The Shabana Post
Market5 Feb 2029
Christopher Koloti puts it in writing
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Shabana, and it is not being withdrawn.
The dugout5 Feb 2029
Christopher Koloti keeps the receipts
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Shabana may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Boardroom5 Feb 2029
Deadline passes with 7 signed and 2 gone
That is the business done at Shabana until the window opens again. Whether it was enough will be answered on Saturdays rather than in a column, and the first Saturday is close.
Transfer targets5 Feb 2029
Hernest Malonga turns down Shabana
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Kenya Police keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Squad5 Feb 2029
Tempers go at Shabana
Maxwell Mulili was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom5 Feb 2029
Graduation day at Shabana
5 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
Match3 Feb 2029
Shabana cannot find the net
3 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Squad5 Feb 2029
Words at Shabana training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. James Mazembe is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Market5 Feb 2029
John Njeru steps up from the Shabana academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. John Njeru has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
In brief
- Market Shabana promote Martin Kagere from within
- Market Shabana promote Joseph Chemelil from within
- The dugout David Odoyo gets it from the manager