Leopards seeing double?

Tony Ngare

The 2010 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) kicks off on February 20. The league curtain-raiser will be the Super Cup clash between 2009 KPL champions, Sofapaka, and Football Kenya Limited (FKL) Cup winners, AFC Leopards, on February 6.

But just which faction of the team will be in charge of the fixture for AFC Leopards remains a matter of conjecture.

When AFC Leopards was winning matches last season and the largely Kawangware-based Isukuti drummers strutted all over the city, things looked good. There were great expectations then, as the supporters kept chanting Ingwe Yefwe! Ingwe Yefwe! (Our Leopards). It now seems such a long time ago.

Kenyan is legendary for doing things parallel. Remember the parallel rallies that James Orengo and company would routinely threaten to hold during national days, then parallel certificates issued to politicians in the run up to the 2007 General Elections? Well, the warring factions at AFC Leopards are in very good company here. The factional remains held parallel training sessions under the watchful eye of the Utumishi kwa wote. Clearly the police slogan makes a lot of sense in this context.

At Ikulu training grounds the scenario was almost laughable for the team that rallied late in the league campaign to survive the relegation chop. Ingwe or should we say the two sets of Ingwes have held separate training session complete with complete technical benches.

On the one hand Julius Ochiel the newly-registered chairman led his charges while the rest of the faction led by Alex Magelo coalesced around suspended coach Nick Yakhama.

My small nephew on realising that I was keenly following the wrangling on TV wondered why can’t they just call one of the teams the cheetahs, since their spots are beautiful as the leopard? Clearly, the young man has been watching too much Cartoon Network.

A colleague in the office believes the wrangling encapsulates the Western people’s tolerance for democratic space. "Its just like Ford Kenya and New Ford Kenya, so this is just a Western trait. We respect democratic space".

Others cheekily accused Gor Mahia fans of being behind the fallout. "K’Ogalo must have a hand at this. They fear us in the new season and they must be financing moles to destabilise our club," charged another devoted Leopards fan.

Will this leopard change its spots?