Matiba and Omino’s watch: Birth of KFF, ensuing optimism and rise of local game

In the run-up to FKF elections later in the year, Nation Sport digs into the archives to bring you the successes and failures of men who have presided over the running of Kenyan football. We trace the founding of Football Association, followed by change of name to Kenya Football Federation, Football Kenya Limited and later Football Kenya Federation. In this instalment, Joseph Mboya writes on Kenneth Matiba’s watch, the reign of Joab Omino, and Peter Kenneth’s tenure.

When the editor of this project James Mwamba asked me to do this piece, I quickly realised that it is only by a cruel twist of fate that Nick Mwendwa can have his name and achievements discussed in the same breath with the late Kenneth Matiba.

The one common factor uniting the two is that both rose to the apex of football administration in this country heading the top body - Mwendwa as President (what a vainly exalted title) of the Football Kenya Federation and Matiba as the chairman of the now defunct Kenya Football Federation.

Common factor number two is that both men came into the public limelight at a young age. Matiba was named a Permanent Secretary at a tender age and Mwendwa came to football administration at a time when the country was awash with messages of ‘vijanaa’ (the youth) being given the opportunity to lead.

Matiba went ahead to carve a name for himself in the civil service, football administration and politics, making a serious bid for the presidency on his Ford Asili political party in 1992. Apart from that, the two gentlemen’s record in the agora of leadership is as different as day and night.

Heading to the 2016 football elections, Mwendwa had the near total support of all Kenyans interested in the sport. That particular section of the society had grown tired of the leadership of Sam Nyamweya and all it wanted was to cast the then President and his entire team into the outer darkness.

Mwendwa, dangling youthfulness and his IT background, appeared like the promised Messiah for our football. It was a shoo-in at the ballot when the D-Day came. Which probably marked the darkest day in the history of football in our country.

Like the biblical Job rueing the day of his birth after the devil inflicted miseries after miseries on him - killing his children, decimation of his flock of livestock and being afflicted with a skin disease - Kenyans must be wondering what sins they committed against the gods of football to hoist upon them Mwendwa as the boss.

Blessed with a unique voice, Mwendwa seems to love the same so much so that he is always in our faces on TV and other media quarrelling over one thing or another. His theatrics have seen some claim that he not only wants to influence the choice of coaches for the national team Harambee Stars, but that Mwendwa also insists on having a say on the players to the national team and even the line-up on any given match day.

The only other person facing such accusations was the head of Cameroonian football, Samuel E’too whose team performed miserably at the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cote d’Ivoire.

Having played football and the topmost level and winning respect with the national team, the Indomitable Lions, E’too’s good record seems to have earned him a reprieve from the hitherto-irate fans.

Unfortunately for Mwendwa, there was no football pedigree to talk of. Mwendwa’s tenure has seen some bizarre decisions being made by FKF which left many wondering for whose benefit were such decisions being made.

One of the biggest scandals has been the issue of the Outside Broadcasting (OB) van which nobody at Kandanda House wants to talk about. Then there is the issue of Mwendwa’s open bias against some teams in the Kenya Premier League, with Gor Mahia bearing the brunt of the man’s misplaced wrath.

It is worth noting that the outgoing president has often used the world football governing body Fifa as a scarecrow whenever he is faced with tough questions. The never-ending song by Mwendwa and his acolytes has always been that the country would face a Fifa ban if any action is taken against FKF officials.

The latest was early last month when Mwendwa’s deputy, went to town with threats that if Mwendwa is not allowed to run in FKF elections, then Fifa would ban Kenya.

This was in response to the Registrar of Sports Rose Wasike who had declared Mwendwa ineligible to run for a third term, citing a breach of tenure limits. The Registrar was of the opinion that after two terms, Mwendwa was fit to go home and herd his livestock instead of hanging around Kandanda House as the president.

However,  Petra did not see Wasike as a civil servant executing her duties as per her mandate but chose to see the registrar as a stooge of those seeking to unseat Mwendwa.

“Let our opponents not fear and meet us at the ballot. Fifa has not informed us of any ineligibility for re-election. The law is on our side,” Petra was quoted by Nation Sport crowing.

