Deputy President William Ruto met Football Kenya Federation (FKF) premier league newcomers Vihiga Bullets ahead of their top tier game against Bandari at the Mbaraki stadium on Saturday.
The second in command reiterated his support for sports in the country saying should he be elected the President during the forthcoming August polls, he will prioritise player empowerment.
Football is more than a game. It is a socio-economic force that can change the lives of young people especially if we build from the bottom going up. pic.twitter.com/rwz85wwuDZ
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) May 12, 2022
Club Chief Executive Officer Robert Juma on his part thanked Ruto for his gesture and called upon other leaders to support community football teams which are struggling financially.
He lauded President Uhuru Kenyatta’s move to support local football arch-rivals AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia on Sunday with a whooping Sh12 million each,urging him to extend the same generosity to other suffering Kenya premier league clubs.
“Apart from the corporate sponsored teams, most of us are going through alot of financial predicaments and I want to call upon our leaders to initiate proper policies geared towards stabilising Kenyan football through prudent financial support of our clubs playing in both KPL and National Super League(NSL).Yes,we met Ruto just for a cup of tea and we appreciate his sacrifice to create time for us in boosting our morale during the remaining matches of the season” noted Juma.
Last week,the Abdalla Juma coached side staged an unprecedented comeback from two goals down to beat Kariobangi Sharks 4-3 at Kasarani Annex on Sunday afternoon.
The team whose plans during their debut participation in the top flight is to avoid relegation currently sits 16th on 18 team standings having collected 26 points after playing 29 matches
The Moses Akaranga owned team were promoted last season alongside
Talanta who were crowned (NSL) champions after culminating their stellar 2020/21 season on 72 points, eight points ahead of their closest rival Bullets.