EDITORIAL: What rugby boss needs to do

Newly-elected Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) chairman Geoffrey Oduor Gangla has his work clearly cut out.

After protracted campaigns that ended in victory for him on Wednesday, Gangla must now settle down to work. Key to this, he must bring together all the parties at the federation to drive the game and meet the expectations of rugby enthusiasts.

Gangla, who is immediate former secretary-general of KRU, takes over from Richard Omwela at a time Kenya rugby is facing administrative and financial problems, which have stifled the development of the game.

Top on Gangla’s agenda should be creation of a good working environment in KRU’s ranks. He must fix KRU’s disjointed board, which has affected the union’s operations.

The union is also facing financial challenges, which have seen it fail to fund national teams. The result has been a major revolt by Kenya Sevens and 15s players over non-payment of dues, leading to poor performance in international tournaments.

Development of women’s rugby has stalled, and Kenya Cup league referees have been at loggerheads with the union over delayed pay. Looking into the welfare of the players, referees and staff at Rugby Football Union of East Africa would be a good starting point for Gangla.

In recent times, sponsors have shied away from investing in rugby, perhaps owing to poor management and Gangla must work had to bring them back to the game through transparency, accountability and sound management of rugby affairs.

KRU must develop rugby across the country by helping clubs outside Nairobi to grow. Just three out of 12 teams in the Kenya Cup rugby league are based outside Nairobi, which points to the hard task the union faces in spreading the game nationally.