Olympics 2012 - Kenya, This is IT!

The 4 year cycle is over & this time London it is! The Olympic Games - multiple-sport biggest sporting extravaganza. And Kenya is firmly in there to claim its place. For those who read this blog, we'll give a few of our own thoughts on what we think of Kenya's hopes at these Games;

Flying the Kenyan Flag

Athletics:
Our (over)-reliance on this means once again, it is and remains the biggest prospects for medals. There are quite a number of world-beaters, from world champions to world record holders as well as reigning Olympic medallists.
Predictions:
800m:
Men (Gold)  Women (Gold)

1500m:
Men (Gold and Silver) Women (Silver)

3000m steeplechase:
Men ( Gold, Silver & Bronze); Women ( Gold and Bronze)

5000m:
Men ( Bronze); Women ( Silver)

10000m
Men (Silver); Women ( Gold)

Marathon:
Men (Gold and Bronze); Women ( Gold, Silver)

4 X 400m (Men) - The one-lap runners will most likely make to the Final (if they don't drop the baton or run outside their lane). But the traditional teams of US, Caribbean and even Team GB will still be too strong to overcome.

Javelin: It will be a honourable mention to Julius Yego but he can't beat the Eastern Europeans and Scandinavian throwers. They're way ahead technically and physically. 


Boxing:
No offence to our boxers but the best we can manage is a Bronze by Benson Gicharu. This is because the game is quite technical nowadays and the scoring system is quite something. The preparations were not up to standard but this Kenyan cop can pack a punch all the way to the semis.

Swimming:
Jason Dunford will once again get to the Finals of the 100m butterfly on the back of some great outings in the World Swimming c'ships and Africa c'ships & All-Africa Games. David Dunford might also make it through the heats but as for the Finals, still anyone's guess...

Weighlifting:
This is another sport Kenya has never quite excelled at Olympic Games level and this year it won't be any different. The techniques, lack of proper training as well as physical challenges are some of the reasons why.

Total Medal Haul Forecast:
 8 Gold 5 Silver & 4 Bronze
Put on a good show Kenyans and we shall be rooting for you to beat our medal forecast and bring more home. We shall be proud as always for your sterling show! Go #TeamKenya!

Kenya Basketball's revamped website

In these times that Kenyan sport is slowly taking different forms of transformation both offline and online, it is fair to applaud the steps taken by various sports federations in the country. Kenya Basketball Federation's officials have decided to take their game online and through the revamped website, www.kenyabasketballfederation.co.ke  hope to appeal to a wider audience of the basketball game in Kenya and around the world.

Screen-shot of the revamped Kenya Basketball Federation website

This is a positive step forward for the officials who were elected to fresh mandate in KBF elections held earlier this year. This platform should the springboard for a final take-off of the game. This is after the #FridayNightBasketball (with CodeRed Basketball) breathed a new lease of life to the game since last year. This year it still attracts crowds but the other weekend games are yet to make any significant numbers. The game is also in dire need of corporate sponsorship not just for the League(s) but also for some of the teams who barely make it from game to game.
The game also needs some funds to be able to expand its outreach to other urban centres which see just a fraction of the League action while there should be continuous regional leagues. With the county system of government coming to effect, this is an idea the Executive Committee ought to look at.
But for now, we at SportsKenya applaud KBF for the baby steps towards the realisation of the game's success in the country.

Road to Olympics - Beijing 2008 Olympics Games

Beijing 2008 logo - courtesy of www.olympic.org

In the final part of our Road to Olympics, we look at the most recent Games the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games held in China.


These Games were in many ways the 'coming out' party for the People's Republic of China and indeed they put up a great spectacle. From modern venues to a well-choreographed opening ceremony, the Games were one of the biggest in recent times. There were other major milestones which included live broadcasts done via Internet as well as the emergence of social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter which would change the way sport was viewed and reported. The shadow of Chinese authorities censorship did not escape observers though this was largely undone during the span of the Games.


