Kenya’s oldest football club, AFC Leopards, is making significant moves to modernize its governance structure by transitioning from a society model to a corporate entity. As part of this ambitious project, the club’s Corporate Task Force will travel to Tanzania at the end of September for a benchmarking tour. Their goal is to learn from the successful transitions of Yanga FC and Simba FC—two of East Africa’s most successful football clubs—into corporate-driven entities.
The task force was created to oversee this transformation and has spent the past few months focusing on capacity building and studying the commercialization of football globally. This trip to Tanzania is considered a crucial step, as it will provide AFC Leopards with valuable insights into how Yanga and Simba FC managed to grow their clubs while maintaining strong community ties and attracting significant investment.
During a recent press event at MAA Hotel in Nairobi, task force chairman Vincent Shimoli emphasized the need for AFC Leopards to professionalize its operations to remain competitive with other top clubs in the region. “In Kenya, the lowest-paid footballer earns about Ksh 25,000, while in Tanzania, they earn around Ksh 250,000,” Shimoli explained. “We need to improve to be at par.”
Shimoli urged fans and club members to back the proposed shift to a corporate structure, stressing that it is essential for the club’s long-term sustainability. The transformation will not only increase the club’s competitiveness but will also help attract investors and commercial partnerships that are crucial for the club’s future growth.
Upon returning from Tanzania, the task force will launch a comprehensive three-year civic education campaign, set to kick off in October. The goal of this campaign is to engage the club’s over 5,000 registered members and more than 6 million fans across Kenya in discussions about the benefits of transitioning to a corporate model. Members and fans will be encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas about how best to implement the proposed changes, ensuring that all stakeholders are part of the decision-making process.
Task force treasurer Alex Muteshi echoed these sentiments, stating that the feedback gathered during the civic education campaign will be vital in creating a blueprint for the club’s governance structure. This blueprint will be presented at the club’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in 2025, where members will have the opportunity to review and ratify the proposed changes.
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, a longtime supporter of AFC Leopards, has boosted the task force’s efforts by donating Ksh 2 million to fund the benchmarking tour and civic education campaign. Mudavadi has been a strong advocate for the club’s transformation and has consistently emphasized the need for AFC Leopards to modernize its structure to compete with regional and continental football powerhouses.
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In his remarks, Mudavadi encouraged other well-wishers to contribute to the club’s ongoing transformation efforts. The overall budget for the benchmarking tour and civic education campaign is projected to be Ksh 5 million, which will cover the cost of engaging members, corporate partners, and sporting brands, as well as mobilizing the club’s fan base as potential investors.
The eight-person task force is composed of prominent members of the club, including Richard Ekhalie (Secretary), Nelly Mwashi, Ng’arua Kamuya, Bramwel Aino, Clarence Jumbo, and Laureen Aseka (Assistant Secretary). These individuals will work closely with stakeholders and potential investors in the coming months to ensure the successful transition of AFC Leopards into a corporate entity.
By learning from the experiences of Yanga and Simba FC, AFC Leopards hopes to replicate their success and begin a new chapter in its long and storied history. The upcoming benchmarking tour and civic education efforts are critical steps toward achieving this goal, marking a significant moment in the club’s journey towards modernization and sustainability.
