I have heard these allegations for so long but I have sort of just brushed them aside as not deserving of any attention. I always thought, people are always gonna talk, whether we do good or bad. But my experiences with the Four Nations Tournament woke me up a little bit. Maybe there really is unfairness in team selection in Kenyan football after all. Looking at the Harambee stars squad - both senior and juniors- that represented Kenya at the four nations Tournament in Malawi, I couldn't deny that there was an over-representation of Luos and Luhyas. As a matter of fact, I don't remember reading even a single Kamba, Kikuyu or Kalenjin name on the team sheet despite the fact that those three tribes combined make up at least 60% of Kenya's population. During the Harambee stars games that were streamed live by KBC on youtube, the comment's section was flooded by allegations of favoritism, tribalism and biased selection by irate Kenyans who felt that players from their tribes or regions had been overlooked for selection.
I tried to offer some sort of explanation to the complainers. I pointed them to the fact that no sports team in Kenya actually has the face of Kenya represented; Cricket has an over-representation of Indians, athletics is dominated by Kalenjins and swimming is dominated by whites and Indians. But the complainers were having none of it. One person in particular insisted that there is embedded tribalism in Kenyan football. He alleged that Luos are favoured above everyone else. He pointed out that in athletics there are national trials and the team that eventually is selected is chosen based only on merit. He said that there are no national trails for football and that the coaches simply favour Luos and Luhyas. This, despite the fact that the Harambee Stars' coach is a foreigner and the head of FKF is a Kamba (Nick Mwenda).
It's so difficult to substantiate the allegations of Luo-Luhya favouristism but people keep making them all the time. No one stops to ask whether the Luo - Luhya domination in football could be as a result of natural talent and/or passion for the sport or not. Consider, for example, the crop of Kenyan footballers that have made the cut to play professional football in Europe's top five leagues. There is MacDonald Mariga, Victor Wanyama, Dennis Oliech, Mike Okoth Origi and Joseph Okumu, to mention but a few. Why aren't there any Kalenjins or Kikuyus in there? Do European teams also favour Luos and Luhyas? Maybe.
The Safaricom Chapa Dimba has been held annually for at least the last six years. It is an under-17 national football tournament for boys and girls that attract teams from all over Kenya. The competition has for ages been dominated by teams from Western and Nyanza and I think one from the Rift Valley-Western border. Why is this so? It's hard to make an allegation of favouritism in a corporately sponsored tournament but the those who believe that Luos and Luhyas are favoured will claim this to be the reason for the two region's dominance of the tournament. Omala, now playing professional football at Gor Mahia, was once a top scorer and best player at the Chapa Dimba while playing for a Kisumu-based side. The two most successful clubs in Kenya are two community based clubs for Luos and Luhyas. The odds seem to be stacked against anyone hell-bent to prove that the only reason other regions in Kenya aren't that well represented in the national football teams is tribalism.
Talenta Hela Tournament is a government-sponsored national tournament that was held for the first time this year. The boys' category was won by Homa Bay county under-17 team which beat Kisumu in the final. The girls category was won by Busia which also beat Kisumu in the finials. If you missed it, the top four teams in the country featured three from Nyanza and one from Western. There was no team from Central, Coast or Rift Valley in the quarter finals in both the boys' and girls' categories. The top scorer in the boys category was Austine Odongo of Busia County followed by Cecil Miller of Homa Bay. The top scorer in the girls' category was from Kisumu county. Bear in mind that this was a national tournament with representation of teams from all the Kenyan counties. So, there must have been a conspiracy in this tournament to make teams from Western and Nyanza winners, uh? Or could it be that our brothers and sisters from these two regions are just a little bit more talented than the rest of us?
If you were a football scout or coach watching the Talanta Hela and scouting for talent or selecting players for the national team, would you have selected players from Nyanza and Western or the teams that fell by the wayside in the last sixteen stage or failed to make it to the nationals? Yet, lest we forget, many Kikuyus, Kalenjins and Kenyans of all walks have over the years proudly and ably represented Kenya in international football. Football, like any sport, must not be a reserve of one or two tribes or regions at the expense of the rest of the country. Even as the Western and Nyanza brothers excel in the sport, effort must be made to ensure that the other regions have a fair shot of being selected in the National team. And that is what the Talanta Hela and Chapa Dimba tournaments are for!
