Last weekend marked the start of a new Kenyan Premier League season.
We started off with a game against KCB and while local pundits had written off my beloved K’Ogalo after a woeful performance last season, our 2-1 victory over the bankers has given us a glimpse of what to expect.
Last week, our noisy neighbours AFC Leopards, the self-declared big cats of Kenyan football, held a fund raiser to raise money to aid them pay debts they owe their former players and coach.
Just over Sh8 million was raised with top politicians led by President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga sending their donations.
With that money, AFC Leopards can now pay their debts and remain with some pocket change to sign a few players.
After the harambee, there was excitement from AFC Leopards fans who expressed a sigh of relief. One newspaper even committed a full page for the story on the Sh8 million windfall for Ingwe.
Personally, I think there is nothing to celebrate even if AFC Leopards had raised Sh1 billion.
To pick from the words of my former colleague, James Wachai, when will these so-called big clubs of Kenyan football be financially stable and stop depending on handouts from politicians.
The story is not any better from Gor Mahia whose chairman Ambrose Rachier said he had mulled on a similar fund raiser but received cold reception from fans.
What is sad is Rachier and AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda can shamelessly and continuously call for fund raisers a when the clubs are in a rut.
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AFC Leopards prides in being the oldest club in the country with 12 league titles, Gor Mahia, on the other hand, boasts of being the most successful club in the region with a continental title and 19 league titles. But what is there to show for it?
These two clubs boast of up 10 million followers each countrywide, of course almost 90 percent of this following is dormant.
What have they done to tap into this following? Nothing.
My advise to Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards stop begging and build your brands.
Simply put, from the 10 million following Gor Mahia enjoys, if they can have even 500,000 followers spare Sh10 daily, they will have Sh5 million daily.
And the club has smart people who can create mobile phone applications that will have Sh10 go directly to the club.
But, the club will also have to market the app to attract these 500,000 fans.
It is possible, but not with the traditional, archaic and moribund leadership that we have today.
Meanwhile, how many days are remaining in the contract of the Harambee Stars coach?