Jonathan Jackson: My vision for Nairobi City Stars

Nairobi City Stars chairman Jonathan Jackson at his offices in Upper hill, Nairobi during an interview with Nation Sport on August 14, 2020.


Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Jonathan Jackson, who holds dual Kenyan and British citizenship, bought newly promoted  Nairobi City Stars in March last year
  • He was born in Eldoret when his father was the principal of Mosoriot Teachers College between 1960 and 1970
  • Jackson relocated to Kenya 10 years ago and set up a real estate firm namely Lordship Group, located in Upper Hill



Jonathan Jackson is steadily following in the footsteps of some of the respected football club owners such as Lawrence Mulindwa, Patrice Motsepe, Mohammed Dewji, Moise Katumbi, and Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

Mulindwa, a Kampala-based tycoon and educationalist bought Bunamwaya Football Club in Kampala in 2010.

He then pumped in millions of shillings and transformed the outfit into Vipers SC.

Mulindwa built a state-of-the-art stadium at Kitende in a Kampala suburb, complete with a gymnasium, hostel, and a dining hall. He also bought a luxurious bus for the first team.

Katumbi, a Congolese billionaire and popular politician, is the owner of five-time African champions TP Mazembe.

He forked out millions of dollars to purchase a chartered plane that ferries his players to continental assignments, free from the hustle of commercial flights.

Plan to build stadium

Billionaire Tanzanian businessman Dewji's efforts to revamp Tanzania's Simba SC are well-documented, while Motsepe, the South African businessman with extensive interests in gold, ferrous metals, base metals, and platinum is well known for splashing millions of shillings  in bonuses and allowances for players and coaches at his football team, Mamelodi Sundowns.

London-based Russian oil magnet Abramovich is the owner of English Premier League side Chelsea FC.

Back home, Jackson, who holds dual Kenyan and British citizenship, bought newly promoted  Nairobi City Stars in March last year. He has reportedly used close to Sh60 million on the team in the past 18 months.In a recent interview with Nation Sport, Jackson explained how he embarked on a journey to transform Nairobi City Stars while empowering the players and the community through the Jonathan Jackson Foundation.

Nairobi City Stars chairman Jonathan Jackson at his offices in Upper hill, Nairobi during an interview with Nation Sport on August 14, 2020.

Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group

“It is a big shame that stadiums in Kenya are not in good shape. The people supposed to make them are accused of misusing millions of shillings,” the businessman with interest in real estate said in an exclusive interview at his Nairobi's Lordship Group office.

“Last season there was no quality Fifa standard pitch in Nairobi. Our plan is to build two football pitches for our team by the end of this year. We have already identified land for the purpose,” he said.

“Ultimately, we plan to build a stadium for Nairobi City Stars and start an academy. That will take some time and we are looking for partners.

“We have been in talks with sponsors to come on board, and some have expressed interest."

Dressed in a white shirt and brown half jacket, the bespectacled Jackson can't help but grin with pride while narrating the highlights of his 18-month stint as owner of City Stars which was promoted from the National Super League to the Kenyan Premier League.

“When I bought the club, it was almost at the bottom of the second division and the players had gone for months without pay. We turned things around and managed a 14th-place finish that season,” Jackson said.

Nairobi City Stars forward David Gateri (left) vies for the ball with Administration Police Bomet defender James Kaleha during National Super League match at Camp Toyoyo grounds in Nairobi on October 11, 2019.

Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group

“This season, we won the league and got promoted to the Kenyan Premier League. Our plan is to win the league this season."

But it has not been all plain sailing for the father of four.

He said that he has endured a lot of challenges while investing in Kenyan football including corruption.

"Coaches in Kenya do not pick the best talents. They prefer to work with a friend, neighbour or even relative so that they can split the earnings at the expense of football development,” Jackson told Nation Sport.

“The first thing we did after buying the team was to hire a professional coach from Bosnia who has worked as a youth national team trainer in his country and also managed an academy in Slovakia. The coach lifted the club’s standards."

Nairobi City Stars coach Sanjin Alagic gestures from the touchline during their National Super League match against Ushuru on November 13, 2019 at Hope Centre, Nairobi.

Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group

Jackson also delved into the sensitive subject of match-fixing.

'Corruption rife'

"There is so much corruption in football here. Referees in Kenya openly ask for chai (which is a bribe),” Jackson said.

