By John Nandwa

This is the weekend that features the most played derby in Kenyan football.

Most fans agree that a football match involving AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia remains a special game.

Indeed, the perennial rivalry between the two teams brings a great deal to the league, not least the significant aspect of which would be a big following - or as the marketers would describe it, “a marketing base’’- that exceeds all other premier league teams.

Currently, Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards rank first and second respectively on average home attendance figures while the rest follow.

They also boast of a travelling support of no equal in other teams in Kenyan football.

Undoubtedly, they have their fair share of hooligans, too, but it hardly requires a sociology doctorate to know that Kenyan fans do not have a monopoly on fan trouble.

Proof of this can be found on troubled scenes witnessed in Egypt or during the recent English FA Cup Semi- final between Wigan and Millwall.

Against this background, it is interesting to note that the days when a match involving AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia influenced the destiny of the league title is gone.

Indeed, gone are the days when a win for either team would inevitably have signaled a shift in advantage of the title race.

Leopards are currently 12th on the table having collected only 13 points from a possible 30. The team has only won four of the ten matches it has played so far.

Gor Mahia on the other hand are faring slightly better although they are no longer the ‘invincible’ team of the past.

What this demonstrates is that the previous high standards set between the two teams in the 1980s have fallen so low that all that remains of the contest is to determine who bags the ‘bragging rights’.

But why is this the case?

One obvious influential reason is the financial might of teams like Sofapaka and Tusker who are flexing their financial muscles when it comes to the transfer market.

The two teams have succeeded in luring some of the league’s best performers.

In the 1980s the two team’s virtually monopolized the best talent in the country. A fact that led to their dominance in the league.

But with teams such as Armed Forces side Ulinzi outperforming the two rivals in recent seasons despite running on relatively low budgets, the explanation for the falling standards runs deeper.

Perhaps, the reasons offered by former AFC Leopards Chairman Alex ole Magelo for quitting the club offers a clue.

Indeed, ole Magelo explained that he quit the club over what he termed as sabotage by a section of officials.

According to the former long-serving chairman, the under-performance by the players in the league was ‘artificial’, orchestrated by some officials to reflect badly on his leadership. 

Could internal wrangling account for the dismal performance of Kenya’s two biggest clubs?

The allegation that there were forces collaborating with players to ensure the former chairman was out of office stands as an indictment on the state of affairs that malign the running of the Kenya’s ‘traditional clubs’. This season alone, Leopards sacked Tom Olaba before they brought the Belgian on board.

Olaba claimed sensationally that there are forces out to frustrate Ole Magelo’s agenda and rocking the boat from within.

John Nandwa is a football fan and commentator on social issues