Hello Kenya Power Lighting Company,
To start my undeserved rant let me first commend you having played a huge role in shaping Kenyan football. Western Stima, Nairobi Stima and Coast Stima have for sometime now wowed me at how they kept players competitive and never going without pay. Any outsider would obviously be impressed with the efforts you put in place to grow local soccer.
On 20 February 2020 I learnt of the unfortunate decision to cancel the contracts of any players with the aforementioned teams. What went wrong? KPLC has had its fair share of corruption allegations, mismanagement of resources and the unfortunate power theft. You have indeed suffered a bad economic time. In such unfortunate circumstances the decision to downsize is quite unavoidable. But some questions must be raised regardless.
How did the company come to the decision to set up a soccer team? How much resources have been allocated so far to the three soccer teams? Did the team hire entirely players within the workforce? Did the teams have atleast periodic goals? How would the team acquire funding in ten years, twenty five years? Sustainability plans?
The situation the teams finds themselves are a replica of the past situation for teams in Kenya, Africa and other places in the world. Winding up is painful but worse is winding down with no plan. If you had failed due to technical difficulties arising from the team the problem could be understood. But victimizing a group since they are the "VICTIM OF FIRST RESORT" that is entirely unfair.
Moving foward we have ice 100 families that will be affected by the reckless decision to not set up soccer teams with clear goals and any proper sustainability plans. What your company has demonstrated is just like any other corporate firms you can never be trusted to help commercialise the sport in Kenya and Africa at large. Meanwhile our country continues to grow an appetite for entertainment and sport from international leagues.
While you keep on the efforts to mismanage a sport with huge potential the local market is flooded with sport's products from international leagues. Like seriously you did not have a basic plan to at least sell 1000 pieces every year? Your own staff? Working with school and institutions,the public? We are indeed a 4th World country and until the people at the top of this food chain learn to EAT with some decorum the small remnants we get at the bottom won't be enough to survive our future generations.
Kevin Makova is an unlicensed soccer coach, educator, lifetime environmentalist and an advocate for #EqualityInSoccerKe.