2014 thus far, Kenya's Sports dwindling influence?

This year started with a lot of optimism given that the then newly elected Government had come with a basket full of promises...pardon my pessismist self who takes politicos and sports officials with a pinch of salt.
Well they had even the Sports Bill which was finally passed last year to provide grounds for new dawn in Kenyan sports. But alas!
Starting with the people's game of football, Kenyan clubs were bundled out of the pre-qualifying stages of continental club championships. That it was Kenya'biggest clubs reduced to cheer leaders tells a lot of what needs to be done to the same. This showed the need to streamline club activity in Kenya.
Onto to athletics, even though Kenyan athletes made a good showing at the continental championships in Kampala, our rivals in Ethiopia and other East African countries are no longer shoo-ins to be taken for granted. An interesting observation too must be made on our long distance runners especially marathon. While Kenyan has a wealth of talent, their margin of success is restricted to 2-3 wins before fading off. Look at Ethiopia, the same athletes who ran the 5K & 10K have now switched to the half and full marathons...it's only a matter of time...
Volleyball, and our Kenyan ladies have always been continental queens....? Well not anymore! Losing the North Africans, our sisters were given a reality check on what other countries have been doing and are capable of doing. There has also been such a disconnect between continental and world championships. Kenya has performed dismally in the latter and Kenya Volleyball Federation doesn't have clue of what to do.
Cricket, oh the Englishman's game! Well Kenya has sunk so low, that we couldn't qualify for the Twenty 20 tournament played by both Test and non-Test nations.  What is more worrying is that our neighbours Uganda and Rwanda are developing better teams and it's only a matter of time before we are dethroned.
As for rugby,  it's a mixed bag with the 7s team tempering our expectations while the 15s side  made small but significant strides in South Africa as we wait for the Worl Cup qualifiers later thus year.
Boxing too is reporting a  bit of life after being knocked out for several years off the national sports agenda.

• What has been symptomatic across the board is lethargic sports officials.  We have been there before on the need to elect pragmatic officials.  It's an ideal situation but tenable for some if not majority of the sports bodies. 
• Laxity from the Government.  While some sports associations behave like untouchables, they're more that the Secretary of Sports and Culture can do than the mere pronouncements.  For starters, invoking the Sports Bill and its statutes is one way. 
• Accountability - audits on the sports bodie should be regular and recommendations acted upon. This should be from both Government and sponsoring companies.  When players go on national duty and come back without having been paid their allowances is an abomination in this time and age. 
• International best practices - when our sports people participate in international events, what do they learn? Or are they busy visitng other less important business as opposed to taking notes on their call of duty? 

There's still the second half of the year to look forward to and hope that there are better and sterling performances.  The list below shows some of the sporting events to look out for; 

• Commonwealth Games
• IRB Rugby series 2014/15 
• IAAF Grand Prix meets 
• World Cup qualifiers (rugby)
• Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers

Jackie JanMohammed, can Kenyan Cricket be re-born?

Congratulations Mrs. Jackie Janmohammed for scoring a first on many counts in the muddled waters of Kenyan sport! It's another milestone for women in this part of the world and also for those in the cricket game. Enough with the pleasantries!

Jackie Janmohammed - image courtesy of AFP

The hardwork starts now. Former Cricket Kenya CEO Samir Inamdar waxed lyrical of leaving the sports association with the whole bag of monies and 'structures'. But his legacy is best underscored by the dismal performances that the Kenyan national team and loss of supremacy among other non-Test nations that were close to the Test playing status.

Another piece of baggage you might have to deal with is the chasm created between the various branches which led to two of the main branches boycotting the elections. This one is not your undoing but the earlier you win them into your fold the better it will be for the game.

There is also another disturbing observation and related to the point of the various branches. Among the top officials, there is not a single representative of the two branches. There is also no representation of what would be called 'indigenous' representation. A cursory look at officials elected in Sunday's elections, none come outside of the Asian/Muslim communities. Part of the causes of the schisms  in the previous office was because of this 'race' issue. It is an unspoken evil but one which continues to haunt the game. The psyche in some of the teams and to some extent in the national team does reflect in their performances. Mrs. Jackie, you will need all the lawyering expertise to sail through these murky waters. It's never a cup of tea but it's the reality on the field.

