GOR MAHIA’S GLORIOUS SEASON!

It was billed as the title decider! The most important game for the front-runners for the 2013 Kenya Premier League, Gor Mahia and Sofapaka. The match that was to decide if the green army won their first title in 18 years, or whether Sofapaka, popular as Batoto Ba Mungu clinched their second title since their promotion to the Kenyan top-flight soccer in 2009.

After a grueling 90 minutes at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, Ugandan hitman, Dan Sserunkuma earned Gor Mahia a 1-0 victory over a wasteful Sofapaka side. This is the goal that effectively ended K’Ogallo’s 18-year old wait for the league crown. It also ensured that the green army faithful earned the bragging rights over ther arch-rivals, AFC Leopards.

Last season’s painful memories of a last-day title loss to Tusker Fc, had been the nightmare to every green army follower. The agonizing day at Nairobi’s City Stadium, when Thika United denied Gor Mahia the premiership crown that every fan believed that it was theirs to lose. However, as many K’Ogallo fans decried, the football gods had conspired with fate to deny Gor Mahia football’s bragging rights.

With three matches to go, Gor Mahia has all but sealed the 2013 premiership title, leaving their mashemejis, AFC Leopards and Sofapaka to fight for the second spot. Even sweeter is that, Gor Mahia will fly Kenya’s flag in next year’s CAF Champions League; the sweet taste of Africa’s premier club competition! The ever optimistic K’Ogallo fans are crossing their fingers and hoping that this will be another 1989 when, a Peter Daw’o led-Gor Mahia, won the Mandela Cup and etched their name into the continent’s history books; the first club from East and Central Africa to win a continental title. However, this is all history and Gor Mahia has a chance to lock horn with the likes of Al Ahly, Orlando Pirates and Esperance, among other giants of African club football.

As a football loving nation, we hope that the current Gor Mahia side, that has been the most consistent for the past three seasons will give us something to smile about, when club continental soccer kicks off next year. 

THE HARROWING HAGUE HALLOWEEN!

The harsh reality has slowly but surely sank into the hearts of the entire nation. Our sitting president, Honorable Uhuru Kenyatta is awaiting the commencement of his trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, in November. But is this the cup of tea that the nation envisaged in late 2008,when the then ICC Chief Prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo declared that he was to use the Kenyan case as an example that crimes against humanity have no place in the society? My crystal ball tells me, NO!

After the infamous Waki envelope that was handed to former United Nations Chief, Koffi Annan, notable efforts were made to establish a local tribunal to try the suspects and ensure that the cases did not end up in the corridors of The Hague, as is the case now. The Late Makueni senator and former Constitutional Affairs minister, Mutula Kilonzo, former Gichugu legislator, Martha Karua and Honorable Gitobu Imanyara, all saw their efforts viciously quashed at the floor of the 10^th House. At that time, the deliberate decibels of ‘Let us not be vague, let us go to The Hague’ reverberated across the entire country.  Most of the politicians argued that The Hague process was the only avenue through which victims of the 07-08 blood-letting would get justice.

Almost five years down the line, the harsh reality of The Hague process has set in and the same politicians, who had the golden chance to save the country and the suspects from trial at The Hague, are screaming loudest, with all manner of deliberate untruths and outright lies. The ICC has suddenly turned into a political axis, heel-bend on settling political scores, depending on which side of the political arena one has taken. To others, it is the deliberate and devil plan of the western powers to rule over Kenya. To others, it is our sovereignty that we are losing to the west! All manner of arguments rent the air. Rightfully so, it is country with a constitution that greatly safeguards the freedom of expression and opinion opinions, thus all opinions are correct and must be accommodated.