Highlights:

• China's hosting meant that they emerged top of the medals standings by a haul - 51 Gold  compared to USA's 36 - in the process setting a new record for most medals won in any single Games without boycotts (USSR had won 80 Gold in 1980 & USA 83 in 1984 but both had major boycotts).
• The Bird's Nest & Water Cube ( Beijing National Stadium and Beijing National Aquatics Center respectively) were some of the more enduring venues of any Olympic Games.
• Concerns of pollution and insecurity had been expressed before the start of the Games but none of these came to fore during the Games exonerating the Beijing organisers.
• Li Ning's lighting of the torch was also one of the biggest highlights of the Games ( marketers also note it for the fact that he used his own shoe label instead of China's official sponsors, Nike).
• More than 100 Heads of States and Governments attended the Games during its whole duration. This is in addition to the 205 countries attending through their respective National Olympic Committees.
• Michael Phelps finally broke the record for most gold medals in a single Olympics taking 8 Gold and breaking 7 world records and 1 Olympic record in the process.
• Liu Xiang broke his home fans by dropping out of the 110m hurdles race which he had been favoured to win.

Beijing 2008 mascots

Kenyan Highlights:

• After poor shows in the 1990s and early 2000s, Kenya finally reigned supreme taking 6 Gold 4 Silver and 4 Bronze ( 5 were won at the Games while the 6th was awarded to 1500m men 2nd-placed Asbel Kiprop after initial winner Bahrain's Rashid Ramzi was stripped for use of illegal substances)
• Women medallists equalled the men  winning 3 Gold same as their male counterparts.
• Other medallists included ; Gold -  800m women Pamela Jelimo, Wilfred Bungei 800m men, Nancy Lagat 1500m women, Brimin Kipruto 3000m men's steeplechase and (the late)Samuel Wanjiru - men's marathon; Silver - Janeth Jepkosgei 800m women, Eunice Jepkorir 3000m women's steeplechase , Eliud Kipchoge  5000m men and Catherine Ndereba - women's marathon, while Bronze went to Alfred Kirwa 800m men, Richard Mateelong 3000m steeplechase, Edwin Cheruiyot 5000m men and Micah Yogo 10000m men.
• In swimming Jason Dunford, temporarily held the Olympic record for the 100m butterfly men's event winning his Heat (7) in 51.14 seconds ( it's now the African and Kenyan record). He did make the finals but was placed 7th. No mean achievement in itself! 
• Kenya also sent a rower Matthew Lidaywa -who placed 30th in the finals of the Single Sculls- another first for the country in any Olympics!

Road to Olympics - Athens , Greece - The Olympics Finally Come Home

After missing out on hosting the 100th year anniversary of modern Olympic Games, Athens was determined to show the world it still was the spiritual home of the Olympics. Seeking redemption from a failed bid for the 1996 Games, the Greek authorities decided to put on a masterpiece laced with ancient Greek traditions and modernity.

2004 had a couple of firsts for an Olympic Games;

• The Olympic Torch traversed the world for the first time. The focus was mainly on former host cities and major sporting cities too. This was meant to create more awareness of the Games. 
• The Games were streamed live on the Internet - though this was restricted within certain geographical parameters.

The Games were not the best outing for Kenya but before we focus on the country's failings. Let's look at some of the other highlights from Athens;

• For the first time in an Olympics, all possible participating nations through the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) sent their athletes. 
• Hisham el Guerrouj and Kelly Holmes each won 2 Gold Medals in 1500m & 5000m (men) while the latter won in 800m & 1500m (women).
• Michael Phelps won 6 Gold and 2 Bronze medals - missing Mark Spitz's haul of 7 Gold by one in swimming.
• Felix Sanchez won gold in the 400m hurdles becoming the first Dominican to win gold in an Olympics.
• Gal Fridman won gold in windsurfing to score Israel's first gold medal too.
• The USA Basketball team lost a game for the first time since featuring NBA pro stars and was beaten in the semis by Argentina to settle for Bronze.
• Greece athletes Konstantinos Kenteris and Ekaterini Thanou staged a motorcycle accident to avoid being tested for use of banned substances. Consequently they withdrew from the Games opting out to save face.
• US topped the medals table but Asia's China was slowly breathing down its neck falling short of 3 Gold medals of US' 35. 

