Hosting Cecafa an eye opener

By ANIL BAKARI

It must be uniquely Kenyan; that it will take a guest to visit a home for the family to eat ‘luxurious’ foods like chapatti and chicken.

Wahenga (sages) knew this fact; that is why they came up with the proverb, mgeni aje, mwenyeji apone to explain the foible.

But For the Love of the Game thinks we have taken this habit too far, and that is why as a country, we are still struggling to provide basic services like garbage collection.

Just look at the way our governors are running around trying to renovate stadia because of the Cecafa tournament and you will think they never knew those arenas existed before.

From Kisumu, to Nakuru, to the Coast, governors have suddenly found money to refurbish the stadia, yet they did not think that was a priority.

Face lift

Some of the stadia last had a face lift during the colonial era, but thanks to Cecafa, they are now getting a new coat of paint, fresh grass, fence and seats.

After the works, a good number of pitches will resemble China’s Birds Nest Stadium or Old Trafford, and that is what is called ‘calculated development’. Certainly they will not be told, but those countries taking part in the tournament should know that they have helped us a great deal.

If they keep coming here every year, Kenya may achieve its dream of hosting African Cup of Nations sooner than we realise our much-loved economic blue-print aptly titled Vision 2030. And this will not come about because the government or our leaders love the citizens, nah! It will be purely because of our governors’ egos.

Dream

As things stand now, our development at the grassroots, in all areas including sports, now lies in the hands of governors’ egos.

Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua has a dream of building a Formula One racing stadium in his turf, not because his dream is intertwined with those of residents, but he wants to pull a first among fellow governors — for his ego.

Similarly, word has it that Kisumu County has a dream of hosting air races. If governors continue with this trend, which they will because they want to outshine each other, why would Kenya not host Africa Cup of Nations or Olympics before 2030?

Bidding

Next time Cecafa tournament returns, be sure that among those who will be bidding to host the games will be Garissa, Elgeyo/Marakwet and Turkana counties’ governors.

Nonetheless, it is in the interest of the country that after Cecafa games, the stadia do not once again become grazing fields, Mr Governor!