Will Nakuru get back to its glory days in football?

Karuturi footbal club players.[Courtesy]

Football standards in Nakuru County and possibly in Kenya have gone to the dogs.

And the county, which used to produce a number of top teams to the Kenyan Premier League has none in the top-flight league today.

And most fans in the region are wondering what went wrong?

Gone are the days when Afraha Stadium was the home to football clubs like Kenya Farmers Association (KFA), Gema, Abeingo, Nyanam, Scarlet and Transcom who ruled the then Kenya National Football League (now Kenyan Premier League) from the 1970s to late 1990s.

In the late 1990s, Naivasha also produced former league champions Oserian Fastac and Karuturi Sports, all who have since been wiped out for lack of sponsors.

And these clubs could not allow top giants AFC Leopards, record premier champions Gor Mahia or Kenya Breweries (now Tusker) or any visiting teams to harvest maximum points from their home ground.

“Afraha Stadium was always a tough ground for any visiting teams. Teams found it hard to beat us here as they returned empty handed in the fight for top honours,” said former Scarlet and Kenya international goalkeeper Washington Muhanji, a military soldier who has since retired to his home in Kakamega County.

Muhanji who supports the two term limit for all elected leaders pushed by Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said during their time they had dedicated leaders from the club to the federation.

“We also worked hard as players on the pitch and never allowed any team to beat us easily. Discipline was key to everything,” he said.

During their days, weekends were full of mouthwatering top flight league-matches as local fans were never interested in foreign league like the English Premier League matches that today have dominated the local scene.

Gor Mahia legend John ‘Bobby’ Ogolla confirmed Afraha and Kandunyi Stadiums were always tough grounds to visit.

“It was never easy for us at the two stadiums. We could pick points and lose but victories were narrow at Afraha. In Bungoma, all we could only manage were draws against Nzoia Sugar,” said Ogolla who earned the nickname ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ from his exploits in that era.

He admitted Nakuru-based clubs played good football.

And as the county struggles to revitalise her football standards, Kenya Football Legends Initiative chairman Peter ‘Kass Kass’ Kamau said all is not lost if they can learn from past mistakes.

“All that we need is the election of competent officials from the sub branch to national level,” said Kamau who played for Shabana and Kisumu Posta.

He advised football delegates who’ll take part in the forthcoming Football Kenya Federation elections not to sacrifice their integrity for money in the fight for top honours.

He said for Nakuru to regain her past glory, the election of competent and passionate officials from the sub branch to national level is a must besides resumption of the previous National Youth Olympic Centres or formation of Football Academies.

He advised delegates destined for the polls not to be compromised since Kenyans depend on their integrity for competent leadership.

“Money talks in these activities but I appeal to delegates not to compromise their integrity at the polls,” said Kamau who equally feels more training for coaches and referees based on meritocracy is crucial to football development.

He said that promotion of clubs from the lower leagues to superior leagues should be done on merit as coaches scout for talent from the primary to secondary schools.

Kenya Football Legends Initiative chairman Peter 'Kass Kass' Kamau in his office during an interview in Nakuru. [Courtesy]

Former Transcom defender and coach Ernest Maningi says failure to elect passionate and competent football leaders has led to the fall in football standards.

“Most of the current leadership adore money paid by clubs to take part in different leagues and cannot sacrifice their own resources to promote football,” Maningi told Standard Sports.

He said lack of youth development centres and referees and coaches’ clinics also hampered Nakuru city from regaining its lost glory as a football granary.

“Promotion of undeserving clubs to top leagues through unfair means is another prime factor that killed football here and nationally,” added Maningi who is a product of the defunct Nakuru Youth Olympic that was under stewardship of the late Sammy Nyongesa.

Others were the late Jared Ingutia and James Odawa (KFA), Ambrose ‘Golden Boy’ Ayoyi, Jack Sihul and Charles Odero (all of Scarlet), Josephat Murila, the late Dick Anyanga, Sammy Taabu and Sammy Abida (all from Abeingo) who later moved to AFC Leopards save for Abida and Joseph Odera (Kisumu Posta) among others.

Former Kenya Football Referees Association South Rift branch vice chairman Gilbert Mollow said passionate and competent leadership is key to successful footballing nations globally.

“We’ll never win an Africa Cup of Nations title if we don’t have a passionate and competent leadership. If we don’t allow meritocracy to rule in our football, then we should forget about booking a World Cup slot,” said Mollow, who is a qualified CAF match commissioner who has since retired to his home in Siaya County.