Nairobi — Immediate former consular general to the Kenyan consulate in Los Angeles, Thomas 'Big Ted' Kwaka Omollo, says he is uninterested in an elective position in the upcoming Football Kenya Federation (FKF) polls.
Although he feels he has a lot to contribute to the growth of the sport, Omollo says he is put off by the murky nature of Kenyan football.
"The strategy and the way we do our elections both at the federation and club level is not mature enough. Otherwise we would have people in these positions who would have taken us very far. I beg the question that how can someone who played this game and knows the pains players go through turn around and do the same things their predecessors do once they are given the chance to run the sport. I don't think I have the energy to compete for a position in the current state of politics even though I know that my contribution would be worthwhile," he said.
He recounted his previous experience in Kenyan sports when he tried to vie for a position in the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF), noting that it was a wake-up call to the rumble and tumble of Kenyan sports.
"Sometime back I tried to vie for a position in basketball and the first question I was asked was whether I had ever played basketball for a top team. I was hounded out of there. However, what we are yet to understand as sports stakeholders is that one need not be a former player for them to influence the game for the better. It may be that there are certain people who are better as players but worse as sports administrators," he said.
Having completed his tour of duty in the West Coast, the entertainment mogul is convinced that Kenya is a sleeping giant in sports but for the greed and self-interests that bedevils it.
He believes the anecdote lies in accountability, coupled with talent identification and development.
"I think it is about time the government cracks the whip on these errant sports administrators. The government needs to put its foot down and insist on doing things the right way. For so many years, we have had to deal with blackmail of Kenya being banned or suspended from international competition if the government interferes. If this is what it will take to set our house in order, then so be it," Omollo said.
