Gor Mahia skipper Harun Shakava is convinced the defending Football Kenya Federation Premier League champions are hot favourites to retain the title this season if financial woes bedeviling the club are addressed promptly.
"I just hope the financial problems facing the club are sorted so that we can train hard then things will be fine," said Shakava.
K'Ogalo's poor run this season has been compounded by intermittent sit-ins as players continue to stage protests over delayed salaries.
The grave situation at the club has taken another bleak twist with speculations spreading widely like a bushfire that Kenneth Muguna's departure could now be imminent.
Muguna fell out with the club's bigwigs after a sequence of losses traced their origin to his doorstep with claims emerging he was pushing too hard to have the players' dues sorted out in time.
Shakava, who took over the armband after a drastic shakeup that also witnessed the resignation of goalkeeper trainer Willis Ochieng, now says the trick lies in seeing off their opponents in the remaining encounters.
"We are still in the first leg. We have lost some points, well, but I still believe we can compete for the title and it will also depend on how other teams perform. If they stumble and we get maximum points, we are on," observed Shakava.
In reality, Shakava's dream of a title this season might just as well be a utopian tale.
The eighteen-time top-flight champions are rooted precariously in an unfamiliar seventh spot on 22 points from 16 matches, the worst statistics in the club's recent history.
They remain remotely adrift of runaway leaders Tusker who are breathing easy at the summit of the log with a massive 36 points, six above second-placed KCB.
Their latest history was characterized by a series of back-to-back losses to Nzoia, KCB, and Posta Rangers until they ultimately bounced back a fortnight ago against Bidco United whom they thumped 3-1.
The Vaz Pinto-led charges were set to battle Wazito in their subsequent fixture before the league was called off.
The country's top tier was thrown into turmoil last Friday when FKF called off all the pending fixtures hours after the government ordered all sports activities halted momentarily to contain the further spread of Covid-19.
"The league's suspension is a huge blow and I cannot wait to return to training," concluded Shakava.
