Former Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) director Asiko Owiro has joined the race to succeed outgoing chairman Richard Omwela. Omwela will not quest for re-election during KRU Annual General Meeting in March when the chairmanship seat will be up for grabs. The race has now attracted four contenders.
Owiro, the former Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Rugby Club chairman, will go head to head with former KRU vice chairman Sasha Mutai and current KRU secretary general Oduor Gangla and director Ezekiel Owuor.
Owiro, who was a director and acting KRU treasurer during George Kariuki’s tenure that ended in 2003, said he is the right person to turn around the country’s dwindling rugby fortunes both in management and national teams.
The 54-year-old Owiro, who retired from Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) where he was a director of logistics in June 2017, said his short term goal is to instil accountability at the union by putting in place politics that will ensure things are governed according to rules.
Fondly known as Bobu in rugby circles, the former will officially launch his bid on Tuesday at Nairobi Club. He hopes to develop rugby across all the regions in the country when elected.
“I think I am the only person now capable of calling the sponsors and other well-wishers back to rugby,” said Owiro, who played for Kenya at the 1987 Nairobi Africa Games.
“Not that I want to be critical to the current regime but rugby is in a dire state and we need to take the game back track and where it should be.”
Owiro was among the founding players at KCB Rugby Club in 1989. He believes he has the required experience and credentials, having played rugby for Kenya Simbas, Mean Machine, Impala and later KCB as a fullback and winger.