“If you don't give in to their demands, then there is open bias in officiating. I made it clear that we will not entertain corruption and this caused us problems. Our team deserved clear penalties but they were not awarded. When our players encounter rough tackles, referees do not point our foul play. We are denied clear penalties. We were punished and my players suffered mental anguish.

"The coach had to inform our players that you cannot tackle in the box because you will concede a penalty even if the tackle is accurate. In spite of this, we still won the second-tier league."

So how did the journey towards owning a football team in Kenya begin?

"I did no initial plan to buy the team. I started the Jonathan Jackson Foundation with the aim of working with the youth towards their economic empowerment,” Jonathan said.

Nairobi City Stars midfielder Victor "Jamaica" Otieno distributes food to the vulnerable families in Kibera on August 3, 2020 as part of charity activities by Jonathan Jackson Foundation.


Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group

“We thought of sponsoring a team or starting one but settled on buying one in the second division. City Stars appealed to us because the team's roots are in Kawangware. The team also appealed to me because it was started by the World Hope Church.

“It was owned by one person at the time so it was also simple to seal the deal. We hired Patrick (Korir) as the chief executive officer because of his knowledge of football and vast contacts. Management is key in the development of any project and he has, so far, done a splendid job."

Nairobi City Stars chairman Jonathan Jackson (left) and CEO Patrick Korir at his offices in Upper hill, Nairobi during an interview with Nation Sport on August 14, 2020.

Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group

Jackson prefers to use his Kalenjin name, Kiplimo. He was born in Eldoret when his father was the principal of Mosoriot Teachers College between 1960 and 1970. He also doubled up as a pastor of the AIC church.

Jackson’s love for supporting the needy would surface when he was still young after his mother started a foundation in Kibera.

"I first went to Kibera when I was six," he recalls.

Jackson went to school at St Andrews in Nairobi before moving to London where he graduated with a degree in Construction and Business Management.

Return to Kenya

"I worked in London for some time before relocating to Prague in the Czech Republic during the ‘Velvet Revolution’”, he said.

The “Velvet Revolution” or “Gentle Revolution” was a non-violent transition of power in what was the then Czechoslovakia in 1989.

"I started my own real estate firm in Prague. To date, we have developed six million square space in the country for a good profit, and also invested in charities in Haiti and Nepal."

Jackson then relocated to Kenya 10 years ago and set up a real estate firm namely Lordship Group, located in Upper Hill.

Nairobi City Stars chairman Jonathan Jackson at his offices in Upper hill, Nairobi during an interview with Nation Sport on August 14, 2020.

Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group

The firm's flagship projects include one on 64 acres in Karen that is under development and a 44-storied building in Upper Hill.

"There has been no clear planning in Nairobi for 40 years which has brought about confusion. I appreciate the efforts by the Nairobi Metropolitan Director General (Major General Mohammed Badi) to bring order,” he said.

Jackson spends three out of every four weeks in Nairobi, and the Foundation has since become one of his main projects.

"We have involved City Stars players in the Foundation’s work and this has been a success," he further explained.

Nairobi City Stars chairman Jonathan Jackson at his offices in Upper hill, Nairobi during an interview with Nation Sport on August 14, 2020.

Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group

"We mainly work with youth teams and have supported former convicts, drug addicts, and commercial sex workers. We have bought mikokoteni (handcarts) for them to deliver water, and bales of second-hand clothes. We are about to open a car wash.

Help people with disabilities

“We have to keep the youth busy. We have also constructed basketball courts and created a group to  train the players.  Our network involves 2,000 youth who also take food to the sick and the needy. Our players visit the needy. Since March we have distributed 1.7 million meals, which is about 2,000 tonnes to 8,000 families."

The latest initiative of the Foundation is the “Jenga Jirani” drive which in partnership with the Light For the World seeks to support about half a million people living with disabilities within Nairobi and its environs.

The initiative targets to distribute food, hygiene packages, and sanitary hampers at household level within the Nairobi informal communities.
"In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, companies were distributing money and other forms of support. But there is so much to be done. We have come up with a ‘Jenga Jirani’ initiative and we are planning a live concert involving gospel and secular musicians to raise money to support  vulnerable families,” Jackson said.

He loves travelling and he usually drives to Nairobi Game Park or the Masai Mara Game reserve to unwind.

"Nature is amazing. Hearing the lion roar brings me peace. I also like going to the Coast but I don't like staying in hotels. I hire a villa and meet up with my brother who is in Watamu."

With Mulindwa, Dewji, Motsepe, and Katumbi forming part of the boys’ club, Jackson and City Stars have their work cut out.