Mbarak: My target is to work closely with ex-Harambee Stars to revive Kenyan football

Football Kenya Federation Presidential aspirant Twaha Mbarak has pledged to work along with former international players to help revive Kenyan football if elected to lead the sport in the country.

The football administrator, who worked under the past regime led by Sam Nyamweya, has stated he will also make sure that players featuring for national teams will come from across all the counties in the country.

What did Mbarak say?

“My main aim is to make sure that I work closely with the retired players, they know the game more and they are ones who can lead the way for us,” Mbarak told GOAL in an interview on Tuesday.

“We already have an elaborate plan to involve them, we want them to help us mould and guide the youth to make them better footballers and persons.

FKF.

“My other target is to make sure all players, in all the leagues we have in the country live well after retirement, we don’t want players to suffer like what we are seeing currently when they hang their boots, it is our work as officials to make their retirement lives better, and we will do exactly that.”

‘A national team with everyone on board’

On selection of players to feature for the national teams, Mbarak said: “We will also make sure that we have a national team that comprises of players from every region in the country, we will visit everywhere in the country to search for talent, we will tour even Wajir and make sure we get players from the area.

“We want to have a national team with everyone on board, not a national team for the selected few, we want to see a well-branded national team with all figures from each and every county.”

Goal Kenya.

Mbarak is the first official to openly declare his interest to run for the presidential seat after the previous office led by Nick Mwendwa was disbanded by the government for allegedly misusing funds meant to promote the sport.

“We will make sure that money meant for football is well spent and used the right way and for the purpose, it is supposed to, we know those who suffer more are the players when such monies are misused, we don’t want a scenario like that to repeat itself, we have the plans out and soon you will see my full roadmap,” Mbarak concluded.

After the disbandment of the Mwendwa office, the government through the Ministry of Sports set up a caretaker committee to oversee the running of the same for six months before outlining the road map for fresh elections.

Some of the retired and current players who have shown keen interest to venture into football management in the country include former Inter Milan player Macdonald Mariga, his brother Victor Wanyama, who currently plays for MLS side CF Montreal and former Harambee Stars defender Musa Otieno.

The other aspirant, who has shown keen interest in the top seat, is journalist Milton Nyakundi.