Kenya men’s cricket coach Dodda Ganesh speaks after his unveiling at Sikh Union in Nairobi on August 13, 2024.
Cricket Kenya (CK) Executive Board insists that it made the right decision in relieving former Indian cricketer Dodda Ganesh of his duties as the Kenya national men’s cricket team coach.
The 51-year-old former India Test player was barely a month into the job when he received a letter from the CK Executive Board directing him to cease any further engagement with the team on grounds that his appointment was not procedural.
“Pursuant to a resolution of the Executive Board of Cricket Kenya passed on Wednesday, 28 August 2024 and anchored under inter Alia Article 5.9 and 8.4.3 of the Cricket Kenya Constitution, we wish to notify you that the Executive Board has declined to ratify your appointment as Head Coach of the Men’s Cricket Kenya National Team for want of following established procedures; and voided the purported contract made on 7 August 2024 between Mr Manoj Patel (CK Chairman) and yourself,” read the letter from the CK Executive Board signed by Pearlyne Omamo, the Director Women’s Cricket.
The board made the decision on August 28 during a meeting that was not attended by Monaj.
Speaking on condition of anonymity since they are not authorised to speak to the media, a section of members of the CK Executive Board have told Nation Sport that their decision to part ways with Ganesh was influenced by the need to safeguard the 2021 CK Constitution.
They added that they wanted to promote transparency in running the sport locally.
Like many other Kenya cricket stakeholders, the board members said that they were kept in the dark about plans to appoint Ganesh as Kenya’s senior men’s cricket coach.
With no advertising of the job and shortlisting of candidates having been done, the CK Executive Board declined to ratify the Indian appointment.
They have blamed Manoj and the CK Elite Squads and National Teams Sub-Committee headed by Narendra Patel for the developing situation and directed Ganesh to channel any claims to the CK chairman and other people, who engaged him for the job.
“Any concerns or claims relating to this notice should be channelled to Mr Manoj Patel and any other individuals who irregularly and unproceduarally engaged you in this respect,” said the CK board.
The board is the body mandated with engaging and ratifying the appointment of any individual in any role in the CK.
“We were surprised as anyone else. We had to step in because the appointment was unprocedurally done,” said a member of the board.
“There seems to be a disconnect between the sub-committee created by the chairman in terms of reference and the mandate of the board,” added the member.
“The board knew about the unveiling of the coach about two days before the event,” added another member.
Yesterday, Manoj did not respond to Nation Sport queries on the allegation that he and the Elite Sub-Committee hand-picked the coach.
Eyebrows were raised when only one member of the Executive Board, CK Chief Executive Officer Ronald Bukusi attended the unveiling of Ganesh on August 13 at Sikh Union, Nairobi.
Bukusi said that he would comment on the matter today as he was still meeting some of the people involved in the hiring.
The team is currently being handled by former players Lameck Onyango (coach) and Joseph Angara (assistant coach) though there has been no formal communication from CK on the status of the Kenyan technical bench
Boasting 25 years of experience, Ganesh said during his unveiling that his main mission was to guide Kenya back to the ICC World Cup.
Kenya boasts of five ICC World Cup appearances; four One Day International (ODI) – 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2011 and one T20 (2007).
