Photo : Alexander Sasha Mutai / Source www.ragahouse.com
Alexander Sasha Mutai (Kenya Rugby Union chairmanship candidate) has unveiled his manifesto ahead of the elections.
The elections will be held on Wednesday March 22, 2017 at the RFUEA grounds.


IT IS TIME TO REACH OUR TRUE POTENTIAL

ALEXANDER SASHA MUTAI FOR CHAIRMAN, KRU 2017

Dear Affiliates,

I hereby humbly offer myself for the position of Chairman of the KRU at the KRU AGM to be held on 22nd March 2017.

For the past few years, the KRU has been beset by constant wrangling, inept leadership and misuse of the limited resources available to the Union. The game belongs to the players and the fans, and they are bearing the brunt of this poor leadership. Persistent issues on National Team Player Contracts or lack thereof, delayed payments to national team players, lack of technical and financial support to affiliates and development officers, interference by KRU directors in national team selections, misuse of funds by the board for lavish joy riding tours, the intentional collapse of flagship tournaments, inordinately high turnover of technical staff, numerous breaches of various contracts, etc. are the hallmark of the current KRU board.

The KRU is Rudderless!! It is time for a Real Change. It is time for Progressive Leadership.

THE VISION

Kenya is blessed with amazing talent. We need to ensure that this talent reaches its true potential. When elected, I will work with my Board of Directors to actualize the ambitions of the Rugby Player into Reality.

I plan to do the following:

  1. Provide leadership (which has been lacking) at the KRU and bring in the resources and finances needed to run development programmes at the grassroots. Rugby needs to be run like a business, and exploitation of the Television and Media Rights is the way to do this, together with engagement at the highest level with Corporate Partners and Potential Partners. Total reliance on revenue earned just through sponsorship is foolhardy and we need to exploit commercial opportunities that are sustainable.
  2. Return the Safari 7s to profitability and bring back the crowds to the game. I will restore the sparkle to our Crown Jewel.
  3. With a guaranteed increase in revenue, I will ensure that finances are then availed to all affiliates in order for them to play the game comfortably, identify and develop talent, and not be reduced to holding out the begging bowl as is the case currently. I will also personally intervene, where needed, to help negotiate partnership and sponsorship deals between the clubs and corporates.
  4. I will revive the Rugby Super Series tournament which was integral in developing our XVs rugby.
  5. I will ensure that the Kenya XV team receives the support it requires, and provide it with all that it needs to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan.
  6. I will ensure that Women’s Rugby also receives the support it deserves and requires to grow and compete competitively with the top world playing nations.
  7. I will ensure that Universities receive Technical Support from the KRU and with the culmination of a Kenya Universities Combined side playing in International University Competitions to test their mettle against the best that the world has to offer. I will personally lobby on behalf of the University teams to the Ministry of Education and the University Senates for the introduction of Sports Scholarships, which will ensure that the best players attending Universities are retained by these teams.
  8. I will ensure that we develop our age grade rugby by including commercial interests that will finance its growth, and finally showcase this talent with a Kenya Schools team competing at the Craven Week in South Africa. These players will then form the next generation of Kenya XV players after being exposed to high level rugby while still in their teens.
  9. The working relationship between the KRU and the KRRS needs to be strengthened for the good of the game in the country, region, and indeed the continent. I will ensure that the KRU supports the Kenya Rugby Referees Society (KRRS) to attract refereeing talent, develop and retain referees, so that as our playing quality develops, so does our refereeing quality and pedigree. I shall ensure that finances are secured for the KRRS programmes.
  10. The KRU has land allocated to it in Kasarani for development of a stadium. Indeed, every sports association in Kenya has been allocated land in Kasarani for the same. It is high time we develop a proper rugby stadium of international standard; with my immense experience in the construction industry, I am supremely confident that we can muster the resources required to build a modest permanent structure with semi-permanent stands that won’t break the bank, as well as an international standard playing surface with floodlights at this facility. A team making it to the Rugby World Cup deserves to play in a good stadium!
  11. The KRU constitution is outdated and a relic of the past century. We need to overhaul it to be relevant in the 21st Century, as well as to align it with the Regulations of World Rugby, The Sports Act (2013), and the Constitution of Kenya (2010). This current constitution must bechanged for posterity, and we must not allow parochial views to be accommodated in it, as is currently the case. I will provide leadership to make this happen.

TRACK RECORD

My track record speaks for itself. From 2006 – 2010 I was the youngest Director on the board and was in charge of 7s Rugby. Amongst my achievements were:

The KooGa kit sponsorship

The Virgin Atlantic Sponsorship

Introduction of structure into the running of the Kenya 7s team. The team went on to record many firsts, including a semi-final appearance at the Rugby World Cup 2009 as well as handing defeats to the world rugby powers such as New Zealand.

The Western Province Rugby Union (South Africa) partnership. This unfortunately fell apart when I left the board after my term as Director.

As Vice Chairman of the KRU from April 2012 to March 2014, some of my achievements were:

Re-introduction of the Western Province Rugby Union partnership; this translated into the appointment of Jerome Paarwater as Kenya XV coach, as well as the inclusion of the Kenya XV team in the Vodacom Cup while based in Cape Town. This enabled the Kenya XV reach previously unchartered territory in the World Rankings.

Chaired the Safari 7s Local Organizing Committee successfully in 2012 and 2013, realizing profits in both years; the profits were disbursed to all the clubs playing in all leagues to enable them honour their away fixtures. The Safari 7s made losses in 2011 before my term, and subsequently in 2014, 2015 and 2016 due to mismanagement. As such, this tournament, which was our Crown Jewel, has completely lost its lustre, and we need to revive it immediately otherwise it will die altogether.

Leading the negotiations and securing the unprecedented Kshs. 250 million Television Broadcast Rights deal for the KRU; all previously negotiated deals had no actual monetary value remitted to the Union.

I have the passion and vision for this great game in this great country. Please join me in my quest to Reach Our True Potential.

Yours In Rugby,

Sasha Mutai

“In order to succeed, we must first believe we can” … Nikos Kazantzakis (1883 – 1957)

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