Sam Nyamweya pledges new bus for Shabana FC
Shabana FC patron Sam Nyamweya has promised the club a brand new bus that ‘is similar to that of Gor Mahia’.
He made the promise on December 20, 2023, a day after rewarding the players with a Sh50,000 ‘Christmas’ token following the team’s 4-1 win over struggling Sofapaka in a Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League match.
“A good friend of mine has promised to purchase a bus for Shabana early next year (2024),” said Nyamweya.
“The current bus that the club is using will be deployed for the junior and ladies’ teams. Shabana continues to attract support from various stakeholders and individuals from all aspects of society since joining the Premier League. The sponsor of the bus will be unveiled after all formalities have been addressed.”
The bus currently used by Shabana was donated by former president Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga in 2020.
Nyamweya, a veteran football administrator and political strategist, has been at the forefront of supporting Shabana.
A former FKF president who is gunning for a return to the seat ahead of the football elections in 2024, Nyamweya was instrumental in the team’s promotion to the top-flight last season.
Shabana secured a comeback to the top-flight after a 17-year absence after winning the National Super League (NSL) ahead of Murang’a Seal.
The Gusii based side has however struggled in the top-flight, and is currently ranked 15th on the 18-team league standings with 14 points from 15 outings.
The below par results cost coach Sammy Okoth his job and Nyamwea has urged the club’s administration to employ a new coach as soon as possible and also strengthen the team in January ahead of the second leg of the league season.
A new bus for Shabana will place the team, which is among the most popular in the top-flight, at par with Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards.
Gor recently unveiled a Sh20 million bus for the first team use courtesy of the Eliud Owalo Foundation. Leopards also unveiled a luxurious coach for the team in 2020 following efforts by the then Defence Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa.