Okaka: Chapa Dimba na Safaricom a milestone in FKF's talent strategy

With the successful conclusion of the fourth edition of the Safaricom Chapa Dimba football tournament, it’s time to detail the positive impact the competition has had towards development of the sport.

FKF partnership

In partnership with Football Kenya Federation (FKF), telecommunications company Safaricom organised this tournament which culminated with Nyanza region’s Obunga FC and Plateau Queens lift the 2024 boys and girl’s titles respectively, at the Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Kisumu.

The tournament, which took a break in 2014 amid a breakdown in relationship between former FKF officials and the sponsor, has been a success since current president Nick Mwendwa came assumed office in 2016.

Budding talents

FKF under president Nick Mwendwa has over the past eight years embarked on developing budding football talents from the grassroots by providing a conducive environment for corporate sponsors to support various activities undertaken by the federation.

During this period, the federation managed to rope back Safaricom into organising this popular tournament which is competed countrywide.

The winning teams at this tournament are awarded cash prizes alongside trophies and medals, whilst a select All-Star team comprising of the Most Valuable Players (MVPs) go proceed to Spain for football boot-camp and training.

Most players from this tournament have also earned contracts with Kenyan Premier League and National Super League teams.

Support football initiatives 

The Success of Chapa Dimba na Safaricom is a testimony that with the right environment, corporate sponsors have the goodwill to get back into supporting football initiatives. 

Under the Nick Mwendwa led administration, FKF has managed to engage various corporate entities among them Startimes, Sportpesa, BetKing, Betika, OdiBets, Safaricom, Azam Tv, KBC among others.

Youth football

Chapa Dimba is among the grassroots tournaments that FKF and partners have been staging to invest in youth football from the grassroots level. 

Currently, FKF runs youth leagues in most of the FKF branches, and FKF elite youth leagues in some of the FKF branches as well as the FIFA Schools program in which the federation, in partnership with FIFA is distributing standard footballs to over 2000 schools in the country. 

As well, FKF has continued to train teachers through coaching courses and has also taken teachers through the FIFA Football for School Application, a toolkit designed by FIFA which helps teacher and coach educators with programmes that provide football activities within the school set up, Based on “ Let the game be the teacher.” 

The app is the first step towards fostering children’s holistic development by introducing them to the “beautiful game.”

The federation has further partnered with several schools, including St. Peters Mumias and St. Joseph’s Kitale among other as FKF Centers of Excellence in a bid to uplift the standards of youth football in the country.

Transparency within FKF has played a major role in allowing sponsors back into the football space and with the success story of the just concluded Safaricom Chapa Dimba, FKF has expressed an open door policy that it employs to invite more sponsors for the good of the game.

The youth football development pragrammes are a deliberate move towards ensuring that most of the players who will take part in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations will be drawn from the current crop of emerging talent budding from the youth development programs.

Kenn Okaka is the Head of Media and Communications at Football Kenya Federation