Yet, lest we forget, many Kikuyus, Kalenjins and Kenyans of all walks have over the years proudly and ably represented Kenya in international football.
But no argument can be made that tribalism is all it has taken to make Luos and Luhyas stand out in Kenyan football. If you're still not conviced, I challenge you to check out the Kenya all-time leading scorers in our league and the national team. Make of that what you will, but to say that Luos and Luhyas score more goals because of favoritism is to stoop a little too low. Kenya has only on very rare occasions had a Luo or Luhya as a coach of the National Football Team, Harambee stars. Recently, we have had Ghost Mulei and Francis Kimanzi (both of them Kambas) at the helm of our national football team and still the team was dominated by Luos and Luhyas. I can't remember the last time a Luo or Luhya was the chairman of FKF or KFF. The current chairman is Nick Mwendwa (a Kamba) and the immediate former chairman was Sam Nyaweya ( a Kisii). How do Luos and Luhyas manipulate the selection of the national team when they're completely out of football management? Why can't they use the same means to win election for the chairmanship of the national football federation?
What many people don't understand is that Luos and Luhyas just love football. They're not in it to make money or for fame. The region has so many football tournaments most of them sponsored by politicians and businessmen that help in talent identification and nurturing. Many Luo and Luhya parents even go as far as to register their kids in football academies at a young age, something that is completely foreign to our brothers from Central Kenya or Coast region. Many foreign-born Luos and Luhyas always try to come back and play for Kenya (Daniel Anyembe, Taiwo Atieno, Jonah Ayunga,Clarke Oduor, Tyler Onyango etc). Why is this so? Why aren't so many foreign born Kisiis, Kikuyus and Kalenjins playing football? Maybe they're not just interested in the sport. Francis Kahata was once a very good footballer and a constant figure in the national team, Harambee Stars. Once he'd made enough money in the sport his heart was no longer in the game. The Luos and Luhyas he played alongside in the national team are still going strong. Why is this so?
There was another common complaint: Why were Andrine Kibet and Tyrone Kariuki not not selected in the under 20 team that played the Four Nations Tournament in Malawi? For those who raised this issue, the only explanation was tribalism or favouritism. In other words, the two were not selected because they were neither Luo nor Luhya. The fact of the matter, however, was that Andrine Kibet was away in Spain with Nastic Sports Academy, and Tyrone Kariuki was actually in the team that flew to Malawi. Kariuki may have missed the games because of an injury or a strain. To say they were not selected because of tribalism is to be petty. Which coach would freeze out the best players he has at his disposal- at the risk of failure and fan's backlash - just because he favours his tribe? And, for the record, the Kenya under 20 football team coach (Salim Babu) isn't a Luo.
Isn't it weird that these serious allegations are being made on the same time that Harambee Stars is beginning to experience some upturn in form? It's been ages since The Stars won an away game. For the first time in what appears to be decades, Harambee Stars won an away game and did so convincingly. One may be disappointed about the Junior Stars' performance but that was not our best team. It was without Kibet and his Nastic counterpart ,Wanjala, not to mention Austine Odongo, Cecil Miller and Tyrone Kariuki. The Four Nations Tournament was aired live on KBC and streamed live on youtube by the same broadcaster, which was in itself a first in Kenya. For all its perceived failings, the Kenya Kwanza administration has got one thing right: investments in sports. KBC has been given the financial muscle to air not only Kenya Premier league games but also all games involving the national team! Football lovers in the country finally have a reason to smile.And as a bonus we could be watching the African Cup of Nations live in Kenya in a newly built football-only stadium in four year's time! Given Kenya Kwanza's knack for breaking promises they make, we could be a little skeptical, but good things appear to be in store for football lovers in Kenya. Fingers crossed.
Comments
Post a Comment