Mwendwa alone cannot fix Kenyan football - AFC Leopards' Shikanda

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa cannot fix the country's football alone, AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda has said.

Mwendwa, who is seeking a second four-year term in office, has had to deal with criticism over his leadership style, the financial struggle of clubs and delayed disbursement of allowances for national team players.

But Shikanda has claimed for football to run effectively in Kenya it needs concerted efforts from everyone. 

“Sometimes Nick [Mwendwa] is badly criticised to the point of me feeling pity for him. When you think Nick alone will fix our football, you are wrong because he can't,” Shikanda told Radio Jambo.

“We must fix football, every one of us, starting with President Uhuru Kenyatta, whom we were happy to have invited during the Mashemeji Derby. He came and that was a good starting point. 

“The person at the helm of our federation has never been the problem. If we want football to grow as an industry because we have the talent and solve youth unemployment let us invest in football.

“If you want to turn around this game, it is not about Mwendwa, it is not about KPL but about everyone and the government."

The former Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards player further elaborated why the corporates have failed the sports industry.

“We need to build football and where we are as a nation in terms of TV rights, we need to build it because we are still very far,” he continued.

“Even our corporates - and I am sorry to say this - have been letting us down because we have our games on TV but they do not come and advertise on the same channel. One is only assured of money when corporates come and advertise.”

Shikanda added that public perception of football does not help in the campaign of promoting it and making it a viable industry.

“We take sports lightly as a country and many see football as an engagement for failures and [school] dropouts when football is the biggest industry in the world,” he stated.

The Ingwe chair pinpointed how the government can help in promoting the game via the Sports Fund.

“Gor Mahia won the league last year how much were they given? They have not been paid prize money for the last two seasons and does this tell you something?” asked Shikanda.

“If the government, from the Sports Fund, can channel let say Kes100 million to the winner and other teams are assured of some money at the end of the season, football in Kenya will seriously grow.”