AFC structure of management needs overhaul

As we attempt to get to the root course of the problem at the Ingwe Den with regard to the office and the technical bench, I want to agree with a former official, Babetuu Inyama Amutavy who has convinced me that Ingwe rushed and ushered in a constitution that was not well thought out.

According to Babetuu, who was the Secretary General during the tenure of the late Peter Leo Onalo, the current structure has technically divorced the team from its core constituency aka “Abeingo” hence the pride the people in the team has diminished.

We have become a society without Shikhoyelo (Our Pride). We were easily duped into believing everybody and everyone who had a remote association with our community was our own.

This is a fallacy. Those that claim to call the shots at the Den do not carry our due diligence when processing prospective officials neither do they vet the players.

We had Robert Matano, who is a very good scout, perhaps the best in Kenya but not as a coach because he is undiplomatic with players.

And while in office, he was viewed as a football trade unionist, yet during the late Peter Onalo’s time we utilised him together with another top notch talent scout, Martin Chiseka popularly known as “Tino” to get the likes of Eric Cantona Ochieng’, Tony Sejero, Philip Ouma, Maurice Sunguti, Wycliffe Jumba, Washington Khamadi, Iddi Abubakar and Kevin Ateku.

Others scouted in that regime were Fred Ambani, Boniface Ambani, Tony Lwanga, Edward Karanja, Shadrack Ateka, Francis Oduor, Joseph Mwangale, Tom Juma, Paul Ochieng’, Zablon Amanaka, Mathew Ottamax, Maurice Sunguti, William Inganga among others.

Though the office had over 10 officials, from prudent management practices, the late Onalo quickly realised that the crowd could not deliver the board’s agenda so he whittled the executive to five members namely Onalo (RIP), Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya (now Kakamega Governor) Peter Ouma and Babetuu Amutavy.

This office was the last to win both the league and East and Central Club Championships titles. Just like Milan where one must be from Milan to hold office or FC Torino where one must be from Turin, this office had members coming from western Kenya

Omufira wa Khwabi, Israel Mtokaa (RIP), Ben Amimos (RIP) among others who conceived the idea and convinced the various Luhya football clubs to close shop and come together to form Abaluhya FC (now AFC Leopards) are turning in their graves.

The genuine AFC Leopards legends class of the late Charles Makundas (Charles), Ang’anas (Hezekiel), Nivas (Jonathan), Lidondes (Elijah), Asibwas (David), Anyanzwas (Daniel), Madegwas (Livingstone), Mukabwas (Anthony), Wabwayis (Moses), to name but a few, must be embarrassed in their after lives.

What do they tell the Siangas (James) Arudhis (Nicodemus), Oumas (William) when they look down from above and behold Gor flourishes as Ingwe diminishes?

We need to ask the hard question: Is Ingwe Katiba serving the club well?