Centralise vaccination of players

Football Kenya Federation President Nick Mwendwa receives his Covid-19 vaccination at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on April 10, 2021.

Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Like FKF president put it last week,  it is his wish that football returns to our stadiums sooner  rather than later after the vaccination programme,  a move that will see our players continue to earn a living from sports
  • FKF and Mwendwa by extension got it all wrong when the federation only made arrangements for FKF Premier League clubs based in Nairobi and its environs, and left some of the clubs at the mercy of the county governments
  • Mwendwa and FKF should write letters allowing teams to travel to Nairobi and facilitate the teams to travel to get the vaccine at the earliest opportunity

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) last week made arrangements with the Ministry of Health to have players from at least 30 FKF Premier League clubs and members of technical bench vaccinated.

This is a very noble idea which should be supported by all and sundry.

And like FKF president put it last week,  it is his wish that football returns to our stadiums sooner  rather than later after the vaccination programme,  a move that will see our players continue to earn a living from sports, which ideally is a source of income for a bigger percentage of the players.

However, FKF and Mwendwa by extension got it all wrong when the federation only made arrangements for FKF Premier League clubs based in Nairobi and its environs, and left some of the clubs at the mercy of the county governments.

If indeed FKF wants all FKF Premier League players and officials to pass through the programme, and the league to resume at the same time with all the teams involved, the federation could have made a better arrangement to ensure players from all the FKF Premier League clubs are vaccinated at the same time regardless of where they are based.

This is what happened when the federation tested the players for Covid-19 ahead of the resumption of league matches. On that ocassion, health officials were sent all the way to KPA Mbaraki Sports ground which is Bandari FC’s training venue, where all of the team’s players and officials were tested.

Asking clubs to deal with county governments will not work because already, the county health officials have their priority list and I doubt if they are willing to interrupt their programmes to accommodate FKF Premier League teams. That arrangement also heavily depends on the availability of the vaccine, which is already running short in some counties.

Mwendwa and FKF should write letters allowing teams to travel to Nairobi and facilitate the teams to travel to get the vaccine at the earliest opportunity,  otherwise it will be another game of musical chairs. I am speaking for the self-sponsored league teams clubs because Bandari FC, as we know it,  can afford to buy the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine should the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine provided by the government run out of stock.

The federation should intervene and ensure all teams are vaccinated at the same time, regardless of their geographical location  so that league matches can resume at the same time without delay.

Meanwhile, our head coach Andre Cassa Bungo has rolled out individual training programme for our players who are currently training in isolation as we await for resumption of sport.