Kenya's Facts:

• Kenya sent participants in 4 disciplines participating in athletics, rowing, swimming and volleyball.
• 22 men and 24 women was the final tally of the Kenyan contingent - one of the lowest in recent times.
• Athletics was the only discipline to bring us medals, keeping to its previous successes. 
• Kenya's volleyball team represented Africa in the Games but didn't win a single game or set. They would miss the next 2 Games. 
• 1 Gold in Kenya's traditional sport - 3000m steeplechase won by Ezekiel Kemboi who led a clean sweep in the same race leading Brimin Kipruto and Paul Kipsiele Koech. 
• Bernard Lagat won silver in 1500m (men) and he took a bow in representing the country going on to his adopted country of US of A.
• Other medal winners include Catherine 'The Great' Ndereba Silver (women's marathon), Isabella Ochichi- Silver ( women's 5000m); Eliud Kipchoge- Bronze ( men's 5000m)

 

Running for Black Gold - Book Review

When Africa's best will be competing at the Olympics showpiece in a week's time, they shall be looking for inspiration and hoping to be the same pedigree that has gone before them. This pedigree has been captured in a new book titled - Running for Black Gold - by Kevin Lillis ( and Photography by Mark Shearman).

This 170- pager seeks to record the history of African athletes at the Olympic Games as organised by IOC and the World Athletics Championships (held under IAAF). The author worked in many African countries and thus been able to document the achievements of African athletes. This is from the 1960 when Ethiopia's Abebe Bikila won Africa her first Gold medal to the last Olympic Games in Beijing and the World Athletics championships in Daegu, South Korea.

" After Abebe Bikila's Olympic marathon gold medals in world record times in both Rome (1960) and Tokyo (1964), African athletes began to assume greater prominence. At the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964, Africa claimed two medals in addition to Bikila's marathon gold. Wilson Kiprugut( Kenya) won a bronze at 800 metres - improving that to silver in Mexico City (1968)."  

Starting off with his own trials of running a pre-qualification marathon event ( in the preface), the writer goes on to give details of the achievements of athletes from the major nations of  Eastern Africa's Ethiopia and Kenya who have won Africa most of her medals.

" Fortified, I halted pitifully to the stadium entrance and then, again pure hubris, raised my sprint around the remaining 385 yards to the finish where the 13 runners who had preceded me to the tape gave the politest, humorous ripple of applause, the late great Naftali amongst them, still clutching that stopwatch, which recorded me, last man in, as 66 minutes behind the 2.14.00 of the winner, Philip Ndoo....I felt like Pheidippides himself, but Philip's time, at altitude, was faster than that of Bikila's 1960 world record gold medal in Rome."

Though bereft of actual athletes profiles and life beyond the running field, the book captures the performances of each of Africa's best performers track record.

Table 6.6 show African Female 'Black Gold; Hall of Fame where the top 3 female athletes are 'unsuprisingly' Ethiopian; below is a sketched sample of the table;

	Olympics			IAAF World			World Records
	G	S	B	G	S	B
Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH)	2	0	1	4	0	0	1
Meseret Defar (ETH)	1	0	1	1	1	2	2
Derartu Tulu (ETH)	2	0	1	1	1	0

Here's another sample of the writing:

" The narrative has remarked many times with a sense of wonder and admiration at the brilliance of the cast of African runners, their grace, uninhibited speed, beauty, and unbounded, unbridled joie de vivre and joie de courir - kimbia bwana kimbia!"

The book does well to enumerate the achievements of various athletes both male and female who have put Africa on the map. With great images meant to celebrate the track kings and queens, the reader will be taken back over the 5 decades of mixed bag of success and missed opportunities.The medal tallies and various records have been clearly outlined in tables.The same goes for the world records which have been set over the same distances at both the Olympics and World championships. 

The book though is not your usual long prose reading leaving out the finer details of the athletes featured. It would have definitely taken longer to capture such information. It also does not also try to solve the mystery of why athletes from some countries and regions are more successful than others - but does query and make that note in the Introduction.

But for you who's looking to learn what African athletes have achieved, this is a worthy book. For the athletics and sports writers of our generation, the facts and figures are important to note.The foreword is aptly done by Dr. Mike Boit, himself a former Kenyan athlete and various notable sports editors of their time are also acknowledged for the assistance they offered. They include Don Beet formerly with East African Standard and Drum Magazine; John Steward, formerly an expatriate teacher in Kisii and Peter Moll formerly sports editor at the Daily Nation and Africa Sports.

 It will be released soon to coincide with the start of the Olympic Games in London. Here's the link on Amazon. For Kenyan readers, you can contact local publishers , East African Educational Publishers for a copy.

Olympics 2012 - Kenyan Sports Officials' Gravy Train...

