The historic appointment of Harriet Achieng Okach (above) as the new Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) has been received with mixed reaction in rugby circles.
Clubs may have welcomed the move but with caution with most noting that allegations of corruption and issued of conflict of interest must be addressed if there is to be peace and harmony in the board.
The KRU board on Thursday picked Okach to replace Sasha Mutai, who resigned on Friday last week during the union’s Special General Meeting.
Mutai, who had served two years and two months of his four-year term, quit after a confidence motion was brought to the meeting over governance issues.
Kenya Rugby Union boss Sasha Mutai resigns
Okach had been proposed alongside vice chairman Moses Ndale and 15s rugby director Moses Mukabane to replace Mutai before the board settled on Okach after her challengers stepped down.
It’s a move that analysts dimmed as tactical and unifying so as to keep sponsors intact and cultivate harmony in the board.
Okach, who made history as the first woman to head rugby in the country, was serving as director for commercial service at KRU since her election as a committee member in March 2023.
Okach joins a list of a few women to lead top federations in the country. The other is Jackie Jan Mohammed, the former Cricket Kenya chairperson.
Kenya Cup and Enterprise Cup champions Kabras Rugby Club chairman Edwin Esilaba said that Harriet had been neutral during the board wrangles hence a leveraging factor.
Menengai Oilers chairman Simpson Osiemo welcomed the move but said that he is keen on what plans Okach has for the game noting that the board still has people who have been adversely mentioned in improprieties, something that can’t be wished away.
“She is the director of commercials and has the goodwill of the rest of the board members,” said Esilaba.
“These directors who created the mess in the board are still there. They created that mess and they had to resolve it. I am not sure if the wrangles will end but we can only wish for change,” said Osiemo.
“I am keen to know in the coming days what Harriet has for the game when those who were adversely mentioned in questionable issues are still on the board,” said Osiemo, who took issue with the board members for trying to suck them into their wrangles.
“Of course, it’s the players who will suffer with the game ending up in ruins. Everybody is talking about player welfare. Yes, they are looking for opportunities in life using rugby and we shouldn’t be the reason they will fail,” warned Osiemo.
“My short-term goal is to unify the board, players and clubs following the protracted wrangles in the board,” said Harriet, adding that her long-term plan is to bring more partners on board for the benefit of clubs, players and national teams.
“We have many programmes in place. We need partners for all our leagues. We have national team programmes that should be made vibrant and sustainable and that demand good funding,” said Okach, the former Kisumu Rugby Club treasurer.
Okach, a Nairobi entrepreneur, said she has a political background, having been part of former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero’s strategic planning during his campaigns.
Okach, who is in her early 40s and born and brought up in Kisumu, has experience in sports marketing and event management.
Okach, a graduate of Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom, played a key role in successfully hosting the World Rugby Under-20 Trophy in Nairobi in 2023 and was also instrumental in launching KRU’s Talent Identification Programme, focusing on developing Under-18 and Under-20 players.
Okach, who is also an old girl of Aga Khan Primary School, Kisumu and Lwak Girls, Siaya, was one of Mutai’s right-hand persons in securing corporate partnerships to support rugby development.
She was introduced to rugby back in 2014 by former Kisumu Rugby Club chairman and patron Fidel Odinga back in 2014.
