Godspeed to Shabana, but ride could be bumpy

President Uhuru Kenyatta (third right) hands over keys for a 62-seater bus to a Shabana FC official as players look on October 21, 2020 in Kisii.

Photo credit: Pool

What you need to know:

  • I’m afraid a swanky new bus alone doesn’t even cover half the distance of a community club’s recurrent expenses.

There is this sad tale that those who’ve been following Kenyan football for a while may be familiar with.

The story has been retold countless times, but I will narrate an abridged version for the sake of the younger readers.

Sometime in early March 2005, just before Shabana FC’s disgraceful banishment from Kenya’s top-tier league, the team was subjected to indignity unheard of for a club of Shabana’s pedigree and stature back then.

A long-haul road trip from Kisii to Mombasa, fraught with all sorts of tribulations, turned into a nightmare the moment the team arrived in the coastal city for a league match against Dubai Bank.

The team actually arrived at the match venue just minutes to kick-off in what turned out into a no contest. The final score was humiliating. Shabana was thrashed 5-0.

But that was just the beginning of Shabana’s worst nightmare. At the end of the match, an already bad situation turned into a full-blown crisis.

Short of cash to catch the next upcountry bus for the return trip, the pitiful troop of players and team officials took to aimlessly wandering around town.

They finally ended up in a seedy pub where they spent a couple of days and nights.

When the team’s plight was eventually highlighted by the media, pictures of the haggard players made for a very miserable sight.

That harrowing incident proved to be the final nail on Shabana’s coffin. The Kisii-based side was eventually relegated and for many years now they’ve been labouring, with no success, for an eagerly-awaited comeback.

I couldn’t help but recall Shabana’s plight, those many years ago, when the club got its wish for a much-coveted team bus early this week as Kenyans celebrated Mashujaa Day.

Last-ditch effort

It took a sustained social media campaign by their long-suffering fans, a desperate plea from the team and a last-ditch effort from my editor Elias Makori on these pages for the ever-charitable President Uhuru Kenyatta to deliver that 62-seater bus.

While President Kenyatta’s philanthropy was in the true spirit of Mashujaa Day, I'm afraid a swanky new bus alone – Shabana will soon realise – doesn't even cover half the distance of a community club's recurrent expenses. Just ask AFC Leopards and the self-styled moneybags Wazito FC.

The president’s benevolence is without doubt laudable. However, my only misgiving with Shabana's new fortune – if a bus indeed qualifies – is that it could trigger a "me too" reaction.

I wouldn't be too surprised if soon enough Gor Mahia, whose jalopy of a minibus is rusting away in a junkyard somewhere in Nairobi’s Eastlands, launches a similar campaign.

In political sense, the new-found bromance between club patron Raila Odinga and President Kenyatta would actually ‘validate’ such a campaign. Don’t take my word for it though. I'm only hypothesising here.

That said, it's heartwarming that the Shabana of old is slowly rising from the ashes like the proverbial phoenix. Godspeed to Shabana! The road ahead could be bumpy, but enjoy the ride anyway. Tore Bobe!