Come on Gor Mahia, fuss about a bus is just noise
Gor Mahia's new bus, donated by Information Communication and Technology CS Eliud Owalo, on Thika Road on the way to Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani for the unveiling ceremony on November 11, 2023.
What you need to know:
- Is that bus digestible so that when they are hungry from lack of pay, they can find nourishment? It is one thing to get a new bus. But that is just one problem solved.
- A club of Gor Mahia’s stature needs to have multiple buses, and a club house for players. It needs to own a stadium like its peers in the continent. Let’s never lose sight of that.
The fly on the ox’s neck can congratulate and praise itself all it wants for a hard day’s ploughing, but does that change the fact that the fly was a mere passenger during the ploughing process?
Perhaps the same can be said about the Gor Mahia fraternity that is currently boasting about their “achievement” in acquiring a new bus.
Neither the fans, nor the club’s leadership, nor even this government that claims to be keen on growing sports, can claim the credit for the green Sh23 million luxury beast, which is a donation from ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo.
Owalo is reportedly registered as the sole owner of the bus, and this was both important and necessary in light of what happened to the club’s previous vehicle.
That 36-seater bus was auctioned about two years ago by a player who the club owed millions of shillings for wrongful dismissal.
That’s what happened to the old bus. Auctioned, although few seem to remember that. Because forgetfulness has a rich history in Kenyan football. Less famous is the tradition of taking responsibility, and ensuring that mistakes don’t recur.
Anyway, registering the bus under the donor’s name was Gor showing the unwanted finger to its future creditors. Let’s see what they will attach this time. Ha!
By the way, while we are still in this good mood, where is the club house? Where is the Gor Mahia stadium that has been the talk of town for ages? Has anybody located the parcel of land that former president Daniel Moi allegedly donated to the club? Or is this sudden good fortune supposed to cloud our minds for the next decade, until it is old and rickety and a new donation is needed?
I saw the bus with my own two eyes on the day it made its maiden trip across Nairobi, and I couldn’t help but thank NSL-bound club AFC Leopards for setting the pace.
Ingwe is the only other Kenyan club with a bus that looks like that. Thank you Shemeji, although it is a little sad that you are unable to set the pace when it comes to winning.
I’m told the bus is air-conditioned, with fortified “Winning Gas” that is emitted every 10 seconds from tiny openings on the roof of the bus.
It also has speakers programmed to play exclusive Ohangla songs, and rumour has it that it was given its first wash by the fire brigade, and that the only mechanic allowed to touch it are KDF personnel who have learnt their mechanical trade in Sobibor.
Needless to say, it has Wi-Fi, recliner seats and foldable TV sets eternally tuned to SuperSport…everything a footballer heading to a match would wish for.
But here’s the big question. Can it be home for players? When salaries have delayed and allowances remain unpaid for months, can they bring their families and live in the bus?
Is that bus digestible so that when they are hungry from lack of pay, they can find nourishment? It is one thing to get a new bus. But that is just one problem solved.
A club of Gor Mahia’s stature needs to have multiple buses, and a club house for players. It needs to own a stadium like its peers in the continent. Let’s never lose sight of that.