Media reports over the weekend reported the apprehension and confusion that is going into Kenya's preparations for the London Olympics which start in a little over 10 days from today. After Kenya's trials were completed in June, it was all systems go for preparations for a respectable if not historic medal harvest.
But right from the word go, we have been hearing of grumbling from Kenyan athletes and officials arriving too early under the pretext of preparations.
The training camp at Bristol has come under scrutiny with some complaints of the facilities needing some sprucing up ( for the swimmers) and also the lack of altitude that would have an effect for the athletes in the athletics discipline.
That officials would start arriving a full 3 weeks to the opening of the Games smacks of irresponsibility and excesses in their part to earn unwarranted allowances. We know that Kenya's marketing team in Brand Kenya had already made plans to set up shop in London ( the venue is branded as "Kenya House"). This is to try market the country as a favourable destination for not just the usual tourism circuits but also for investment opportunities e.g in infrastructure and ICT, but also sports tourism among many others.
Reliable sources inform us of how Government and parastatal officials have been fighting to be included in the trip not so much because of their working briefs but instead to 'enjoy the trappings of a fully-sponsored outing by the Government' - indulge in shopping sprees, enjoy access to some of the venues and also for some of them to treat their girlfriends and boyfriends (yes even the married ones) to sights and sounds of the UK!
That officials would be so carefree to leave the athletes to their own destiny is quite deplorable to say the least. We also saw the way one of the athletes who had been named in the 4 x 400m men's relay team was treated and sent back home just a few days after reporting to camp.
Which begs these questions;

• Why would Kenyan sports authorities sign up for training facilities without vetting them properly?
• Why should the bulk of the athletes report to camp a whole month into the Games even when the officials know that conditions at the training camps are not ideal?
• Who vets the number of officials who leave the country to make the necessary preparations for the athletes and other parties relating the Olympic travelling team?
• How many sports associations are represented at the Games? And should they be there in the first place if their sports men and women are NOT represented? 
• Year in year out, we're treated to the charades of Kenyan sports and Government officials who have no business being at major sporting events being part of the contingent. Bwana Waziri, can you tell us who caters for their expenses and if so why waste taxpayers monies 'chasing dreams'? {NB: The All-Africa Games in Maputo - Mozambique had similar claims and the findings from Parliament are yet to come out. We can almost guarantee a similar story come September...}
• Why do our sports officials sacrifice the sports people at the altar of greed and selfish ego-trips?

If Kenya does not realise its full potent in winning the maximum number of gold medals, at least we have an inkling of where to apportion the blame. 

Road to Olympics : 2000 - The Millenium Games

Sydney - Australia had the honour of hosting the millenium Games which marked the second start of another 100 years of the Olympics heritage. That the city down under got the Games was only the second time they were being hosted in the Southern hemisphere ( Melbourne still in Australia had hosted the Games in 1956).

The backdrop of the Games was the fact that Greece the spiritual home of the Games had been beaten by Atlanta in hosting the previous ones which marked 100 years of the modern Olympics. It was also coming in with less tensions across the world but with the soon-to-change security situation - thanks to concerns about terrorism.
The Games also stuck out for the cultural festivals around Australian and Aboriginal cultures which are rich and at times colliding. That Cathy Freeman would be the torch-bearer and go on to win infront of her home crowd is not an understatement to what significance the Games held to the local populace.

Kenya had had dismal performances in the 1990s and this would not change much in the 2000 Games.But before that here's a preview of the main highlights;

Highlights:

3-in-1 mascots

• Cathy Freeman - an Australian of Aborigine origin won the 400m becoming the first person to light the torch and go on to win gold in an event in the same Games;
• Marion Jones won 3 gold medals after trying to gun for 5 potential ones. These came in the 100m, 200m and 4 X 100m relay races. She confessed to using banned performance-enhancing substances and was stripped of all her medals;
• Ian 'Thorpedo' Thorpe became an instant sensation winning 3 Gold and 2 silver - in the swimming competitions becoming the Games poster boy;
• The Cameroon football team shocked the world by beating Spain to claim gold in the men's competition. The  team was led by Patrick M'boma and a young prodigy by the name of Samuel Etoo;
• Michael Johnson won the 400m flat, as well as the 4 X 400m relay ( but this was cancelled after the 3 other athletes admitted to use of performance-enhancing substances);
• China - the roaring Asian tiger would stealthly work its way to the top of the medal rankings - finished 3rd after US and Russia. By 2008, China would overhaul both these countries to emerge top medal winner at the Beijing Games.
• Paul Tergat & Haile Gebreselassie would treat the world to one of the most exciting finishes of the longest stadium race - 10,000m with Haile using his lethal finishing kick to narrowly beat Tergat to silver. 