The jury is still out on whether those in charge of electing FKF officials would be generous to Mwendwa and give him another chance but the fact is that compared to others before him, Mwendwa scores way below.

Back to Matiba, who served as chairman of the Kenya Football Federation from 1974 to 1978. Matiba was a darling of players because he had their best interest at heart. It is worth noting that in1979, just a year after Matiba left the KFF leadership, Gor Mahia reached the finals of the African Club Championships. Coincidentally Sammy Owino ‘Kempes’ scored the goal that saw Gor beat AS Horoya of Guinea 1-0 in the first leg and finally winning 2-0 to reach the finals. Owino is one of those lining up to vie for FKF presidency this year.

Matiba’s legacy was perhaps cemented by the statement he issued at the tail end of his chairmanship. As football writer Collins Okinyo noted on Matiba’s death: “I have been the chairman of the Kenya Football Federation and the Kenya Football League for four years. Considering the responsibilities involved and my other commitments, that is a long time. During that period, I have served the game of soccer to the best of my ability and I have spared no energies to ensure its progress. But I must leave it to the Kenya public to judge the degree of my success. I will ensure proper handover of all KFF assets and monies...”

The man who ran our football in mid to late 1970s had serious misgivings with the Football Association which he accused of mismanaging the game in the country. He then went ahead to form Kenya Football Federation in 1974.

Also worth mentioning was Clement Gachanja who, after a good run at the Kenya Football Federation, was later to serve as a Member of Parliament for Dagoretti in Nairobi.

Former Re-Union player Peter Kenneth also steered the organisation to good end. He was later to serve as a member of parliament for Gatanga Constituency in Murang’a County and was a presidential candidate in the 2013 General Election.

This list cannot be complete without mentioning Joab Omino, the man under whose tenure Kenya got the chance to host the 1996 Afcon. Omino and his team made a good impression on Caf nabobs when they presented Kenya’s bid for the glamourous continental diadem to be held in Kenya.

As fate would have it, petty local politics got in the way of things. It happened that Omino by then was a member of parliament for Kisumu Town on opposition Ford Kenya ticket. In the myopic view of those calling the shots in Kanu and by extension president Daniel arap Moi’s government, an Omino-headed KFF hosting the championship would have meant that the opposition would remove the shine from the ruling party. You might find it cheapskate politics but that is the world we lived in back then!

After a sterling stint at the Maseno School, Joab Omino crossed over to Uganda and was a student at the famous Makerere University and while there he played for both Kenya and Uganda national teams. He also served as Permanent Secretary in various ministries in Kenya before joining elective politics at the turn of multi-partyism in the early nineties. In the eighties he was the Patron of Gor Mahia FC, a position which maybe came in handy when he joined politics to be MP for Kisumu Town.

Omino, served two stints as chairman of KFF, 1984 to 1991 and 1993 to 1996. Under Omino, Kenya qualified for Afcon three times. Kenya also reached the final at the 1987 fourth All Africa Games which at the time attracted the best footballers in Africa.

Under Omino, Gor Mahia became the first club in the Cecafa region go win a a continental diadem and in 1985 AFC Leopards reached the semi-finals of the Africa Cup winners cup.

During Omino’s second stint, Kenya Breweries reached the final of the 1994 Africa Cup Winners Cup and came close to emulating Gor Mahia’s performance of 1987.

However, Omino would also enter history books by his arrogant stand that ‘coaches come and go’, which was a below the belt punch at the men who manage our teams on the pitch.

The national federation has changed names over time. Matiba made sure it was changed from Football Association to KFF in 1974. Football Kenya Limited (abbreviated as Football Kenya Ltd., Football Kenya or FKL) was the governing body of football in Kenya. It was founded in 2008 and was recognised by Fifa in the same year, taking over control of Kenyan football from the Kenya Football Federation. FKL organised the Kenya Premier League (KPL), the Kenyan Nationwide League and the Kenya national football team.

 In November 2011, FKL was disbanded as it wanted to cease being a limited company. The Football Kenya Federation replaced FKL.

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