However, when we all soberly sit and look back, we must accept that the 10^th parliament and politicians failed to set up a local tribunal and hence invited The ICC into the country. So our sovereignty is not on trial. Had a local tribunal been set up, then our duly elected president and his deputy, alongside journalist, Joshua arap Sang’ would not be at the Hague. As a country, we must accept this failure and bemoan the fact that the parliament unanimously voted to take H.E Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy Honorable William Ruto and Joshua arap Sang’ to The Hague. Our politicians failed, the parliament failed and the entire nation failed. Our politicians should stop pretending to mourn alongside the president and his deputy and instead swallow the bitter pill; that they failed in setting up a local tribunal that could have averted The Hague reality check.

The greatest regret is that our duly elected president and his deputy are facing trial in a foreign land. This is scenario that we could have avoided had we not done unnecessary politics. The Hague was sure to happen and our politicians should have known better.

It is not Uhuru Kenyatta on trial, but the duly elected head of Kenya is at The Hague.  It is not William Ruto on trial at The Hague, but it is the duly elected deputy president of the Republic of Kenya. This is the harsh reality that we must bemoan and accept as a nation.  Remember that, they have great constitutional responsibilities to dispense as the two most powerful men on the land.

COLOR-CAMOUFLAGED STARS!

Any keen Kenyan who religiously follows our heart-breaking Harambee Stars must have noticed that the team lacks consistency in their colors.  We must accept it that indeed any fan of HarambeeStars must always break his head in the quest to get the latest colors of our Harambee Stars. The Samba Boys of Brazil, Argentina and even closer home, Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Indomitable Lions of Cameroun, have traditionally maintained their colors and designs. Harambee Stars change theirs almost at every game! 

For example, in the just-ended dismal campaign for Brazil 2014, Stars donned at least four different colors and designs, sadly, somewhere awfully copied designs of European clubs. This begs the question, is it that kit designers are scrambling to kit our national soccer team or is it that someone somewhere is making a kill out of this whole issue? My crystal ball tells me that the latter is what happens, for the two simple reasons. One, Harambee Stars are one of the biggest disappointments that we have had to endure for as long as we can remember. Secondly, the poorly designed kits, that are outright copycats of some European clubs, cannot be the work of any serious kit designer, like Adidas, Nike, Puma or even Kelme, whose logo dominantly feature on the Harambee Stars kits.

We all remember the baggy jerseys that Harambee Stars donned in the return match against Nigeria, in the qualification for Brazil 2014. Needless to say, theses jerseys were exact replicas for the 2013-14 season that Manchester United is donning. The only difference was the Kelme and Football Kenya Football, FKF logos and of course the big Kenyan name that was inscribed on them.

In every continental and regional engagement, our Harambee Stars somehow bolt out of the dressing rooms in new kits! Just as the un-rivaled turnovers in coaches, the kits are equally different. The inconsistency with which Harambee Stars change their kits simply baffles everyone. A phenomenon that must be turning all big teams turn green with envy, only if it was that great!

THE KENYAN POLITICIAN!

Just as the elections draw near, so does he draw ever so close to the ordinary mwananchi. This is the time when wanjiku walks hand in hand with the magical politician, and the ever canniving politician listens to the plight that wanjiku faces everyday, as she wakes up early and goes to bed late. Politicians, who spent their entire four-year terms far away in the comfy of their posh and lavish homes in Nairobi, interestingly troop to their constituents villages it is the vote-hunting season!

Their campaign teams turn the villages and city estates into shouting matches, all in the name of selling their manifestos to the electorate.  They turn our dusty football pitches into political arenas. Their helicopters blow dust into our weary eyes and their campaign entourages fill our already filled roads, in our cities and in the villages. The huge public address systems atop their campaign vehicles almost blow our ears and fill the air with all manners of noise; all in the name of campaigning.

They spent months with their constituents, far away in the dusty villages, away from the comfort of their lavish city homes. They religiously make Sunday masses their most favorite past times. They take part in all village events from funerals to fund-raising proceedings. The politician is ever close to the very people who elected him to the five years around the trappings of power.

They drop their mheshimiwa tag and freely mix with the constituents. The very government that they owe allegiance to suddenly stands at the accused corner.  It is accused of non-performance and renegading on its promises to the country’s patriotic voters! But wait a minute! It is the vote hunting season and the politician is just doing all it to endear himself to the hearts of the electorate and secure another five years in power!

