Recently, the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs CS Ababu Namwamba set the pace for Kenya’s return to international football by conforming to FIFA’s demands to lift the ban on the beleaguered FKF Secretariat.

The mutual agreement for FKF President Nick Mwendwa to step aside for continued investigations on possible corruption at the federation means everything else remains at status quo.

As the FKFPL starts, it should not escape us that the federation annulled last season’s league that was overseen by the Caretaker committee. Which means it was an all for nothing effort by the clubs, officials, and other stakeholders. This decision has also led to court cases over relegation and promotion of teams.

Even now, our national teams for both men and women cannot participate in international matches. Clubs are still ineligible to enter the most prestigious Champions League and CAF Cup competitions.

These competitions do not only open the gates for possible sponsorships and strengthening of clubs’ cash chests, they also expose our players to possible transfers to professional clubs outside the country.

It therefore makes sense to call on the government, the federation, and clubs to take the necessary steps in averting a similar conundrum in the next few years. To start off, we must implement some recommendations by the FKF Caretaker Committee immediately.

First, the FKF should allow a Limited Company to run the top league. This is a tested and proven approach that is already in use in some of the flourishing leagues across the world. The English Premier League is run by a Limited Company, since the early 1990’s when clubs broke away from the mother federation in order to run a professional league efficiently.

However, the FA has representation to make sure that the English Premier League is recognized by FIFA. Right now, it has become the epitome of success on how to internationalize a local sport. At home, the Kenya Premier League Limited already exists and has enough experience and success in running the tournament.

Secondly, the harmonization of sport governing associations at grassroot level must be prioritized. The FKF Caretaker Committee noted that current branches of the federation are not compliant with the Sports Act. Surprisingly, we have County Football Associations which are compliant but are not members of the federation. This conflict and overlap must be dealt with for football to flourish from the grassroots to the national stage.

Using such associations for political purposes to assent to the topmost executive position of the national federation is the biggest hinderance to achieving this. The Sports Registrar should thus work with the FKF and the government to ensure harmonization within this season.

Thirdly, the recommendation to have government representation in the federation through a Director of Football will certainly remove situations where the government has no idea about what is happening at the federation. This will increase accountability.

It also becomes easier for the government auditor to follow on the financial dealings at the federation and offer recommendations on behalf of clubs, individual players, sponsors, and other stakeholders. It will remove the notion that FIFA protects individuals who misappropriate funds through its ‘non-interference by govt’ policy.

Fourth, the FKF is already conducting workshops for clubs and officials on issues related to nutrition and anti-doping as well as match-fixing. The workshops should indeed be regular, and expert monitoring be expedited. Not once have we had rumours of possible match-fixing by league or club officials and players. Zoo Kericho was expelled from the league for this very reason after match audits by FIFA.

Commercialization and professionalization of the Premier League has the potential to employ thousands of youths in Kenya. It will also increase confidence and attract more local and international investors for the league and clubs. The league will also become prestigious for players from other countries and attract international following, just like the English Premier League or Egyptian League.

By Hillary Namunyu.
~ The writer is a Culture Enthusiast, Communications Professional and Sport Development for Peace advocate.