Some goodwill inherited from the old order is the media rights that were secured with SuperSport to screen some of the East African cricket games. That is another channel you might want to approach for both the local league and national games. TV has been known to transform many a sport and cricket will be no different. Work your magic with the corporates and that balance sheet that Inamdar & Co left will look like a mockery of what revenues and sponsorship you may attract.

Appointing a worthy CEO, another brief waiting for your delivery. The previous CEO Tom Sears left in a huff claiming to have been under security threats among a host of other issues. It will be important that the next CEO comes from a rigorous and all-inclusive process. His/her brief should be delivery the game back to its glory days and ensuring a vibrant national league as well as the reaffirming Kenya's supremacy among non-Test playing nations. There is also the national coach issue. You might want to start that on a clean slate or is it a fresh pair of hands?

The issue of development of talent from the lower rungs and to provide players for both club and country is something else to look into. You might need to borrow a few notes from Mr. Janmohammed who was part of the development team in the early 2000s when the rain starting beating Kenyan cricket hard. You should also involve some of the former and senior players in these development plans. That a player like Maurice Odumbe is still able to put together a tidy number of runs as well as run the field like the days of yore before he was demonised is something to you can use to inspire the younger lads. Kenyan sport has never been known to pay tribute to its former stars but you can change the tide with that in cricket.

Do not sit in the beautiful offices that host Cricket Kenya's office in Ruaraka but do a lot of legwork in the clubs in Ngara, Parklands, down in Mombasa, Nakuru and Kisumu. That way you will learn a little bit more than what those fancy reports may say on paper. You can have a word with some of the groundsmen on those fields. They may know a thing or two that will give you better insights into the game.

Lastly we have 2015 World Cup coming up and Kenya's participation is currently in dire straits as we lie 6th ICC World Cricket League championship, with 2 games to play. The two top teams of this League will automatically qualify for the Cricket World Cup.But this is almost in vain though there is one last reprieve of the qualifying tournament in 2014. If Kenya can finish in a respectable position in his League and get its act together by 2014, we should be the suprise package once again in the 2015 hoping to repeat the heroics of the 1996 and 2003 national teams.

Mrs. Jackie it's your call, score a century or get bowled out!  

Tom Sears quit Cricket Kenya for Irish Rugby club

The situation of the Kenyan cricket game is such that its former CEO would quit in a hurry and opt for a less glamorous appointment as rugby club CEO. Tom Sears who has been at helm at Cricket Kenya for only two years must have known something that we didn't.

Cricket Kenya logo - www.cricket-kenya.com

Its without a doubt that the last 5 years or so, the Kenyan cricket scene has not had much to write home about. The only success if it were was the launch of 2  'franchise-like' cricket action pitting regional teams in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania to a lesser extent. These were the East Africa Premier League and the East African Cup.
These two tournaments have seen better development of our neighbours' games but nothing much to the Kenyan teams.
Back to CK's former CEO, the nonchalant habits of the Board and also lack of enough support from ICC which funds the international game would be some of the reasons Mr. Sears decided to head north. It will be a tough call for the incoming CEO to add flavour to the Kenyan cricket game.
Of utmost importance is;

• getting the oomph back into club and national teams which seem to be rudderless and without inspiration to perform optimally. From remuneration to sponsors, these are but some of the issues that the new CEO should address;
• two, there are international games that would be of great testing to the Kenyan game including clubs from Test playing nations or their 'A' and 'B' sides as it were. That exposure would be beneficial to the young men;
• third, the current office has antagonised many former players who would serve the clubs and national team in consulting and coaching capacities. Engage them widely, they know what it takes to play in high stakes games;
• fourth, as an Associate nation, its time we regained our status among the top Associate teams. This will need more than sheer determination and will but also enormous resources which a good CEO can and should surmount;
• fifth, Test playing nations have been making a push for cricket to land back to the major sporting events like the Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games. The success of Associate nations such as Kenya which has a rich Commonwealth & Olympic heritage would support such bids. Remember what Kenyan Rugby 7s proponents did for the 7s game inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games?
• sixth , there is the World Cup qualifiers and Twenty 20 tournaments coming up in the next 2 years. Kenya HAS to be in those two events by whatever means. That's a favourable yardstick for any Cricket Kenya CEO worth his (or her...) salt. 
• finally, its about time too that the game got onto the screens of the local enthusiasts. Local and pay TV channels are always looking for local content. Yours is a veritable choice which is waiting to happen. 

