Charles Okere's appointment as Harambee Starlets assistant coach has attracted mixed reactions.
The Tusker FC assistant coach was named on Saturday to deputise David Ouma ahead of veteran Kenya Women's Premier League coaches such as Vihiga's Alex Alumira, who has previously guided his side to three consecutive league titles.
Gaspo Rangers team manager, Edward Githua said the appointment has both merits and demerits.
“First and foremost, the prerogative of identifying a suitable tactician lies squarely on the shoulders of FKF. They know exactly what they saw in him.
“All in all, I think his appointment might work out favourably in the long run. The main problem we've encountered when a coach is drawn from the women's league is favouritism.
“Coaches tend to favour their own players and they end up giving them more slots in the national team. Getting a neutral person to handle the national team will effectively solve the situation,” said Githua.
Githua expressed concerns that Okere is likely to run into major hiccups while handling a squad he has hardly seen in action.
“My main worry is that a coach who is not involved with a team in the KWPL might experience difficulties in knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the selected players given he has not been keen on their performance.
“However, it's now the responsibility of the entire technical bench to work closely together for the success of the team,” said Githua.
Kayole Starlets head coach Joshua Sakwa chose to remain coy on the issue of Okere's appointment but said he had a lot of faith in Ouma's ability to fire the team to silverwares.
“Ouma is most definitely a good coach and I have confidence in his ability to handle the team effectively,” said Sakwa.
Sakwa, however, said some coaches from Zone 'B' had found fault with the national team's selection, pointing out it was tilted in favour of Zone 'A' clubs which boast of giants such as Thika Queens and Gaspo Women.
"Some coaches handling Zone 'B' clubs seem quite unhappy with the way the process was conducted. There is a strong feeling some good players with exceptional abilities were unfairly ignored," said Sakwa.
Among the key players from the zone who were left out is the current top scorer Terry Engesha who turns out for Vihiga United.
Vihiga's Alumira on his part said FKF knew better why they chose to settle on Okere. “He's a qualified coach and they know why they preferred him over those in the KWPL.”
Okere will now be forced to juggle multiple tasks including ensuring his side Tusker maintain their current impressive run in the men's top tier, where they command a firm lead with 36 points.
