Sammy Obingo: The unsung hero of Kenyan football

The current generation of football fans may not know Sammy Obingo, who was laid to rest last Saturday in Eshitukhumi village in Mumias West, Kakamega County.

Football legends who played and worked in Kenyan football between 1980 and the year 2000 were present to bid him farewell.

Obingo’s face and afro hairstyle were synonymous with football in the region, as he was the Secretary General of the Kenya Football Federation (KFF) and the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA). He later served the Kenya Cricket Association, which exemplifies his versatility and administrative prowess.

He was likely the last person to hold the all-powerful office of Secretary General in Kenyan football. The post began to undergo structural changes when Sam Nyamweya succeeded him.

Back then, KFF, as the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) was known, was a den of drama and intrigue, much like it is today, although slightly more organised.

As fights ensued, executive committees were disbanded and caretaker and transition committees were formed, Sammy Obingo remained as perennial as the grass on football pitches.

Ironically, he never became chairman, and so he was more of Joab Omino’s sidekick than the main protagonist.

However, that did not stop him from surfacing in the middle of the storm.

The Secretary General was the CEO and spokesperson of the federation because he ran the secretariat. Today, the CEO is appointed by the elected executive committee, to whom he is answerable.

He was born in 1949 in Mumias and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Nairobi in 1974.

His intelligence was evident in his longevity in football matters.

He later worked in the chemical industry and even ventured into marketing before fully immersing himself in football administration from 1984.

He lost his wife a few years ago and is survived by five children.

Obingo became the Secretary of the Nairobi KFF Branch in 1984 and became its chairman in 1985.

The following year, he was elected Secretary General of KFF with Joab Omino as chairman.

He served in that position under Omino through the turbulence of Kenyan football until 1996.

He was at the helm as Kenya performed well in the 1987 All-Africa Games and qualified for the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

KFF was disbanded and Adams Karauri was appointed to lead a caretaker committee in 1991, just before Kenya went to AFCON in Senegal.

Meanwhile, Obingo had become Secretary General of CECAFA in 1990, which occupied much of his time.

They returned to KFF in late 1992, from where they launched a bid to host the 1996 AFCON.

Kenya failed to convince CAF that it was ready to host the tournament, which was consequently moved to South Africa.

That marked the end of Joab Omino’s tenure as KFF chairman. Sammy Obingo attempted to succeed him but lost to Peter Kenneth.

From the tributes shared on Saturday, Obingo was described as loving and supportive to football players, even after their retirement.

He was a man who genuinely loved the game and desired its growth, but the intricacies of Kenyan football were beyond the abilities of one individual to solve.

After losing to Peter Kenneth, whose secretary was Sam Nyamweya, in the 1996 KFF chairmanship race, Obingo remained undeterred.

The game was too dear to the man from Mumias, so he submitted his papers to run for KFF chairman again in 2000.

Despite being considered a strong candidate, he later withdrew from the race, which eventually ushered in Maina Kariuki as KFF chairman.

Obingo did not shy away from controversy, which was often the hallmark of Kenyan football.

Ironically, he became Secretary General of Football Kenya Limited (FKL) in 2009, another outfit that had emerged from the wrangles in KFF.

In August of the same year, FKL chairman Mohammed Hatimy suspended him for misappropriation of funds.

At the time, FIFA had sidelined the Sam Nyamweya-led KFF, and Kenyan football was being run by FKL.

Around this period, AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia were relegated from the league.

This occurred between 2002 and 2008.

The two clubs were undergoing financial difficulties and were frequently in the relegation zone. Sammy Obingo and Erastus Okul ensured the clubs avoided relegation by initiating boardroom manoeuvres.

However, Leopards were eventually relegated after the 2006 season and played in the second tier.

In 2007, AFC were on the verge of missing promotion after finishing behind Eldoret Mahakama in the Nationwide League.

However, Mahakama were disqualified, paving the way for AFC’s return to the Premier League, thanks to Sammy Obingo, who had rejoined football leadership with FKF.

He always appeared calm and composed, even when dealing with the intense demands of running Kenyan football.

Beneath that calm exterior was a tough administrator with a good sense of humour.

In 1985, Gerry Saurer formed Volcano United, the first professional football club in Kenya.

Henry Kosgey, then Minister of Culture, attempted to pressure KFF into allowing Volcano United to play in the Super League in 1986.

Sammy Obingo announced a list of 20 clubs to participate, and Volcano was missing.

When journalists asked why, Obingo quipped that professionals could not play with amateurs.

Though KFF later allowed Volcano United to feature in the league, a few years later he would claim that he did not know the club had disbanded, despite it being widely reported in the media.

That was classic Obingo, a man who dedicated his later years to serving his community in Mumias West.

Fare thee well, Mr Secretary General.