Weekly Ramble

Today is the Kenya Rugby Union Annual General Meeting and part of the agenda will be the election of new office bearers. That the long serving chairman Richard Omwela is up for re-election means all focus will be on this one aspect and other issues brushed over. Equally important are the KRU finances for the previous year and close scrutiny must be paid to these as there is some clever accounting that goes on there. Sticking out like a sore thumb is that the mother entity does not report accounts for it's children, i.e. The Kenya Rugby Limited that handles commercial transactions on behalf of the KRU. Are the directors of this company there by name or by position, and does that mean if they leave office, they leave those positions as well? Can the KRU be in the red whilst an affiliate company is heavily in the black? These are at least some of the questions that should form part of the discussion.

For me I hold no endearment to any of the candidates, but suffice to say we should start asking our officials to be accountable to the clubs, who are the real owners of the Union. Rule by decree is fast losing flavour and overall rebellion as being seen in the Arab World will soon take root everywhere. The West is fast fading as a shining example and the East offers no solutions, but plenty of opportunities. But I digress as usual.

Key to me would be the return to traditional values of the game. Riding on a rollercoaster is fun, but at some point it too stops. Poignant to me is that we have no idea what has led to the relative success of the Sevens team, for if we did, what would be so hard about replicating it at fifteens level? And don't give me the age old money story for as I believe, that's what the board is primarily there for, to find the money! I believe strongly in building grassroots, for sustainability and this is where we must focus. And in ensuring the game is played at a high level countrywide. That the game has been spread I will not challenge, but that it is only at junior level is a shame. That these players either have nowhere to go after school, or are unwilling to join what is existing speaks volumes and that we have no structures at national level to monitor or supervise the growth of the game is also a shame. You lose no control by delegating structures, but you strengthen your own base. And irrespective of who takes control at the helm, we have to find a way to control guide their agenda!

You can read more about who is standing for what here. To all candidates, best of luck from me. Where you shine, I will illuminate, but same for where you fail!