 Mr. Tom Sears, we wish you well as you enjoy Irish beer. Put in a few good words for the Kenyan cricket game and maybe you can send in a few recommendations for people to consider as new CEO. It will a Herculean task indeed!

Kenyan Cricket - Enter the Maasai Warrior !

The dismal performance of the Kenyan national cricket team during the ICC World Cup Twenty20 was witness to the low levels the game has deteriorated in the country. It's been a slow and gradual process where Cricket officials seem to have no clue of what ails the sport and how they can salvage the game. The technical team has also not seen any much positive change since the current coach New Zealander - Mike Hesson took over, replacing West Indies-origin, Eldine Baptiste.

This is tragic considering that the country has some truly talented cricketers both current and retired. A few weeks ago, Maurice Odumbe was in some talk-show and though most would not want to agree with everything he says, the one thing we'd recommend is use of these retired hands to inspire the current breed of players.
Just like what happens in other sports, the experienced players will always have a skill or two to impart and also lead the team from the front when it counts. Cricket Kenya officials have not been very enthusiast engaging older players in developing the local teams and having them as part of the advisory for the national team.

Maasai Cricket Warriors - www.loadpictures.net

Now with the sport slowly taking a back seat as we approach the end of the One-Day International (ODI) status in 2013, the country will stand to lose the much-needed exposure of international games. Without this, it will be a hard call qualifying for the next World Cup scheduled for 2015 even though signs have been ominous that Test-playing nations will not entertain lesser minions in future World Cups.


Maybe it's about time we called in the cricket-playing Maasais onto the national team... They might inject the much-needed vigour and stamina to take back Kenya's place among respected non-Test playing countries....

{ The Maasai Cricket Warriors are currently in South Africa taking part in the Last Man Stands - World Championships in  South Africa in the Happy Hitters category. You can check their link here and also follow the Last Man Stands tournament live tweets on @LMSWorldChamps }

Kenyan Sporting Families: Now you know where the pedigree comes from

Tikolos, Dunfords, Sudis,  Ilakos, among many others are household names in the Kenyan sporting scene . Yes as you may noticed, most of them had plurals because there is more than one member of the family that has made their cut in different sporting discipline or more than one member makes the cut in a particular sport.

Take for example the Tikolos; a few weeks ago we saw the end of an era when the last of the cricket playing brothers from the Tikolo family, Steve retired from the sport after gracing it for more than 15 years having won many hearts in the country and across the seas. His other famous brothers who also one time held the position of Chief Executive at Cricket Kenya Tom and also former player David.

Other famous siblings in cricket include the Sujis (Martin and Tony), Obuyas (Kennedy, Collins and David) Ngoches ( James and Shem) and the Odumbes (Maurice and Edward).

The Obuyas - Image from www.kiranonlycricket.blogspot.com

The Ilakos you ask? Well there was a time Kenya played for the African zone of the Davis Cup in tennis. One of the players playing for Kenya was Philip Ilako (nowadays he’s MD of some mid-level bank I guess). The other playing Ilako was James.

Dunfords, who doesn’t know the exploits of these brothers in the pools of the African Swimming Championships, All-Africa Games, Commonwealth and also the Olympics (albeit briefly). Jason is the trailblazer with David spoiling for a place on the podium slowly but surely. Their other less famous brother Robert plays rugby in the UK where’s attending college.

