Kaberia, FKF row not good for Stars

For the first time in many competitive matches, national football team Harambee Stars produced a sound performance on Thursday night forcing giants Egypt to a famous 1-1 draw in an Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier in Alexandria.

The result came on the backdrop of claims that Harambee Stars had been thrown out of a hotel in the North African country ahead of the match. Football Kenya Federation (FKF) claimed that Ministry of Sports Principal Secretary Kirimi Kaberia had failed to pay hotel bills for the team while Mr Kaberia said FKF had failed to furnish him with hotel details.

While we can’t tell who is telling the truth between the PS and FKF boss Nick Mwendwa on the stand-off, the two should know that the bout between them is not good for the national team. We need the team to be regular participants at the Afcon final and they made a good start towards that and that is why Mr Kaberia and Mr Mwendwa need to iron out the differences in the interest of the team. What happened on the pitch in Alexandria on Thursday was an exemplary show by our boys and we need them to even do better once they host Togo on Monday.

That can only happen when they can concentrate on their work on the pitch without the off the pitch wrangles. So while we congratulate our boys for the show in Egypt, we ask Mr Kaberia and Mr Mwendwa that whatever differences they have, they need to sort them once and for all in the interest of the national team.