Opinion: How Nick Mwendwa set himself up for his current predicament

On the morning of 10 February 2016, so many did not know what would transpire with regards to the Sam Nyamweya standing for re-election as president of the Football Kenya Federation. There was only a small click of us who had been privy to the decision that the veteran sports administrator had opted to step down.



I am tempted to reveal how long it took us to finally put down the right words to express what my friend and mentor Sam felt at the time but I’d say it took us several days. It was not easy to reach the decision at the time, largely because of how things have been designed against the then leadership of the FKF, of which Sam was at the helm.



It was celebration time for ‘Team Change’, then led by Nick Mwendwa, the man who carried messianic hope for Kenyan football at least to the minds of many, who saw the Kariobangi Sharks man as the solution to Kenyan football challenges.



The next few days were evidence, to those of who us who interacted with Mwendwa as president of the FKF, that he had a hollow view of how he intended to lead and neither did he seem to have a clear idea of how to rally the country behind his vision.



After the handover, Mwendwa began a self-destruction journey that many did not see because of how perfect tly he choreographed his public relations script through the media. His first step in this direction was to sideline everyone he felt were supporters of his predecessor, however genuine and legitimate their interest in working to develop the beautiful game.



He saw Sam Nyamweya in everything he did, fought imaginary battles with his predecessor and those opposed to him even when nobody was fighting him and worse he ran against his own shadow. It was so catastrophic that when real opposition appeared in the picture he just did not know what or how to deal with it.



He adopted the street mentality in the running of the game, brought in fellows to the federation that would add zero value and rewarded them with roles that required professional aptitude beyond their abilities. Those are the individuals that have mastered the art of deceit because they were unable to deliver in commensurate measure to the investment.



By surrounding himself with that click of individuals, Mwendwa demonstrated he had no plan of steering clear of the path that had led his predecessors to fail.



My friend Sam had, earlier in his term, fallen into the same trap before he opted to disentangle himself and bring in professionals who steadied his ship under very difficult circumstances.



Mwendwa became paranoid and insecure about everything, suspicious of every good intention as long as it did not emanate from any of those incompetent characters around him who would not allow anyone to contribute to the game.



PHOTO/COURTESY



Corporates were discouraged from dealing with the FKF because Mwendwa insisted that they have to come to the federation through certain individuals. There are tales and tales on this that play manifest to this, from the early days of his term in office when corporates started shunning football.



So many corporate moguls have quietly spoken of the high-handedness and absolute blackmail sponsors have been subjected to in the four short years of Mwendwa’s administration.



Many well-intended football development initiatives have been shelves because of how Mwendwa tells corporates not to deal with certain people “because they have a candidate against me”.



“This is a very good project but we are not comfortable if Milton (Nyakundi) is a part of it,” an employee of the FKF once said at a meeting convened to discuss a brilliant kids and coaches development initiative that was to be sponsored by a serious multi-national in partnership with a top European league.



The corporate representatives in that meeting were shocked at how he would attempt to dictate who would be part of the initiative and what their role was. My functions were clear and I was only involved as a professional consultant for purposes of ensuring the project succeeds and produces the desired results for the good of the game, with no thought about the football politics because that was in 2017.



In other words, Mwendwa looked at everything from political goggles to the detriment of the game. I have heard several other stories of how he has attempted to scuttle good initiatives on the aforementioned altar.



Mwendwa, whose football career was resuscitated through the appointment as Transfer Management System following his loss in the National Executive Committee contest in 2011, took the overwhelming goodwill to mean impunity, which explains why he has taken on everyone demanding for accountability in the manner he has attacked Principal Secretary Peter Kaberia.



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He conducted meetings at the FKF, including NEC, like they were lectures and nobody was allowed the opportunity to speak (let alone advise) unless praise on ‘prezda’ for his unmatched ‘wisdom’.



He saw no reason to be accountable to anyone and saw FIFA prohibition of interference as immunity from any demands for accountability. He threatened everyone who dared challenge his decisions with the possible FIFA sanction as a way of keeping criticism at bay.



It is no wonder he attempted to conduct the elections as an exclusive club, until the Sports Disputes Tribunal stopped him on his tracks following petitions by stakeholders. He blatantly disregarded basic principles of democracy and even undermined all written law, regulations and statutes of the same FIFAhe has been using as a shield.



Now, Zurich has thrown him under the bus following the visit by the FIFA delegation led by regional development officer Sara Solemale, where it was made clear that Mwendwa’s antics were no longer tolerable because they were against the laws of the land.



Perhaps it’s time for him to smell the coffee and learn that his arrogance and bravado as has been his signature trait has no place, especially when you have a penchant to do the wrong things. It maybe too late for him but it’s all the same a great lesson to those keen on leadership.



Now, he has to answer every single question on financial prudence in management of FIFA and government – the latter now conducting forensic audit into how hundreds of millions of money from the Sports Fund has been managed under Mwendwa’s watch. It would be sad if the current purge on corruption makes Mwendwa a guest of the state at some point but it would be justice served, troubles invited by himself on his own person.



Never in the history of Kenyan football has there been so much money in the game, from government and FIFA, as has been the case since 2016 but never has there been a leadership as catastrophic as Mwendwa’s that has failed to harness the immense goodwill to attract corporates into the beautiful game.



Mwendwa with his predecessor Sam Nyamweya after the 10 February 2016 elective assembly at Kasarani Indoor Arena. PHOTO/COURTESY



The clear message from FIFA now gives Kenyans the opportunity to redraft the future of our football by ensuring proper leadership is restored and characters of the attitude like Mwendwa’s should never be allowed back into football.



Good old FIFA may also crack it’s whip over the KSh135 million outside broadcasting equipment but for now Mwendwa has got more than just what he thought he had bargained for yet the old adage goes “if you make your bed, then lie on it”.