Kenyans can borrow a leaf from Italy when it comes to uniting soccer rivals. Built in 1925, renovated three times and with a seating capacity of 80,000 spectators, the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (The San Siro) is jointly owned by AC Milan and Inter Milan.
The two are Italy's fiercest rivals.
In Nairobi, the City Stadium was built during the colonial era and has undergone several name changes from African Stadium, Donholm Road Stadium, Jogoo Road Stadium to City Stadium at independence in 1963.
The stadium existed-as the only known public soccer facility in the city-when Ingwe was founded in 1964 and Gor Mahia in 1968. All those years later the two most popular clubs in Kenya are still 'pitchless.'
Borrowing from the San Siro, it's possible for two rival clubs like AC and Inter Milan to co-own e a stadium, so not K'Ogalo and Ingwe?
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The history of post-independence soccer in Kenya cannot be written without including the background of the two clubs and how football gravitated around Shaurimoyo, Kaloleni, Makongeni, Jericho, Maringo and Mbotela estates.
The City stadium was strategically located to benefit Africans who lived around gradually community teams were established and nurtured at the City Stadium-where tribalism in Kenyan soccer was bred.
Ingwe and K'Ogalo do not have their own pitches half a century down the road. The two clubs are still run the way the
Registrar of Societies prescribed in 1964/1968 as ' Welfare Associations'. Our petty tribal brains wants us to pay our players 2015 salaries but be guided by the welfare association guidelines of 1964/1968. That was when players did things for the love of the game and for the tribe.
In 2015, the two clubs did everything else in the best interest of the communities which are nowadays inclusive of other communities as supporters. The only thing no one is mum about is why the two clubs have no own pitches.
John Nene's bio of Joe Kadenge informs us that the City Stadium was crucial to Kenyan soccer lovers until Nyayo Stadium gate-crashed in 1983. Nyayo is owned by the government and managed by the Sports Stadia Management Board.
The City Stadium has continued to deteriorate like a former beauty queen when no make-up can restore her original beauty.
But the City Stadium's ownership is its asset. It was owned by the defunct Nairobi City Council, now the Nairobi County government which can restore its dwindling fortunes.
How?
The two leading clubs are currently regular tenants at all the stadiums; be it City, Nyayo or Kasarani. They are like someone who can afford to build a house but opts to stay on as a paying tenant.
Nevertheless, with the Jubilee manifesto of building a stadium in every county, the Nairobi County is still behind but can lead the way by 'doing a San Siro ' on the City Stadium.
Nairobi County Governor Evans Kidero can donate the City Stadium to Ingwe and K'Ogalo as part of "their contribution towards the development of soccer in Kenya."
If and when these two teams co-own the stadium, that would mark the end of stadium violence. How would their over-excited fans stone or vandalize their own stadium?
It would be interesting to see how fans would handle their sitting arrangement. Would they still split it into two? How would they handle the gates especially during a derby match?
It is possible for Governor Kidero to copy Governor Alfred Mutua in Machakos, the only difference being that Machakos has a nice stadium but has no nice home-grown team to keep the facility busy.
