Starehe Member of Parliament Amos Mwago has partnered with Football Kenya Federation (FKF) in supporting current and retired players acquire knowledge that will usher them into coaching and other spheres of football.
Mwago, who made an impromptu visit at the ongoing CAF D coaching training course, which is underway at the Jamhuri High School, made a call for other leaders to come up and support FKF in empowering former players graduate into the spheres of coaching and refereeing
The ongoing CAF D coaching course, which is sponsored by the Starehe Constituency National Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF) under Mwago’s patronage and facilitated by seasoned coaches Zedekiah ‘Zico’ Otieno and Leonard Saleh is aimed at equipping former players and sports teachers from Starehe constituency with the technical knowledge as qualified and certified coaches.
During his visit, Mwago also requested FKF to allow him to sponsor and host one CAF C coaching course for qualified coaches and former players and sports teachers from his constituency with the support and approval of his constituency’s NGCDF board.
“I fully support the good work that FKF is doing in the area of capacity building for our coaches because when you have good teachers, who are well equipped with knowledge, for sure you will have good players. I also wish to ask FKF to allow me and my NGCDF to host a CAF C course in Starehe because I want us to have good coaches from this constituency, who will train our young kids properly and bring out our best talents,” Hon Mwago said.
“I am indeed excited to work with FKF. The federation leadership has a lot of goodwill for our former players and an open door policy that allows us in leadership to join them and support, where we can to develop football. I am happy to partner with FKF to enable growth as well as nurturing talent and create job opportunities in our constituency through football,” the first-time MP added.
Amos Mwago is one of the few youthful Members of Parliament in Nairobi and nationally who are known to work with all other leaders and constituents in his constituency regardless of their political affiliation, a trait that has seen several research firms rank him among the best-performing Members of Parliament in Nairobi.
Mwago called on his fellow Nairobi MPs and other leaders to partner with trusted bodies like FKF to help nature and grow talent which is an avenue for creating job opportunities that arise from their talent.
“Sports, especially football, being a multi-billion dollar industry can employ more youth as players, coaches, trainers, doctors, physiotherapists, communication experts, and other fields, and therefore, we must ensure that we have the right coaches to train our players. I can therefore call on other MPS to join in supporting this exercise,” Hon Mwago noted.
“I want to call upon our young people and coaches from Starehe to work with FKF to enable them to deliver more courses and such capacity-building courses and enhance the growth of football in the country,” Mwago added.
FKF has been partnering with different stakeholders to support the CAF coaching courses among them governors and members of parliament as the federation aims at empowering former players with skills and knowledge as coaches and referees after their playing careers come to an end.
Most of the former players who have benefited from the capacity-building initiatives by FKF in coaching and referees courses are already earning a living from coaching at clubs, schools, and soccer academies and positively impacting and developing talent in their neighborhoods therefore crafting a future based on talent development for themselves and their students and players.
MP Mwago is one among the other leaders who have joined hands with FKF in partnering to offer capacity-building courses for coaches and referees among them Embakasi Central MP Benjamin “Major Donk” Gathiru who also supported a similar program as well as Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja who initiated and supported the now annual Sakaja Super Cup, UDA Secretary General, the former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala who organizes the Cleo Malala Super Cup in Kakamega County and Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria who is currently holding the Moses Kuria Peace Tournament in the Mount Kenya region with a similar tournament set to begin in the Nyanza region.
In lauding Mwago’s efforts, football supporter Hezron Otieno said; “(Kaazi kwa mpango kabisa. Tunafurahia ukisaidia wanastarehe wote all round. Continue delivering your manifesto.)This is work with a plan. We are happy with how MP Mwago is working for all of us all around.”
Another Starehe constituent Joseph Gwada said; “Good job mweshimiwa (Mwago) for supporting sports next we are waiting for boxing.” Morgan Mbugua Kimani noted; “We thank God for blessing Starehe with a leader, not a socialite. #MwagoDelivers.”
During the coaching course, 30 football coaches across the Starehe constituency are receiving professional coaching courses under the FKF, CAF, and Starehe constituency sporting programme which is initiated by Mwago.