With Pamzo on board, it’s now forward march for Kenya Police

Kenya Police FC head coach Sammy 'Pamzo' Omollo in an FKF Premier League match against AFC Leopards, on March 20. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Two weeks ago, newbies Kenya Police were a pale shadow of themselves after finding it hard to win games in the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League.

The service men were on a seven-game win-less run and ranked below the bottom half table in the standings after 21 rounds of matches.

However, since the arrival of experienced coach Sammy ‘Pamzo’ Omollo on March 12, Police have a been a force to reckon with.

Omollo, alongside Harambee Stars legend Musa Otieno, were appointed the Kenya Police coach and assistant coach two weeks ago after the exit of John Bobby Ogolla and Austrian Technical Director Lukaz Tott.

This was 16 days after Omollo was sacked as Gor Mahia assistant coach together with British coach Mark Harrisson.

At that time, Police’s last win in topflight league was on January 15, when they beat bottom-placed Mathare United. They really needed to win to turn around their poor form.

With Omollo in charge, Police secured a win after getting the better of Gor Mahia and settled for a draw against AFC Leopards last Sunday.

Speaking during an interview with Standard Sports, Pamzo said Police are lucky to have super stars as their coach and he is confident of turning around the club.

“Having Musa Otieno with me is a dream come true. We played together at Kenya Breweries and Harambee Stars. With our expertise, all players will surely gain a lot,” said Omollo, on working with Harambee Stars legend Otieno.

Omollo opened up on the changes he has made at the club since taking over the reins from Bobby Ogolla.

“After leaving Gor, I watched a lot of games that involved Police. I didn’t know I would be going to Police, but when they approached me, I knew what I was going to do because they had players I had coached before,” he said.

Despite breaking the bank to land some experienced players including Francis Kahata, Duke Abuya, Miheso, Musa, Shakava and Elvis Rupia, Police have struggled to live up to expectations, but Omollo believes they can turn the team into winners.