Nairobi County Speaker Ole Magelo eyes 2016 Football Kenya Federation presidency

Nairobi County Assembly Speaker Alex ole Magelo. (Photo:Standard)

Nairobi County Speaker Alex Ole Magelo has declared he will contest for the 2016 Football Kenya Federation chairmanship elections.
Magelo has expressed his interest for the seat, barely three weeks after the Sam Nyamweya-led regime which took office in 2011, came under severe criticism after Harambee Stars shocking elimination from the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers following their barren draw with minnows Lesotho in Nairobi, who qualified on a 1-0 aggregate.
In an interview with Feverpitch, the former AFC Leopards chairman said it's time for the football industry to have a transformative leader.
"I will vie for the presidency when the term of the current office expires. I want to take my experience to Harambee Stars and revive the Kenyan football. We've the best talent in the region when it comes to football, but unfortunately the results do not say it," said Magelo.
"I've been involved in football administrations for a while and I know I am capable of bringing back the Kenyan football where it belongs. I single-handedly brought back AFC Leopards to the Kenyan Premier League and also introduced the first replica jerseys in our market. We cannot continue sitting on the fence as the level of the game deteriorates. It's upon all stakeholders to sit down and see who can lead this industry. I think FKF needs a new breath of fresh air.
"When we lost to Lesotho, FKF quickly appointed a committee in match fixing, that's just a scape goat. The reality is Harambee Stars didn't prepare adequately. It's not a failure of technical bench but the national office. I think that's a scheme of destroying our soccer," he added.
Magelo further took a swipe at Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Culture and Art Dr Hassan Wario claiming that Secretary has let Kenyans down.
"We thought Wario would turn around soccer in the country, but as far as I am concerned he has failed. When Harambee Stars were knocked out, he promised to issue statement on the state of football, but nothing has come out. He should have held FKF responsible for heart breaking millions of Kenyans. He's a big letdown to football in this country," he insisted.
Asked if the constitution will bar him from contesting, the outspoken Magelo said: Yes, I'll be still a speaker by then but that will not bar me from vying because FKF seat is not a salaried job. Even if they stop me from vying, we still have professionals who can run football better than the current office."
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