Kenya Figures;

• 56 athletes were sent to the Games including 34 male and 22 females;
• They participated in 6 disciplines including archery, athletics, boxing, cycling, swimming and volleyball;
• 2 Gold, 3 Silver & 2 Bronze were all won in athletics - Gold: Reuben Kosgei ( 3000m steeplechase) & Noah Ngeny (1500m); Silver: Wilson B. Kipketer (3000m s'chase), Paul Tergat (10,000m) and Eric Wainaina (marathon) and Bronze : Joyce Chepchumba (women's marathon) and Bernard Lagat (1500m)
• Future World champion Vivian Cheruiyot placed 14th in 5000m - she hopes to beat the Olympic jinx & win her first medal ever in 2012.

CECAFA Club Championships - Can Tusker FC save Kenya's dismal performance?

The biggest club championship tournament in East & Central Africa starts in 2 days in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania's commercial capital. Kenya's representative Tusker FC who are the current KPL leaders and also reigning champs of the same league will be hoping to save the country's dismal performance in regional and continental assignments.

Coincidentally the last time Kenya won this Cup - aptly named Kagame Cup ( as the Rwandan President puts his money where his mouth is...)- Tusker FC were the club, that's 2008. And if their current form is anything to go by, this year they can challenge the Tanzanian clubs , Simba and Yanga FC who played out an all-Tanzanian final last year in the same venue.

But upsetting the form-book will not be easy as the crowds attending Tanzanian matches have seen surging numbers to the tens of thousands and in the case of the two fierce rivals in Simba and Yanga - a crowd that could easily top to a hundred thousand.
The CECAFA Sec-General one Nicholas Musonye- who runs a tight ship - has been able to ensure that the club championships and also the Senior Challenge Cup are not without corporate support and hence not pushed into oblivion. He's the envy of many sports federations many especially in Kenya still struggle to manage their affairs without wrangles and internal fights.
Sadly though, even after trying to be all-inclusive, there are still handicaps where clubs from states such as Eritrea will not make it. This is due to the notoriously tight-fisted regime which makes citizens want to leave the country at the slightest excuse.
All in all the 11-team tournament is bound to keep East & Central African football enthusiasts entertained and rooting for their favourite teams.

Interesting Facts:

• Kenyan clubs have won the most trophies - 15 ;
• Kenyan clubs have made to the Finals - 22 times - the highest after Tanzania's 19 times); 
• AFC Leopards & Tusker FC have each won the Cup - 5 times ( Leopards won it 3 times consecutively 1982,83,84);
• George 'Blackberry' Odhiambo - a Kenyan striker shall be appearing for Azam FC - a Tanzanian club;
• Sammy Omollo appeared for Tusker FC (then Kenya Breweries in 1990-92 missing out winning the CUp in 1989);
• Pres. Paul Kagame will be bankrolling the tournament for the 10th consecutive year to the tune of US$60,000 per tournament for the winner's prize money;

 

Olympics 2012 - INFOGRAPHIC - Kenya's Rich Heritage at the Olympics

Infographic - Kenya at the Summer (& Winter) Olympics 1956-2012

Quick Note:
* 2008 - The 6th Gold medal was awarded to Asbel Kiprop in 1500m men after the initial winner Bahrain's Rashid Ramzi was disqualified for doping.


Many thanks to Judy - Smurtnotes, Richard of SportsKenya for thinking up & exchanging ideas on its possibility and most of all Nzilani - the designer who put up with all the critique and data to get this Infographic done. Enjoy!  


DISCLAIMER:
You can share this post/infographic with your friends, fans and followers BUT in case of offline publishing, kindly get in touch with us on info@smurtnotes.com OR sportskenya@gmail.com 

Olympics 2012 - Lest our Sports Personalities forget...

Early last week, Kenyans were shocked to learn about the alleged stabbing of a woman by world & Olympic champ Ezekiel Kemboi. This was a few days of easily qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics starting in a little under 21 days.