From Left - David & Jason Dunford with a lady & gent fan - Image courtesy of www.sky it

Rugby has many household names but the current ones taking the lion’s share are Humphrey Kayange and Collins Injera while their younger brother Michael has some uphill task trying to make at least the national team like the two elder ones. Their father is also a former rugby player back in the day.

We have Daniel Rudisha one of the gold medallists in the 4x400m Munich Olympic Games whose son David Lekuta Rudisha did one better breaking the world record and literally scorching the tracks last season in the IAAF circuit to emerge as World Athlete of the Year as well as Kenya’s Sportman of the Year.

The family that is hogging much of the media’s attention now is the Wanyamas. The matriarch one Noah Wanyama started it all playing with AFC Leopards and also the national team Harambee Stars. His sons have followed suit with Sylvester –Sony Sugar, Thomas – Sofapaka FC , with Victor Mugabe making history as Kenya’s first football player in the Scottish League signing with Celtic FC and of course the most famous of the Wanyama’s MacDonald Mariga Wanyama Inter Milan’s FC defensive midfielder. Their sister Mercy Ayitso has also recently obtained a scholarship in the California Baptist University which plays in the NCAA women's basketball league.

As has happened in other sporting fields, these families have led the way in winning accolades for their clubs, countries and securing honour and a place in history. For all you seeking a firm place in sport and have a sibling or two in one or another game, you have it written and trendsetters to learn from.

Collins Injera & Humphrey Kayange perform a celebratory dance after a try

As a country, we also have to learn to honour our sporting heroes something we have not always done all too well. Their place to some of us sporting enthusiasts is forever etched in our minds and firmly in the history of our country.

Cricket: If Kenya continues with this state, ICC was justified in reducing World Cup playing countries

A few days to the start of the tournament, the International Cricket Council indicated that they were hoping to cut down on the number of teams playing in the Cricket World Cup to have 10 nations ( effectively this restricts the WC to Test playing countries eliminating the Associate members from the prestigious event). And from the first game by Kenya against New Zealand, the ICC may feel justified in its proposals.

Kenyan Cricket team captain Jimmy Kamande rides on rickshaw during Opening ceremony of 2011 Cricket World Cup

For the last 5 years, the Kenyan cricket game has deteriorated to its nadir and the showing in the World Cup is not surprising. Even in the run-up to the World Cup the team played some warm up matches which it performed well below par. Cricket Kenya has tried to cover up major weaknesses in the team and the local League has all but gone to the dogs.
Infighting by the officials has meant that instead of the country fighting for Test playing status, it has been reduced to surviving in the Associate membership status ( this means we have had less One-Day Internationals and performed measly in the Twenty20 tournament. Remember Zimbabwe was suspended as a Test playing nation and technically Kenya would have been in good stead to succeed them). We currently languish in the 15th out of 17th nations in the Twenty20 standings. Surely we can do better than this.
An article by Martin Williamson on ESPN Cricinfo carefully analyses the way we have neglected our local game leading to the detriment of international showing. If we come out of this World Cup with a win, it will be out of sheer grit and not any investment made in the team. Have to recall some old hands for the tournament meant Cricket Kenya was really not sure of itself. It may also explain the reason why local media houses have not bothered to air any of the games live ( for fear of showing embarrassing scenes from the Asian sub-continent).
It's tragic when a sport has some much potential and the corresponding sports association dithers to make any meaningful investment. Even when the ICC has tried guiding our association, the Kenyan officials have not made any efforts to that effect.
We shall watch the rest of the tournament, albeit to enjoy the gentleman's game.

In Other News:
No local company wanted association with our boys, and it took the Indian company Karuturi Global Limited to see sense in shirt sponsoring them, what happened? Is it because they do not like what they see at Cricket Kenya or their target market doesn't exist in the Indian sub-continent? (Remember Indian companies have been making in-roads into the African continent, it would only be fair if we at least returned the favour by making some effort. Barbs to Kenyan corporates!)

New Cricket Coach Expected in- Any Hope for Kenyan Cricket?

