Q&A with Sam Nyamweya

Kenya Football Federation (KFF) chairman Samson Keengu Nyamweya will be hoping its third time lucky when the votes are cast on Saturday.

Having made his name as an all powerful secretary general in the mid nineties, the veteran football administrator has twice before gone for the top seat only to fail at the last hurdle.

For him, victory would be the culmination of a decade long battle for the past decade. A battle in which he took on the world soccer governing body Fifa at the Court of Arbitration in a bid to get recognition for his faction.

This Saturday, Nyamweya gets the chance to vie the chairman’s post with the promise to revive the country’s fortunes in the sport.

SuperSport.com had a lengthy chat with him on what his vision and objectives are for the game.

SuperSport.com: You have been in football leadership before, why do you want to be chairman of Kenyan football?

Nyamweya: During my term, we performed very well but all that work was undone when football was taken over by a private entity in Football Kenya Limited that received financial backing from Fifa.

All football structures hit a snag and that is why I want to revive and streamline what went wrong and give our youth a bright future and improve our football.

SuperSport.com: What plans do you have should you get elected as Football Kenya Chairman?

Nyamweya: Under my guidance, the performance of Harambee Stars remained unrivalled to this day. We were ranked 68th compared to the current 135. We had good relationship with Fifa where president Sepp Blatter visited Kenya twice and secured sponsorships for the league from BAT, Smithkline Beecham, East Africa Breweries and others.

SuperSport.com: If elected, where will you start?

Nyamweya: As the song says, I believe I can fly and I will move mountains to ensure that youth development programmes start immediately with clear and measurable goals over a period of four years.

I will embark on immediate revival of the Olympic youth centres throughout the country, recruit and equip youth teams, revamp women football, get funding to return Harambee Stars to the days when it did not require a cent from the government, re-establish links with sponsors such as Safaricom, Nike, EABL and also work hand in hand with the government.

SuperSport.com: What do you think ails Kenyan football?

Nyamweya: There are no youth development plans. All football structures from the grassroots are dead and buried. We do not have any football secretariat where clubs can bring their grievances or suggestions.

During my tenure, we had a good office at Nyayo stadium but the outgoing FKL officials have been operating in cyber cafes and restaurants which depicts a bad image.

No proper scouting or recruitment that has resulted in poor Fifa rankings.

Training of coaches and referees at the grassroots has been abandoned. In brief, our football is stagnant and that is why I am pleading with Kenyans to elect me and see change.

SuperSport.com: Kenyan football has been dogged by infighting and wrangles, how will you ensure that it does not happen?

Nyamweya: From Saturday, KFF and FKL will cease to exist. We are going to adopt Football Kenya as the new association to run football.

If elected, I will preach peace and reconciliation.

I will work with every stakeholder to improve our football. I will extend an olive branch to work with my challengers because we have suffered together.

SuperSport.com: It has been said that you played a role in creating the mess we are currently in through mismanagement, what is your take on this?

Nyamweya: I don’t believe so. Kenyans will agree with me that during our wrangles with FKL, I spent millions when I took Fifa to the Court of Arbitration in Zurich since I wanted sanity in our football. It's through my efforts that Fifa woke up and ordered Kenya to hold an all inclusive, free and fair elections which we are going to hold this weekend.

It's through my effort that Fifa started holding meetings with the government to seek a lasting solution to our declining football.

If anything, Kenyans should credit me for that and elect my team.

SuperSport.com: How do you rate Kenyan Premier League and what are your plans on KPL should you be mandated to run football?

Nyamweya: I would like to reiterate that I'm happy with league. The standards have gone up and I will not interfere with the way its run but I intend to strengthen and streamline it. They have done a commendable job and we need to credit them along with sponsors SuperSport.

Supersport.com: Tell us about your electoral team.

Nyamweya: I'm offering the Kenya football fraternity a strong team of experience and knowledge in football and its administration.

They include my vice chairman Zipapa Mohamed Omar from Mombasa, Simon Mugo, Omondi Aduda, Cllr Racheal Kamweru who will chair women football, Nick Mwendwa, Angeline Mwikali, George Wainaina, Peter Mukolwe, and Doris Petra among others.

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