NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 2 – Kenya Cup side Mwamba RFC has received a shot in the arm after signing a Sh3m shirt sponsorship from Stanbic Bank till the end of the season.
Stanbic Bank CEO Philip Odera stated they are looking for a longer engagement with the club which he said shared the same values with the bank hence the decision to partner.
“Mwamba is a club which shares the same principles as our bank and as we come in we want to nature more talent from the grassroot so that we produce more Kayanges and more Injeras who have grown from this club,” Odera said.
“Of course this is not something that will be done in one season or half a season and it requires long term investment. It is something we are highly considering that after this current deal, we will negotiate a bigger value for the sponsorship,” the CEO added.
Mwamba are currently placed seventh in the Kenya Cup standings and they are looking to squeeze into the top six to earn a slot in the play offs with four rounds of matches left to play.
Mwamba president Alvas Onguru is confident that the team will perform well and convince Stanbic to a longer engagement.
“We have never performed badly as Mwamba and that is a challenge we relish taking. We are ready and we will perform well so that we give the sponsors also value for their money. It is a timely boost for us because we have been without sponsorship after our previous partners (Mumias) left for obvious reasons,” Onguru said.
He added; “We are an amateur club and we run five teams and financially, it is not an easy task. This financial boost will go a long way in boosting us and hopefully spur us to perform better.”
His sentiments were shared by long serving player Humphrey Kayange who said the boys will now be more motivated to tackle the remaining four games and qualify for the play offs.
“This couldn’t come at a better time for us. We are preparing for a crucial end of the season and we will now have something to motivate us to qualify for the play offs. We are very grateful because this partnership will go a long way in raising the standards of the team,” Kayange also an experienced national team player said.
The new sponsorship deal was launched on Thursday afternoon outside the company’s Kimathi Street Branch, bringing proceedings to a near halt.
Apart from the shirt sponsorship, the club will also work with Stanbic in promoting community health.