Podium Finish

For many it was not the best news that we would be listening to hoping not just attend but also defend its place as one of Africa's leading nations in terms of medal hauls.
Experts, lawyers and other 'public opinion experts' are still weighing the news of what actually transpired last night. And though we may not be the best-placed authorities in this case, we do hope that Ezekiel Kemboi is cleared and does get to compete for gold in London.
This case evokes of the memories of the sad end-tale of Samuel Wanjiru who was found dead at his residence after an alleged scuffle with his wife and another female companion.

What these two cases show us is the fact that athletes and sports personalities not just here in Kenya but across the world are human just like the rest of us. What distinguishes them from the rest of the population is their achievements which do count for much more than they would think or believe. It is in that light that they should bear the burden that society puts unto them and try within their confines to be the moral barometers of the populi. We have seen many come and be disgraced in sport for their actions in and off the court, pitch or tracks - be it from cheating, petty crimes to the more serious ones of assault, or even death as we have seen.
Lest they forget, the spotlight shines on all of us BUT is shines more brightly once we raise you on the medals' pedestal!

Let's not dim it any time too soon...

Football Kenya falters again and again

Football Kenya fallacies
After securing fresh mandate from the football fraternity in the country, the current Chair one mercurial Sam Nyamweya seemed to have finally come in through the main door to bring order to the rather chaotic scene that is Kenyan football.
But barely a month in office, the Chair started making moves which have since started becoming all too common and frequent. Last year in the first week of December , it was announced that from 2013, all football tournaments that were to be played in Kenya from the lowest levels to the senior ones would have to seek Football Kenya Federation's clearance - the main gist of this was the many corporate-sponsored tournaments which football officials have salivating and rubbing their hands with glee due to the monies involved.
Early this year one of the country's professional players made formal complaints about refunds not made to him for air travels made during national duty. Another player still also complained about his use of image and non-compensation for the same. Both these cases were poorly managed by the FKF team which started making pronouncements of how unpatriotic our pro players had suddenly become.

As the country was preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers for 2013, it became clear that the technical team did not have what it takes to deliver the goods and the campaign was in shambles by last month with sacking ( and 'appointment' as football technical director )of the national coach.
By this time also the cracks had started emerging between the Chair and the Vice-Chair along with other branch officials who have not been accommodated in some of the rushed decisions made by the Federation.
Mid-last month, one of the biggest football tournaments, Sakata Ball was cancelled by the sponsors Safaricom in the last minute after it emerged that some FKF officials had made a claim for a percentage of the sponsorship fee(s). This was clearly without justification.
The straw that broke the Camel's back was Monday's announcement to the media that FKF had resolved to suspend Vice-Chair and of the Nairobi branch officials for some fabricated and cooked-up issues. And in quick succession, the Chair proceeded to appoint one of his handy men to the post of Vice-Chair.
There are many other issues which we would wish to highlight, but let's not bore you to death with the sad song(s)...

Same old, same old...
What irks us here at SportsKenya is the fact that once again, Kenyan football is a non-starter, largely due to an incompetent leadership team which is bereft of any new ideas to inject into the local scene. Some have been hoping that the current Chair - who's well known for his dubious character and political machinations - would somehow see the 'light' but that very light has been put off for many a football fan.
KPL as sponsored by SuperSport Limited has been trying against all odds to restore some order into the game. But interference has been seen from FKF e.g. the media accreditation process which was done in a shoddy manner, disciplinary issues relating to the suspended games as well as the tiffs with some of the refereeing officials who at times are at pains to gain control of the game but can't due to fans' pressure.

The usual nonchalant stance by FIFA is not entirely suprising given the fact that the first port of call for the current Chair after his election was the Swiss city of Zurich. It may also not be lost to us that the current FIFA President is on his last days and wouldn't want to antagonise officials who might come back for his neck upon retirement.
The Kenyan Government through the Ministry of Sport is the lame-duck which pipes threats but never makes good its word. Mr. Minister, you can bite the bullet and disband the top team since we have not even qualified for the AFCON coming up in 2013 anyway. And the more we wait for semblance of order to take place, the more the disorder and misconduct of the top organs will continue.

If we can make that sacrifice and bear the painful process for at least 6-12 months, we can midwife a new management team that will have not just the goodwill of football practitioners and enthusiasts but also serve as a lesson on how not-to-mismanage the universal game of football! Well until then, we can forget any meaningful change in the Kenyan football status in the near future...