the required support, we will achieve it," he said.
Besides guiding the club to feature in the international matches, Mbungo stressed on the significance of unearthing individual talents in the region. He observed that the Coastal region was rich in raw talent but were suffering due to lack of platform to express themselves.
"There are a handful of talented players in the streets who can help the club and country but are yet to be identified and given the necessary exposure. It's something I am looking forward to explore and bring those talents on board and help them turn their lives around," he promised.
In the meantime, the former Rayon Sports gaffer promised to double the number of Bandari players at both the senior national team and the junior ones. Currently, the club boast of Abdallah Hassan as the sole player who gets call ups to Harambee Stars consistently.
"With the help of the rest of the technical bench, we will shape up our players to be ready for the national teams," he added.
