At Cardinal Otunga Mosocho High School, the training base for Shabana, a man in a tracksuit barks instruction in a mix of English and Arabic, his voice cutting through the morning air.
The players listen. They run. They engage.
That man is Ahmed Fathi Abdalla Ibrahim, Shabana's new Egyptian tactician, and he has arrived in Kisii with an audacious mission: to turn Tore Bobe into champions of Kenya.
Two months after he was unveiled at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi as the first foreign coach in Shabana's 43-year history, Fathi finally sat down for his first in-depth interview in Kenya on Friday at the team's training base.
It is his first time in Kenya. his first job in East Africa. He declares he is here for the national title.
"I want to play in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) tournaments after my first season here. I know what that means. We must win the Kenya Premier League (KPL) or the FKF Cup. That is my mission," he says, without blinking.
It is a bold declaration for a club that, since their promotion back to the KPL, spent one of their last three seasons fighting to survive relegation.
No Egyptian has ever coached a Kenyan club before, let alone Shabana.
Shabana FC'S new coach Ahmed Fathi during an interview with Nation Media Group on September 11, 2026 at his team's training base in Cardinal Otunga High School, Mosocho grounds.
Photo credit: Wycliffe Nyaberi | Nation
"Being the first Egyptian coach in Kenya is a big responsibility. I want to prove to Kenyan fans what Egyptian coaches can offer. I am proud of my country. Egyptian coaches are known for discipline, for organisation, for winning. I thank Shabana for giving me this chance to show that," he says.
Fathi sent his CV. The club, he says, were impressed not by the stamps on his passport, but by his vision.
The 40-year-old arrives with a 15-year coaching career spanning Africa, Europe and Asia.
A CAF “A” Licence holder, he joins Shabana from Ghana Premier League side Swedru All Blacks, having previously served as assistant coach and performance analyst at Egyptian Premier League clubs Ismaily SC and El Gouna.
Fathi, who played his football in lower tier leagues in Egypt, has also gained technical experience through coaching development programmes in Spain, Japan and Malaysia.
Between 2009 and 2013, he cut his teeth in Malaysia as an assistant coach at Johor FC and Felda United. He then took charge of Bogor in Indonesia as head coach from 2014 to 2016.
Shabana FC's new coach Ahmed Fathi (left) with defenders Collins Okumu (centre) and George Onyango (right) at the team's training grounds at Cardinal otunga High School, Mosocho.
Photo credit: Wycliffe Nyaberi | Nation
Asia taught him physicality and humidity. Japan, he says, taught him discipline.
From 2016 to 2018, he served as an assistant at FC Osaka under Haruo Wada, overseeing 61 matches. Then came Europe - Spain, where he took charge of Malaga “C” from 2019 to 2020.
Since 2021, he has been in Egypt, moving through the pressure-cooker of the Egyptian Premier League: Eastern Company as Performance Manager, then El Mahalla, Bank El Ahly, El Dakhia, Modern Future, El Gouna and Ismaily.
Most of those roles were as an assistant or performance manager, but they placed him in the room where tactics were built, decisions were made and matches were won or lost. Now he wants to bring that experience to Kenya.
"Those clubs invest a lot in football -- their players, their facilities, their travel and many other thing. In Egypt, in Morocco, in Tunisia, football is an industry. They have good facilities, good pitches, good recovery centres, they travel well, they pay well, they plan well," he says.
"Here, there is talent, just like in Egypt. But you need to put money into football. If we channel a substantial amount of money to football, Kenya can also achieve what Egypt has achieved. It is about investment and structures," he adds.
It is a message that hits home at Shabana. The club is followed by thousands of passionate fans, but the demolition of Gusii Stadium for reconstruction ahead of the 2026/27 season might feel painful, although for a short time.
Shabana will not play at Gusii this season. The stadium that has served as their fortress is now a construction site.
Tore Bobe have acquired a temporary home at Afraha Stadium in Nakuru, just as they embark on their biggest title challenge in years.
Shabana FC'S new coach Ahmed Fathi during an interview with Nation Media Group on September 11, 2026 at his team's training base in Cardinal Otunga High School, Mosocho grounds.
Photo credit: Wycliffe Nyaberi | Nation
For Fathi, however, the absence of Gusii cannot become an excuse. He says he is happy with his squad. He got what he wanted in the transfer window. The board backed him.
He wants to keep the ball. Not simply kick it away. He wants Shabana to build from the back, maintain possession and create a well-organised structure in which every player knows his role.
"We must control the game, not chase it," he says.
But possession, for Fathi, is not about sterile football. He wants his team to be aggressive, physically engaged and constantly ready to move forward.
"Our pre-season has been about fitness, fitness, fitness," Fathi says.
For the Egyptian, discipline is the base for winning in a demanding league. Egyptian coaches are famous for it. No discipline, no play.
He does not want to sit back and defend. He wants to attack. He wants Shabana to play on the front foot and, ultimately, to become genuine title contenders through an aggressive, forward-moving mindset.
That approach, however, will require time and patience from a fanbase known for turning on coaches quickly.
Nyabinge is a veteran youth coach, a man who understands the KPL's physicality and, perhaps more importantly, the Gusii psyche.
It is the familiar KPL formula: a foreign head coach brings tactics, structure and a foreign perspective, while a local assistant provides cultural understanding, connections and knowledge of the terrain.
If there is one thing Fathi has understood in his two months in Kisii, it is the meaning of Shabana’s nickname, Tore Bobe.
The name is an identity, a source of pride and, for many supporters, a way of life.
"I am now one of them and I won't disappoint them. I am aware of the passion that the fans have and I have already seen it when playing friendly matches. I want them to keep walking with us." he adds.
Kisii, he says, has been good to him so far. The environment. The weather. The respect.
The 2026/2027 FKF Premier League League season kicks off on September 19. Shabana will begin their campaign playing home matches outside Gusii.
Fathi knows the stakes. He knows that, as the first Egyptian coach to take charge of a Kenyan top club, his tenure will carry a little more weight.
And he knows that Shabana supporters will not judge him on his CV, his CAF licence or the countries in which he has worked.
They will judge him on results. On the training pitch at Mosocho, Fathi does not look intimidated.
"The ball is now at my feet. I am ready for the league," he says.
