Often accused of sitting on the fence while the standards of football continue to plummet, former footballers now want to take cue from other countries in Africa and take charge of the country's game.
Borrowing a leaf from Zambia, where former African Player of the Year Kalusha Bwalya is now in charge of the local federation, Sammy Shollei, who played for Kenya in the 1990s, says ex-players are the only sure bet to save Kenyan football from total collapse.
"It is only the shoe wearer who knows where it's not fitting. We have been there and know what is ailing Kenyan football and we believe we do have the remedy to resuscitate the game," says Shollei, who played for the defunct Rivatex and Tusker FC.
"The current football officials who's term has already expired should be held responsible for killing football in Kenya since the days we played for the country," he charges.
He says the way forward is to give the youth and former footballers a chance to chart the future.
"It should not be about who has the financial chest to campaign, but who has the ideas because, ultimately, great ideas bring forth great investments and football in Kenya is a big untapped industry.
"The only way out of the current quagmire is to rid the game of the current officials who are bent on enriching themselves rather that ensuring the welfare of the players and development of the game is well taken care of as evident in the way they spoke after failing to pay players their allowances at the Cecafa Senior Challenge where Kenya was the worst team just above Somalia."
Shollei's vision is to work closely with the Ministry of Education and revive primary school football and set up leagues so as to identify strong Under-13 and Under-16 squads.
"In Every primary school and secondary school a qualified coach shall be employed to identify and tap talents."
He says talent search should be extended to the remotest part of the country.
"Who said Lodwar cannot produce a player. Does ever player have to come from Nairobi?"
Shollei is saddened that the Kenyan Premier League is made up mostly of teams from Nairobi yet there is huge talent in the North Rift and other areas of the country.
"We need to introduce County and Provincial Leagues to replace the Nationwide League. Each province will produce two teams to the Nationwide League where two teams will be promoted to the KPL. The country and provincial league will keep talent in the grassroots active."
At the national level, Shollei says there must be transparency in the way funds are managed so as sponsors to come into football.
"We cannot have sponsors coming in when we have officials who are unaccountable. Where has FKL, for instance, taken the Sh250 million they get annually and the money they get from gate collection, sale of television rights, participation fees…name it."
"Our youth football has collapsed, there is no women's football, the Nationwide League is in a shambles and the national team is a disgrace yet we have people still clinging on. It's time we wiped them out," he laments.
Source: Breaking News, Kenya
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