The election bells are rigging and the politician must secure another five years in power. Sweet and alluring trappings of power! 

YOU WILL MAKE IT

Tough times make or break. The former defines great men and women around the globe while the later belongs to those who panic and give in whenever they are hard-hit.  The indefatigable spirit and never-say-die attitude amidst the insurmountable challenges and hardships are the floodgates to success in life and yes indeed in all endeavors.

Think of that bare-footed school girl in some part of Rift Valley, running away from forced marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), think of the drought-ravaged child in Turkana, think of the jigger-infested feet of a school-going child in Central Kenya, think of that child in some part of Eastern Kenya where getting water is a challenge, think of that child in the slums of Nairobi where nothing is guaranteed , think of that youth in the Coastal side where drugs are ravaging the lives. All of them have a belief that tomorrow will be good and free from the troubles of today. Hope, persistence and strong will are the words.

It is said that the darkest hour is the one immediately before dawn and yes indeed this is so true. But wait a minute, it I sat this hour when the make or break comes in. Tough hearts and spirits make it but the feeble and not so strong hearts break. This is the reality of the world. On empty stomachs when pangs of hunger bite and threaten to take away the last bit of energy in you, when you literally come to an end and darkness gloom your life and all you can see is apocalypse, when at school you cannot attend classes because you have never paid a coin, when you are forced to forgo exams and wait for you next chance. When in the university campus you feel like hating yourself because you lack the basic necessities and cannot enjoy eerie like the affluent students do, when your life seems to be forever laden with problems and constant need. When as the sadists say, you live in a life of permanent crisis and lack defines your lifestyle. These are when that indefatigable inner you should always count and lift you up. Take a consolation and realize that your life was meant to shine and be good. These problems are only shaping you to be stronger and equally prepared to mix it with life when the going gets tough and pain turns excruciating. Take heart and make the hard step, you are slowly but surely marching on to your success.

That which does not kill you definitely makes you stronger. In life, hard times call for strong heart, determination and the will that that ‘I will make it’ must reverberate in your heart. This is the definition of strong character and personality. Hard, tough and bad times never last a lifetime, but character and personality does. The heat of the moment should not let you into regrettable actions, like disappearing into anti-social vices. Whenever you seek refuge in these vices simply because you have problems and seemingly insurmountable ones for your already over-burdened heart and strength, you are handing victory to the pangs of your tormentor. Soon or later, you will have to deal with the double-tragedy of trying to rescue yourself from this comforter-turned-tormentor. Your conscience and heart are haunted by the heated decisions that you took. Your peace of mind and spirit slowly but surely fades away. That is when reality sets in and you realize that you must unloosen yourself from your captive, who once offered you solace. To men, the captive might be alcohol, bhang and all sorts of hard drugs while to women, the tormentor might be sex-for-money, alcohol and other forms of hard drugs.

Whenever you take refuge in these anti-social vices simply because life is being harsh on you, then soon or later, regrets must set in. Questions like, why did let myself into this? Is this what my life was meant to be? Does my spouse know that am slowly dying deep inside? What happens when my family, friends and close circles know of what   I am doing? Should I end my life? Should I seek help and support before it is too late? These are the last strokes that definitely break the camel’s back. Psychological loss of this fight is imminent and if not checked, the bitter end is a must.

From rags to riches, ashes to glory, go the storylines of successful people who at a point in time, had all their hopes, dreams and goals staring into the fire of destruction and hopelessness. But character, strong will and personality took them past these.

When gloom, hopelessness and disillusionment cloud your path, there is always some light to illuminate the way. There are so many who were in worse and deplorable situations, yet they held on and fought the fight. You too can do it. Take heart; take on your fears, nightmares and all hurdles that threaten your dreams, hopes and aspirations

THE GODS ARE NOT TO BLAME FOR THE HAGUE!

