ELDORET, Kenya, Dec 10 – Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba says the government will develop a scouting web to identify and reach out to promising footballers in other parts of the world who trace their ancestry to the country.
Namwamba admitted that there are very talented players in Europe and elsewhere who have Kenyan blood and can help kickstart the new dispensation in the country’s football by forming part of a strong national team.
“We are going to create a web…it’s not even a network…to scout players globally and locally. When you look at France, they are called Africa’s number one team at the World Cup. England is a hub of African talent…Bukayo Saka (England winger), for example is a Nigerian boy. Breel Embolo who scored for Switzerland against Cameroon is a Cameroonian boy. We are also going to scout for our Kenyan boys wherever they are and bring them back to be part of this renaissance of Kenyan football,” Namwamba said,
The country boasts a number of promising youngsters who were born and raised within the developed football structures in the first world economies.
AC Milan’s Divorck Origi – son to former Harambee Stars marksman Mike Okoth – is perhaps the most famous Kenyan export in football, having turned out for the Red Devils of Belgium for who he scored against Russia at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
He also won the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League, scoring in the semi and final against Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, as well as the 2019/20 Premier League title – the Reds’ first ever in 30 years.
Other players who trace their roots to the motherland include Australian-Kenyan Bruce Kamau, Tyler Onyango (Everton), Jonah Ayunga (Bristol Rovers), Clarke Oduor (Barnsley), Josh Lelan and Leo Messo (Arsenal), among others.
However, previous efforts to convince many of these players to shift their allegiance to the motherland have not yielded fruit.
Since he took office at the Kenya National Library building, the CS has been on an aggressive campaign to reach out to stakeholders, including current and former players, in an effort to resuscitate the dwindling fortunes of the country in football.
His latest meeting was with former national team captain Victor Wanyama who he convinced to come out of retirement and help rebuild the sport in the country.
The decision has attracted varied reactions from different quarters with some enthusiasts insisting that the former Tottenham Hotspur defensive midfielder is past his best.
However, Namwamba says the immediate former Club de Montreal player has a lot to contribute to the development of the game by virtue of his wealth of experience.
“I have made it clear that our elite players should be part of this revival of Kenyan football, not necessarily in a playing capacity. Someone like Wanyama has played in Belgian…he is the only Kenyan to play in the English Premier League, the world’s best league. We want that experience to be brought and shared with our young players,” he said.
The CS added: “Some of them (players) will be advisers…some of them will help us with selection…some of them will help us with talent spotting. We have started a nationwide programme to spot talent between the ages of 9-19 years. We are even launching a special tournament…a bottom-up tournament spearheaded by the President where the counties will compete against each other for a big cup.”
Namwamba was speaking on Saturday morning when he flagged off day two of the East African Mini Classic rally at Rupa Mall in Eldoret.
He lauded the organisers of the annual event for a job-well-done, noting that the rally is part of the country’s 70-year motorsport tradition.
“This rally continues the 70-year tradition of motorsport in Kenya, which held its first rally even before independence. Next year, we will be commemorating 70 years as a motorsport nation. One of the beautiful aspects of this rally is the regional aspect of it…bringing counties together, bringing East Africa together and showcasing it to the whole world,” he said.
He promised that the government will continue working closely with rally organisers to make it bigger and better in the coming years.
