Over a decade at the helm of KHU with little to write home about

Kenya Hockey Union president Nashon Randiek. [File, Standard]

Nashon Randiek has secured another four-year term as the president of the Kenya Hockey Union (KHU) keeping him in office until 2029.

This follows the KHU elections held at Maxwell Church Adventist Halls, Nairobi on Saturday. Randiek who was unopposed in the election has been at the helm of hockey since 2013 which means that he has been trusted to lead the national body for a total of 17 years.

His deputy (female) Elynah Shiveka didn’t also have a challenger for the position. Manjit Singh Jhite was elected deputy president (male) taking the place of Michael Malungu who opted to focus on coaching and nurturing players.

Jhite garnered 19 votes defeating former Maseno School coach Frankline Odayo who had 10 and Michael Graham Katana who managed seven votes.

Wycliffe Ongori retained the Secretary General’s post with 24 votes while his challengers Thomas Olal and Gilbert Ouko secured seven and five votes.

Moses Majiwa was unopposed in the Match Fixtures Secretary contest, Jane Nyamogo who previously held the post will deputise him.

Godfrey Bila was also unchallenged maintaining the Treasurer’s office with Francis Munyao becoming the Deputy Treasurer unopposed after James Juma withdrew from the race.

Apart from Jhite, Munyao, Mulwa and Mwangi, the other officials have been in office with Randiek, Shiveka and Nyamogo having served the longest which begs the question, what changes are they bringing to the table?

Should Kenyans expect them to turn around the fortunes of hockey in four years when their track record shows that they have nothing to show for the years they have been in office?

Since Randiek took over from Resham Bains in 2013, the sport has been on a free fall with the standards gradually dipping over the years and the problems seem to be on a steady increase. Currently the City Park Stadium is completely depleted and there is no designated venue for league matches.

The clubs have been forced to find alternative grounds for their matches with the only better option being the Dashmesh Stadium which they are required to pay before use.

Dashmesh is out of reach for clubs most who are self-sponsored and with limited resources. The clubs have opted for grounds at learning institutions such as universities and secondary schools.

This has had a negative impact on the growth of the sport, the matches have also not been very consistent a development a concerned club official who requested anonymity for fear of victimization said is affecting the standards.

“When there are no clear structures, no infrastructure and clubs forced to pay to play then the standards of the sport are bound to drop. A club, depending on their financial muscle, can decide when to play and when not to because the federation has no moral authority to question them because they also failed,” the official said.

However, if the just concluded election is anything to go by, then it’s in order to conclude that the hockey fraternity is comfortable with the status quo and would rather lament from the sidelines than take the bull by its horns. Of all the 10 elective posts, five were unopposed meaning that they did not attract any interest.  

Despite the sport having some of the most highly educated and skilled individuals who could take it to the next level, they have neglected it and refused to take up leadership roles leading to the recycling of officials. 

Randiek who was recently elected deputy president to the National Olympic Committee of Kenya promised to renovate the City Park which has not been in use for a long time and ensure that Kenya has a modern turf.

With over 12 years in office with little or nothing to show for it, it remains to be seen if Randiek and his team will deliver even as sports in the country shift from just serving entertainment purposes to a source of livelihood through monetisation.