In late 2008, the chorus was all too deafening, as politicians urged the country not to be vague but rather go to The Hague. This was in reference to the famous Waki 6 envelope that had been handed to the former United Nations Secretary General, Koffi Annan.   Slowly but surely, The International Criminal Court, ICC, was baring its teeth. Luis Moreno Ocampo, the then media friendly prosecutor made several trips to Kenya, and even adopted a cheetah! Little did our politicians realize that this was no public relations! Ocampo had a job that had to be done! Our politicians, the masters of double-speak were keen on having the International Criminal Court, ICC, ensuring that victims of the 2007-2008 indeed got justice. According to them, the only avenue to realizing this was through the ICC!

Former Justice Minster, Martha Karua and her successor, former Makueni senator, the late Mutula Kilonzo, and Gitobu Imanyara all saw their efforts for a local tribunal viciously squashed by the August House. Our politicians in the 10^th House dug their political graves and laid the political landmines that are now threatening the political lives of their colleagues and a now job-less journalist, Joshua arap Sang’.

Our president, Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto are now fighting the battle along te corridors of internal justice in a foreign land. And now, the same politicians have since voted for Kenya’s withdrawal from the ICC. The distorted truths and outright lies that Kenya’s sovereignty is at stake and that the ICC is a political witch-hunt are the talk across the political class. But a question begs, why did the politicians thwart efforts to form a local tribunal to address the post-poll nightmare? The answer is simple; no politician ever believed that Luis Moreno Ocampo was going to make them pay. They saw the ICC as an empty threat and a distant dream that best existed in movies. Sadly, the reality has set in and in a bitter way. 

The fear is real and the grand trial is on.  Do not forget that Kenya is the first country to have her sitting president and his deputy in the dock at the ICC.  The tenth parliament is squarely to blame for this. Had they listened to Karua, Mutula Kilonzo and Imanyara and heeded to retired president Kibaki and former premier, Raila Odinga, then this would not be happening. Mutula must be laughing in his graveyard at the turn of events that he had so well cautioned against. Karua and Imanyara, in their political oblivion must too be laughing the loudest.

The obsolete show of solidarity by the Linturi-led mps to the Hague, is just a non-starter. Former premier, Raila Odinga once metaphorically laughed off this move by a section of legislators, adding that it is a pure waste of time and money that could have perhaps being channeled to better use. Otherwise how do you explain it when they could not even access the court-room and worse still ended up getting an hairdryer treatment form the law enforcers at the Hague? Mithika Linturi and his colleagues should have learnt that not every part of the world is Nairobi where they can boss around as they wish. In Europe, the law is respected and status counts for nothing when it comes to the rule of law. Perhaps they could have taken a tour of the Amsterdam Port and learned a thing or two to change our congested Mombasa Port, or better still, they could have attended the Dutch Eredivisie and watched Ajax Amsterdam or PSV Eindhoven live in action!

As an independent, free and educated mind of the modern society, we must face it and accept that the tenth House took President Uhuru, his deputy William Ruto and journalist, arap Sang, to The Hague. They had all the power and time to form a local tribunal, but they chose not to. The voices of Karua, Mutula, Imanyara and a few others were all drowned by the parliamentarians. About four years later, when the ICC wheels roll the tune suddenly changes and deliberate half-truths and lies that our sovereignty is on sale, rent the air. Worse still, our legislators, some who were in the tenth House and fresh faces in the 11^th House, travelled together, apparently to give moral support to our sons at The Hague. This is pretentious, cheap deceit and politics of sycophancy, that define us.

The political gods are not to blame. Rather, our mps in the tenth House took us to The Hague. We should be men enough and still chant ‘Let us not be vague, let us go to The Hague!

                                                                    Published on 2^nd October 2013,

                                                                    Mutuamaundu.blogspot.com

AFC LEOPARDS GETTING IT ALL WRONG

Luc Eymael has finally been thrown out of the Ingw’e den and Harambee Stars assistant coach, James Nandwa has taken up the hot seat. At Hope Centre, Charles ‘Korea’ Omondi too has been sacked and replaced by former Igw’e tactician, Jan Koops, at Nairobi City Stars. These are the latest victims of the unforgiving nature of the Tusker Premier League. They say that a coach is as good as his last game and this is now all too clear in the local league. But forget the changes at Nairobi City Stars, the fuss and cameras must be at the much- hyped Igw’e den.

