FKF presidential Candidate Cleophas Shimanyula (right) with his running mate Twaha Mbarak in Nairobi on November 29, 2024.
Kakamega Homeboyz FC owner and Chairman Cleophas Shimanyula takes great pride in being an astute businessman.
The 46-year-old Shimanyula, fondly known as “Toto” started his entrepreneurial journey in 1997 with a single taxi.
His businesses are in transport, construction, real estate and farming, providing employment to hundreds of people.
Even with his interests in business, he has shown his passion for football and the youth.
It is for this reason that he started Kakamega Homeboz in 2008.
“I realised then that there was no big club in Western Kenya yet we have a lot of talent from this region. I also wanted to see the youth engaged in useful activities to keep them away from drugs and alcohol. Kakamega Homeboyz has produced many quality players who have gone on to play for Harambee Stars and the leading clubs in the country.” Homeboyz indeed made it to the Kenyan Premier League in 2010, just two years after formation.
In recent times, Homeboyz, nicknamed “Abana Abeingo” lifted the 2023 FKF MozzartBet Cup to represent Kenya in the 2023/24 CAF Confederation Cup, their first outing in the continent.
These achievements are some of the reasons why Shimanyula believes that he is the ideal candidate to succeed Nick Mwendwa in managing football in the country.
He will fight it out in the FKF national elections on Saturday at Moi International Sports Centre (MISC), Kasarani with seven other candidates.
They are incumbent FKF vice president Doris Petra, former FKF Chief Executive Officer Barry Otieno, Gor Mahia Secretary General Sam Ochola, Murang’a Seal vice chairman Hussein Mohammed, and sports administrator Tom Alila.
Shimanyula’s running mate is experienced sports administrator and Bandari FC vice chairman Twaha Mbarak.
“Given the poor leadership that this federation has been grappling with, I felt it was important to leave my work and come to the rescue of our football,” said Shimanyula, who holds a Diploma in Motor Vehicle Engineering from Western University College of Science and Technology now Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology.
“With my experience from grassroots football to managing a club in the top league, I’m confident I can elevate Kenya’s football to the next level,” added the alumnus of Butere Patel High School now Butere High School.
The father of six holds several leadership positions including being the director of Clenox Company Limited and Ecowest Motor Group Limited and chairman of Real Estate Owners - Kakamega.
He previously served as the chairman of the Kakamega Matatu Owners Association and Chamber of Commerce Western Chapter.
Under the slogan: “One Team, One Dream”, Shimanyula and Mbarak have identified 10 areas that they will address if elected into office.
They are: governance and transparency, community engagement, youth development, infrastructure improvement, international partnerships, FKF management, referees’ perks and welfare, match-fixing, women's football and the rule of law.
In their eight-page manifesto, Shimanyula said they are committed to proper governance and transparency. He wants to promote exclusivity within the federation by incorporating voices from diverse regions and communities. This will extend to creating platforms for fans to voice their opinions and contribute to decision-making processes, and organise community events and matches to build a stronger connection between fans and players.
Additionally, Shimanyula will initiate programmes that use football to promote social causes such as health and education.
The Shimanyula office wants to have clear financial reporting to build trust among stakeholders.
The manifesto outlines plans to establish football academies nationwide to nurture talents and collaborate with schools to incorporate football into their sports curriculum.
Shimanyula says his administration will come up with nationwide scouting programmes to identify and support promising players from an early age.
Noting that Kenyan football will only thrive if playing venues are adequate, Shimanyula says he will work at renovating existing facilities and build new ones to international standards, develop state-of-the-art training centres for national squads and support the growth of local leagues to encourage competition and fan engagements.
Shimanyula says he wants to see clubs running the Premier League under a limited company as was the case with the Kenya Premier League.
In January 2019, Homeboyz parted ways with head coach Paul Nkata over allegations of engaging in match-fixing while in February 2020, Fifa banned four players of the club for engaging in the vice.
Speaking during the FKF presidential debate held on November 5, Shimanyula said: “I was the whistle-blower. Barry (Otieno) can testify that we gave all the evidence and they (FKF) helped us and those people were banned,” he said.
Shimanyula adds he will work with stakeholders including the security agencies and Members of Parliament to criminalise the vice.
Shimanyula’s ticket promises to build women’s football from grassroots, leagues to national teams.
They will seek partnerships with foreign clubs and organisations for knowledge exchange, bring in experienced coaches to conduct workshops to improve local coaching standards and facilitate local players to train and play abroad.
Shimanyula has strong words for the previous office saying it was ‘mediocre” and he is the man who understands what Kenyan football is all about.
“I have a team in the Premier League and I pay for their expenses from my own pocket.”
