Politicians should stop funding community clubs.

March 22 2006

I am writing this letter to beseech politicians especially those from Nyanza and Western province to desist from giving money to officials of Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards.

The primary reason that most club officials prefer to receive money from politicians is because they do not have to account for it. Most Politicians will give huge sums of money to the club and never asked how it is used.
On the other hand if a club was dependent on member subscriptions, the members would demand accountability in the form of audited accounts. I once had a conversation with an AFC Leopards fan. He informed me that he and some of his friends suggested to the then AFC Leopards chairman that they could get together and contribute Ksh 1000 per month. The AFC Chairman at the time declined saying he did not want to have to account for all that money. Here was an opportunity to get the club on a firm financial footing but the chairman declined, putting his own selfish interests ahead of the club’s.
Even Sobbie Mulindi who is a Doctor by profession was unable to conjure up any ideas other than to take out his begging hat and ask politicians for money.

You will notice that Gor Mahia has not held any real elections in seven years. Club officials have now opted to keep members and supporters away from the day to day running of the club. The club is now run as if it were some kind of secret society. This way the current officials do not have to answer to fans or members. The problem with this method is that when fans feel alienated, they start to lose interest. Soon they stop attending matches or even talking about the club. This is what has happened to the club over the past decade. The fan base has dwindled considerably mainly due to the attitude of its officials. Ideally club officials should keep fans informed on the day to day running of the club. This keeps fans interested. Public relations are an important part of winning new fans and keeping present ones. Gor Mahia is a classic case of an official putting his own personal interests ahead of those of the club.

Al Ahly, which has taught Kenyan clubs footballing lessons on several occasions benefits from the fact that it has at least 1 million paying members. The club is thus able to pay excellent salaries, hire the best coaches and provide the best facilities. Even clubs from neighbouring countries like Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Sudan are now luring Kenyan players with excellent wages.

A club with a fan base the size of Gor Mahia or AFC should not only be dominating the local scene but should also be competitive on a continental level. But this will not happen until we get officials who are willing to put their own personal interests aside for the sake of the club.  

I am therefore asking politicians to cease giving money to club officials. Rather they should lead fans in pressuring officials to come up with creative ways to raise money. They should start by putting in place structures that enforce accountability. Once these are in place, fans will be more willing to become paying members. Aside from this, officials should be able to market the club aggressively to potential sponsors. If officials are unable to perform such duties this then they should step aside and let capable people take over. If politicians do indeed give money then they should demand publicly audited accounts.

It is unfortunate that fans often attack referees or coaches when the club does poorly. In reality the people who are to blame for the clubs poor performance are the club chairmen. Its high time fans started to expect more from their officials and put more pressure on them. Fans of these two clubs should now stand up and put an end to this kind of mediocrity. Its high time these clubs went away from being dependent on individuals. Its high time they put a plan in place that will make the club self sustaining.

Politicians should understand that these clubs are at the heart of many Kenyans.  And if the Politicians help bring about much needed reform and help rebuild these clubs, fans will owe them a debt of gratitude. These clubs have meant a lot to many Kenyans over the years and many are tired and depressed when they see officials ruin them deliberately. Kenyan fans from other clubs will also be happy because the revival of community clubs will strengthen the national team.

Richard Waga

Mumias
 

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