By Fredrick Nadulli aka Razor,

Kenya national football team Harambee stars are on cloud nine.They are going to the World cup in Brazil.Before you ask me how they qualified,I will pre-empt and answer as a matter of factly;not as participants but as spectators.They will not bother bringing along their playing kit.

Today president Uhuru Kenyatta and first lady Margaret announced a sponsorship package worth USD 120,000(ksh.10,500,000)to enable the national team travel to Brazil and be part of the world’s biggest sports carnival.East African Breweries Limited topped it up with USD 40,000(3,500,000)of their own.

Speaking at the event held at the State House,the head of state also promised to soon launch a sports fund to support sports in the
country.Members of the team beamed with delight at the surprise gesture from the occupants of the most powerful address on the land.

ROLL OUT THE GAME PLAN

As expected the news elicited mixed feelings across the country.While some paid homage to Uhuru,a good number could not help seeing a short term gain and misplaced priorities on the part of the president. I beg to fall in the latter category.

While am genuinely happy for the team heading to South America,I cannot help feeling sad for the u-17 team that was recently withdrawn from a youth tournament for among other things,lack of funds.

Apart from motivating the side,am not sure how much Harambee stars stand to gain from this historic tour.It sounds very good for the archives.

YOUTHFUL LEADER

Uhuru Kenyatta is a young president who rode the youth wave into power.He identifies easily with the youth and means well for them.As a matter of fact his whole political life and campaigns have been built around a “youth are the future” mantra.

As head of state and government he is without doubt a very busy man.His high position means he has a thinktank that keeps him in the loop about the happenings in different governance aspects.

On matters football,his excellency may not be getting the information he needs to steer this country to new heights.Someone may be pulling the wool over his eyes.For a country that dreams to grace the biggest stage one day,the youth must be firmly in the picture.

They must be roped in,motivated and guided along. While taking the senior side to Brazil is fine and good for team building,it honestly adds little value to a long term ambition.And this coming at a time the local league is ongoing.It is very good for
the players,but also a needless distraction to the clubs they play for.

While we applaud his excellency for his noble gesture,we by the same breath urge him to get to the bottom of our football administration.It is rotten to the core.Youngsters are fighting for a platform to showcase their skills and serve this country.The grassroots are bursting with talent waiting to be harnessed.There are no structures to accomodate them.

Time is ripe for Kenya to invest in the youth.We must move away from the vicious cycle of trial and error with our national teams.A long term plan with the youth as the main actors is not too much to ask.President Kenyatta wields the sword of power.It is achievable if he sets his sights on it.

Collins Okinyo

Ex- CAF Media Expert. An expert on African football with over 15 years experience ,always with an ear to the ground with indepth knowledge of the game. I have worked for top publications including 7 years at www.supersport.com until i founded www.soka25east.com to quench the thirst of football lovers across the continent. I have trained young upcoming journalists who are now a voice in African football.I have covered World Cup,AFCON,CHAN,Champions League,Confederations Cup,Cecafa,Cosafa,Wafu and many other football tournaments across the World. Founder Football Africa Arena(FAA),Founder www.afrisportdigital.com