THE KENYAN POLITICAL LEAGUE..2013 SEASON

The Kenyan political league has been up and running even before independence. Teams like KADU, KANU, Young Kavirondo Association etc were there before 1963. However, there was no official league matches just friends here and there with the biggest game being Kenyan Political League clubs combine team against the British team. The British team removed itself from the competition in 1963 since there was crisis at the club and pressure mounted from the then strong African combine team for the trophy-POWER!

In 1963, All the clubs, due to financial downs, they absorbed themselves into KANU as one club. Competition was no more and the league had to be abandoned. Political fans had to attend KANU friends and practice sessions with their youth teams and at times the KANU female club. Politics lost its taste and fans started paying attention to other games such as football which by then took Kenya by storm due to the rivalry of Abaluhya FC and Gor Mahia. Other football teams from the coastal region and corporations teams, such Bandari FC,  made football tasty. This went on even after the death of KANU’s strongman Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in 1978.

However, in 1991, people started forming their political clubs for a possible revival of The Kenyan Political League. Amendments were made in the Kenya Political Federation Acts to let other clubs take part and form a competitive league. The official KPF league started with the 1997 season. KANU, as expected was the main target since it had held the league title for so long and without allowing competition in open play. 27 clubs registered to KPF but only 15 clubs were in the premiere division. These included:

Daniel Moi	Kenya African National Union
Mwai Kibaki	Democratic Party
Raila Odinga	National Development Party
Kijana Wamalwa	Ford-Kenya
Charity Ngilu	Social Democratic Party
Martin Shikuku	Ford-Asili
Katama Mkangi	Kenya National Congress
George Anyona	Kenya Social Congress
Kimani wa Nyoike	Ford-People
Koigi wa Wamwere	Kenya National Democratic Alliance
Munyua Waiyaki	United Patriotic Party of Kenya
Godfrey M' Mwereria	Green African Party
Wangari Maathai	Labour Party of Kenya
Stephen Oludhe	Independent Economic Party
David Waweru Ng'ethe	Umma Patriotic Party of Kenya

The arrangement of the clubs and their captains in the table was the outcome of the season. KANU lifted the trophy despite stiff opposition from DP lead by Mwai Kibaki who, as we all know, just lifted the two previous league titles.

The KPL is played after every five years to give time for clubs to invest in new players and for the winners to enjoy their success. In the 2002 season, other clubs used the same tactic used by African combine team in 1963 to winner the league from British team but in 2002 it was from KANU which had it for 24 consecutive  credible years!!! Can you believe that? Even the best captains in football clubs have not reached that feat. I do not know how the captain, D. Moi managed that to date. I believe it  due to the long spell with the team, he decided to let go the position to young  players  at the club structure. As we can recall, in the summer of 2001, RAO’s Liberal Democratic Party joined KANU. When Moi decided to pick a young captain to lead the team in 2002 season, he picked on the then unpopular Uhuru Kenyatta. Many KANU players thought that he was imposing a captain on them. They then left together with the new players from LPD and joined the National Rainbow Coalition led by 1997 runners up, Mwai Kibaki. The NARC team went ahead and lifted the trophy with major contribution from RAO and co. 2002 trophy went in favour of NARC.

During the off-season, as NARC was enjoying their success, players started falling apart in the dressing room and in public places. Crisis was rooming in the NARC camp as in was blazing up the KANU club as well. The NARC coalition decided to revert to its subsequent smaller clubs in preparation the 2007 season. The crisi became open to the fans and league followers in the Kenya Political Federation Referendum in 2005 when players in the NARC PC voted differently, most against their captain.

Come 2007 season, new and some old teams were in the league. However, that season saw many big clubs under an umbrella club such as PNU and ODM. The premiere division had 9 teams

Club	Team Captain
PNU	Mwai Kibaki
ODM	Raila Odinga
ODM-K	Kalonzo Musyoka
KPTP	Joseph Karani
KPP	Pius Muiru
WCPK	Nazlin Omar
SSA	Kenneth Matiba
CCUP	David Ng'ethe
RPK	Nixon Kukubo

Many players were undecided before and after the end of the season. Everyone wanted to be part of the league success. Some had been league holders since back then with KANU. Now that KANU was in internal crisis, they looked for a club to win the league with. We saw Mr. Kalonzo switching teams just after the final match to decide the winner. This was awkward to those who are used to football but in a political league in Kenya all is possible. One can switch teams even before the starting whistle is blown or at half time period.

Players of high caliber showed how vital they were during that season. Those who could amass large crowds of fans to cheer them up and jeer the opposing side, did that. Those who could use the money to match-fix, did it as well. 2007 season, will be among the most remembered seasons. We even had teams lead by pastors. The Referees Commission of Kenya was most biased and lost integrity in that very season. In fact, the referee who officiated the final match to decide the league winner could not tell whether the goal scored by PNU captain, Mwai Kibaki was an offside goal or not. However, he awarded it, anyway. PNU lifted the trophy through that controversial goal.  No one in the stadium saw how the player hit the ball into the back of the net. We all saw PNU players and fans screaming loudly in joy as it was scored in the last seconds of the additional time and before ODM fans got their senses back, the game was over. PNU players were running round the stadium with the dazzling silver cup.

Hell broke loose after PNU were officially declared the league winners of 2007 season. Political fans started beating each other up and torching houses. The rest is so much painful…2007 season will be remembered not by how interesting the league was but by its aftermath. Lessons learnt and no repeat of such in the coming season which is just about to start.

BE A GOOD FAN AND CHEER(VOTE) WISELY.

Yes, the 2013 season is here with us. It is now a trend for teams to come together and play in the league as an umbrella club rather than as  independent clubs like the 1997 season. Political club coalitions are made with clear guidelines this time around as directed by the new Independent Referees Commission.Its appears to many that the 2005 ODM PC will be up against the 2002 KANU PC....this is kind of a rematch of just before the start of 2007 season when  Kalonzo had not been sold to PNU and Ruto was still  in ODM. Now we have Ruto sold to ODM arch rivals KANU-like TNA. We hardly know how many clubs and umbrella clubs will feature in the league. We have seen new clubs with totally new players in the premiere division such as Peter Kenneth, Olei Kiapi, Martha Karua, Raphael Tuju, Eugene Wamalwa etc. Strong teams are predicted to be URP-TNA, ODM-WIPER, UDF, TUNAWESMEK, POA, and NARC KENYA . 
We all look forward to a brilliant and violence free season around the stadia. Other teams are still making their deadline signings.The latest being Kalonzo to ODM or RAO to WIPER, well this is hard to tell as it is when it comes to the formations used by the teams during the season. Every team looks for top talent in country as well as good fan base for their merchandise and gate tickets. The best talented young player,as it is viewed by most fans,is Peter Kenneth who has decided not to join any major team so far. We all know that the Cup winner of the last season will be hanging his boots from local competition. It’s so unlikely if he will move abroad to ply his trade with other clubs…

Your prediction through the comment box, please! We are sorry we do not have any betting associates! 

The league officially commences in March, 2013. Let the best team win. If your team does not emerge the champions this season, there is always next season.. be like Arsenal FC fans in football league.