After having one of the lowest ebbs in Kenyan cricket in recent times, Cricket Kenya has a new coach coming into the country this week.
Logo courtesy of Cricket Kenya

Eldine Baptiste from the West Indies has a plateful to start with. He needs to inspire our boys back into the form of the mid and late 1990s to early 2000s.He might be able to awe us with his exploits having played alongside one of cricket's greats, Viv Richards.
He might get aided by the fact that Kenya's talismanic cricketer, one Maurice Odumbe is back in the crease and might be eligible to play in next year's Cricket World Cup. We surely hope he will be more handy than Andy Kirsten who didn't get us going. Maybe Cricket Kenya knows a thing or two about his non-performance thus the need to renew his contract.

Odumbe's ban comes to an end- any comeback ?

One of the harshest bans ever slapped on a Kenyan sports personalities comes to an end next month. All who loved the Kenyan team which conquered the cricket giants in 1996, we all remember our very own Maurice Odumbe.
OK, the jury is still out there as to what happened between him and the book-maker. That his lifestyle had suddenly become flashy did not help his case much. What I found hypocritical was the fact that a West Indian player had been caught with a book-making offence even caught on camera but the ICC banned him for only 2 years.
Well, the ICC might not really love our Kenyan cricket officials and may have wanted to make an example of our gifted cricket brother. Maybe they may have even conspired to kill any inspiration that he may have had, you know the team's Achilles' heel? Who knows maybe that's why we have seen such deteriorating standards in the game since our cricket players are scared of stepping on the wrong coals.
Anyway enough of my hearsay, Odumbe's ban officially ends on August 4th as he marks his 40th birthday. Shall we see one of the best cricketers to grace our cricket grounds back on the crease? The cricket World Cup is next year and you never know. Only time will tell.
Additional info from Coastweek.com

Cricket: Another Sad Tale as Kenya dithers again

There are times I feel like throwing the gauntlet on the Kenyan sporting scene and getting on to something else but that would be giving in too soon. The cases created by our sports managers keeps putting to question whether we are cursed just like our political side of things. Where did the rain start beating us?
As we had reported about Athletics Kenya losing out on hosting next year's Youth Athletics Championships ( I'm not convinced by Hosea Kiplagat's words saying they have a secretariat running...), the Cricket Kenya officials have allowed a similar tournament for the cricket fraternity to slip through their fingers.
They say that they were preparing the grounds and still looking for sponsors.The little work going on of refurbishing the grounds was fair enough but even more urgent was securing sponsorship funds and the lucrative media rights which would have seen substantial income for CK.
Maybe they would have borrowed a leaf from the South African officials who managed to get India to move the Indian Cricket Premier League which still attracted a sizeable number of fans and audience across the country and into the global scene.
Synergies can be developed with SuperSport and work out something along the lines of the Kenya Premier League. But then again our local cricket scene has been sidelined and seems overtaken by events and is quickly sinking into oblivion.
What sluggards do we have running this office?
As we write this, Kenyan officials are also on the lookout for a new coach after Andy Kirsten's contract came to an end. Not much achieved under him, but we managed to qualify for the World Cup to be held in Asia next year. Hmm !

EABL add more spice to Sports sponsorship

Coming through as one of the major contributors in sport, East Africa Breweries Limited-EABL added more incentive to the sports fraternity. Major beneficiaries of this move were Rugby Safari Sevens which secured KSh.28 million, and Cricket Kenya which got KSh.7 million. Tusker FC the 2007 Kenya Football Premier League winners and next year's country representatives to the contintental challenge got KSh.15 million with players receiving a TV set each for their exploits. Not on the list though was any sponsorship for the football national team which seems not attract any monies.
The total bounty for the EABL sponsorship totals KSh.390 million up from KSh.330 million put through 3 years ago. This has seen EABL through various flagship products such Tusker, Tusker Malt Lager, White Cup, Malta Guinness make sports a reality to disciplines such as athletics,volleyball, polo and traditional ones such as rugby,football and golf .
What can be done to some of the fringe disciplines as basketball,rowing,martial arts which have lots of potential and are seriously begging for funds ? Do we have to wait for them to perform for us to see the potential or can we be part of the build-up to that success ?
All in all,way to go EABL !