ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo has appealed to the private sector to help boost the presence of community clubs on the Kenyan top-flight stage.
Speaking during Gor Mahia’s breakfast meeting at a Nairobi hotel on Tuesday, where he was the chief guest, Owalo reminisced about the days the record Kenyan champions and AFC Leopards dominated the local football landscape at whim.
He said there was a need to work deliberately towards restoring the clubs’ lost glory.
“We miss the good old days when Gor Mahia would emerge as Kenyan Premier League champions with AFC Leopards as runners-up or vice versa,” Owalo said.
The CS urged the private sector to pump funds into community clubs to help them overcome their financial challenges, instead of funding institutional teams that do not have fan bases.
“It would be much better for the private sector to fund community clubs as opposed to establishing teams that lack adequate fan base,” Owalo said.
An ardent fan of Gor Mahia, Owalo donated Sh800,000 to settle players’ allowances that have accumulated from the last five matches. The amount was publicly handed to club captain Philemon Otieno in cash.
Owalo urged Gor Mahia players to work hard and reclaim the topflight title they last won in 2019, adding that the current squad had exhibited the potential to run away with the coveted silverware.
“I watched the game against Kenya Police at the weekend and was impressed with the team’s performance. I must say this is a very young and talented squad that has the potential to replicate what the club achieved in the ‘80s,” Owalo said.
“There has been a tendency to change the playing unit each season, which makes it quite difficult for the club to be consistent. I urge the club’s management not to make many changes to the playing unit. They should keep the current crop of players together. If that is done, I believe we will be in a position to achieve quite a lot both locally and on the international stage,” Owalo stated.
The CS has also promised to donate a bus for the club in response to an earlier plea made by club chairman Ambrose Rachier.
“I recently had a meeting with the Executive Committee and observed that the challenges at the club are not insurmountable. I will reach out to partners and friends in the private sector and ensure Gor Mahia has a quality bus.”
He urged the players to clinch the season and steer the club back to the continental stage, promising to rope in another sponsor to augment the efforts of Sportpesa.
“If you manage to deliver the title, we will strive to ensure we have an additional sponsor for the continental matches.”
Rachier lamented the club’s perennial financial constraints, saying suits filed at Fifa by former players and coaches merely served to compound their woes.
“We have been forced to pay millions of shillings in fines and interests. I urge the players to consider other means to resolve disputes with the club,” said Rachier.
Gor are currently atop the Kenyan Premier League leaderboard with 56 points from 26 matches, two points ahead of rivals Tusker, with eight matches left to conclude the season.