The 3-1 mauling at their Mumias Sports Complex backyard by Chemelil Sugar, was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Prior to the Chemelil loss, the 2-all draw with their Mashemejis aka GorMahia where AFC Leopards surrendered a 2-goal lead, followed by the 2-1 loss to Tusker at Nyayo National Stadium, all signs were clear that the Ingw’e den was getting impatient and heads had to roll.  Then their bogey team came calling at Mumias Sports Complex and dealt the final blow. A 3-1 bitter loss not only dimmed AFC Leopards’ chances at lifting the silverware, but also put paid to Luc Eyamel’s tenure at the Ingw’e den.  Former Kenyan international and Utalii Fc midfielder, James Nandwa has taken up the reigns, with seven games to go. But this development paints a grim picture of a Leopard that is slowly but surely losing its spots and needs to go on a soul-searching sojourn.

Firstly, sacking Eymael only worsens an already dire situation. It is interesting to note that before this sudden dip in form, Leopards had registered four successive wins against quality opposition in the league. Barely two years ago, Ingw’e were riding high and coasting to KPL  glory, only to slip on some banana peels and panic set in. the then coach, Jan Koops, now at Nairobi City Stars, was sent packing and Tom Olaba  brought in. Needless to say, Olaba could not steer the ship back to glory. History has repeated itself and the same costly mistake is back to haunt the 12-time Kenyan champions. Even in the prestigious English Premier League where performance is the only talking point, coaches do not come and go mid-season. The Ing’we camp must learn to be patient, at least as their mashemejis and take the long and enduring road to success. A coach must be given the time to build a winning team. This is where Leopards are getting it all wrong. At least five coaches in two seasons is the mark of a team that goes into a trauma whenever losing games becomes the other name of football!

The Belgian trainer recently demanded a pay rise and when he returned, his future was rendered untenable following the departure of utility defender Jonas 'Paco' Nahimana and midfield kingpin Peter ‘Pinchez’ Opiyo who secured moves to the USA and Oman respectively. According to the coach, ‘Pinchez’ move was done behind his back! The acrimonious departure of the two key-men in the Leopards team, have undoubtedly dealt the 12-time champions serious blow to their title ambitions. But this is neither here nor there. This is story for another day.

Secondly, the high turn-over of coaches and players at any football club, brings with it instability and constant changes to the playing unit in that gelling the players and identifying a winning combination at best remains a dream. Every coach comes with his trusted set of players and playing formations that pose a big problem to the players as they try to gel with new players and adapt to different formations. By the time anything close to a winning team is identified the championship is in the homestretch. A title race already decided. This is what AFC Leopards have perfected of late and the results have been calamitous. My crystal ball tells me that Nandwa will too not deliver and come season-end, he will get the boot!

Before you forget it, Ingw’e fans must be bemoaning the high turn-over of tacticians since 2009, when former Kenyan international, Nick Yakhama brought them from the football oblivion that AFC Leopards had fallen into. Since his departure, the club has had at least eight coaches, including the latest victim, Guy Eymael. All have fallen victim to the curse of poor results.

Lastly, their bitter rivals, K’Ogalo, must be the happiest chaps in town. Down in the lake-side city of Kisumu, folks must be rubbing their hands in glee! You must be happy to see your rival self-destruct and plot his way to oblivion! The Swahili say that Subira yavuta heri, and this are the words that the Ingw’e den must be prepared to heed, lest their sworn arch-rivals, K’Ogalo, might as well mock them forever for their perennial failures!

www.futaa.comFor all the reasons that might have led to the sacking of Eymael and his entire technical bench, Leopards just lost the plot and any slim hopes of lifting the diadem have all but gone up in smoke.