This archive report was first published on 9 October 2021.
Published on October 9, 2021, the 5-0 thrashing of Harambee Stars by Mali in a 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying match in Morocco's coastal city of Agadir was a stark reminder of the team's struggles and the failures of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) under the leadership of Nick Mwendwa.
The defeat was a heavy blow to Kenyan football, and it's hard to recall the last time the national team suffered such a heavy beating in a competitive match. The playing unit would have been subjected to serious scrutiny, and the foreign national who led the squad to the shipwreck in the Moroccan waters would have had his work permit revoked in other countries with sound systems in place.
However, in Kenya, no such thing will happen. The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) under Nick Mwendwa's leadership has been criticized for its lack of accountability and its failure to deliver results. The federation's sense of self-importance is also a major concern, as Mwendwa is fond of bragging about achievements that only he knows about, despite the fact that Kenyan football has been fighting for its life in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for a long time.
The real tragedy is the sense of self-importance of the current office of bearers of FKF, who will most probably pass buck while bidding their time for the long-suffering fans of the national team to 'forget' this most recent public humiliation of immense proportions.
As one commentator noted, 'Mwendwa and his acolytes at FKF are the real specialists in failure.' The defeat by Mali has exposed Harambee Stars for what it really is - a bunch of non-starters who would actually have a hard time if they were required to qualify for the lowly Cecafa regional tournament.
It's time for the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) to take responsibility for its failures and to work towards improving the national team's performance. The fans of Harambee Stars deserve better than the mediocrity that has been the hallmark of FKF's leadership under Nick Mwendwa.
