Patrick Odhiambo has been named head coach of Kenyan Premier League club Kakamega Homeboyz.
Odhiambo will be assisted by experienced tactician and ex-Kenya international Ibrahim Shikanda, who previously coached Nzoia Sugar in the top-flight league.
Jeffers Odongo, who was with rivals Wazito until his appointment on Monday, has also joined the Homeboyz coaching staff.
Announcing the changes on Monday, Homeboyz honcho Cleophas Shimanyula tipped the new technical bench to work wonders and turn around the fortunes of the club which came close to winning the championship in 2020.
''We have brought on board a new set of coaches with a wealth of experience. Coach Odhiambo has been with us before and we believe alongside Ibrahim Shikanda and Jeffers Odongo, they will turn things around," Cleophas Shimanyula, the club chairman said.
Odhiambo takes over from John Baraza, who was fired after a string of poor results left the team in the bottom half of the table after Round of 15 games.
Shimanyula stated that, in addition to the unconvincing results, the playing unit was too star-studded for a coach of Baraza's caliber to handle.
"We fired coach John Baraza due to the team's poor performance. The decision was based on the team's performance. We thank Baraza for his time with the team and his services "Shimanyula stated.
Odhiambo will be joining the club for the second time, having previously worked as an assistant to current Nairobi City Stars head coach Nicholas Muyoti.
The seasoned manager left the club in May 2021 to join Biashara United in the Tanzanian Premier League, where he spent an entire season before signing a contract with Prisons in the same league on January 14, last year.
He had been a free agent for nearly a month after Prisons FC relieved him of his duties. Before joining Homeboyz, Odhiambo was a member of the technical bench at Gor Mahia, the club he played for during his playing days. He also coached the defunct top-tier side Sony Sugar.
Meanwhile, Shimanyula has confirmed that truant Congolese attacker Gaetan Masha has returned to the team after months of absence.
The dreadlocked winger vanished without informing his employer in the early days of the season.
Shimanyula stated that they had dropped legal proceedings against Masha after reporting his disappearance to the Football Kenya Federation.
Shimanyula also called out the current crop of players, telling them to polish their act or face the axe.
"We can't keep a squad that doesn't complete its assignments. We intend to fire anyone who fails to meet our standards. The league has reached a critical juncture, and we need to see results," Shimanyula explained.
