Bonface Ambani Outlines Plan to Fix Haphazard Recruitment and Make AFC Leopards Rich Again as Chairman

The former Harambee Stars striker has called out 27 years of failure, pledges sweeping reforms in recruitment, sponsorship, and club commercialisation if elected AFC Leopards Chairman.

Nairobi, Kenya — Bonface Ambani, former AFC Leopards striker and now chairman hopeful, has issued a bold statement of intent to overhaul the club’s management structure, particularly in recruitment and sponsorship strategy. 

Speaking candidly, Ambani expressed deep frustration at the club's failure to win a league title since 1998, when he was part of the last squad to secure the KPL crown for Ingwe.

Ambani has been credited with turning Mara Sugar from Division One mediocrity to an FKF Premier League side, and is also currently spearheading Nakuru Bucks to achieve their long term ambition of becoming a Premier League outfit.

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As a coach, he also helped develop players like Austin Odhiambo and Richard Odada as AFC Leopards Youth head coach, and also guided Kangemi All Stars to the First Division.

With that experience gained, Ambani hopes to use his expertise to implement strategies that will give Leopards a streamlined recruitment process.

“It’s quite unfortunate. Since 1998, nothing significant has come forward,” Ambani told Citizen TV on Monday Morning.

 “We’ve been signing players, yes — but there’s a difference between quality and quantity. AFC Leopards has been going for quantity.”

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A Call for Strategic Recruitment

Ambani criticised what he described as reactive and unstructured player recruitment, where the club signs players based on market rumors or rival interest rather than clear scouting or technical assessments.

“You don’t sign players just because others are signing. You need to sit down with the technical bench and analyze your team — identify weaknesses and strengthen existing strong points.”

He blamed this reactive approach for the club’s ongoing underperformance and committed to building a solid technical and scouting foundation to ensure recruitment is based on need and merit, not panic buys.

Tapping Into Ingwe’s Massive Fan Base

Highlighting the club’s rich fan culture and strong national following, Ambani stressed the untapped potential of AFC Leopards as a commercial powerhouse.

“AFC Leopards has the numbers. Sponsors want visibility, and we can offer that. But that must be matched with a proactive approach to attract and retain sponsors.”

He challenged past commercial directors for failing to deliver consistent sponsorship deals, pointing out that the club should ideally have separate sponsors for training, travel, medical care, and merchandise.

Fixing Internal Gaps and Driving Revenue

Ambani emphasised that his leadership would not be a one-man show. Instead, he plans to work collaboratively with the Secretary General, Treasurer, and club officials to identify and fill critical gaps in the club’s operations.

“First thing in office, we’ll assess what the previous office did wrong, what needs to be done right, and identify potential partners and internal fundraising avenues.”

He pointed out AFC Leopards' poor performance in merchandising and pledged to professionalize and aggressively scale up that sector to generate steady internal revenue.

In a passionate closing remark, Ambani affirmed his commitment to transparency, integrity, and bold leadership. He warned anyone joining the club’s leadership with selfish intentions to declare them on day one.

“If you came to make money from the club, say it on your first day. I’m here to take a bullet for the team.”

With a clear diagnosis of AFC Leopards’ problems and a bold vision for its revival, Bonface Ambani hopes to lead Ingwe back to its rightful place at the top of Kenyan football.