MOMBASA, Kenya — Bandari FC has once again taken centre stage in Kenya’s football discourse after Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Managing Director Captain William Ruto dissolved the club’s entire management board in a dramatic intervention triggered by a disastrous run of results.
The December 9 decision marks one of the most far-reaching governance shake-ups ever executed at the Coast-based club and signals a firm warning that mediocrity will not be tolerated in a team long regarded as the sporting face of KPA.
Captain Ruto revoked the appointments of all Bandari FC Management Board members—barely nine months after they were unveiled in March 2025—citing the team’s declining performance in the Kenya Premier League (KPL) and the urgent need for structural reform.
Bandari currently sits 14th on the 18-team KPL table, dangerously close to relegation. With just one win in their last five league matches, the Dockers have looked increasingly unconvincing, a stark contrast to their respectable 8th-place finish in the 2024/25 campaign.
According to insiders, the KPA boss concluded that the club’s stagnation could not be resolved through incremental tweaks. What was needed was a complete reset.
The last straw appears to have been Bandari’s underwhelming display in their December 7 clash against APS Bomet, a match that once again exposed tactical confusion, defensive fragility, and a worrying lack of urgency.
For supporters, the Dockers’ trademark solidity—especially at the Mbaraki fortress—has evaporated. Losses have mounted, draws have replaced wins, and confidence has drained from the squad.
KPA leadership worried that prolonged decline could tarnish the Bandari brand and undermine the authority’s broader multimillion-shilling sports investment agenda.
In an uncompromising purge, Ruto dismissed all trustees and executives tasked with steering club policy. Those removed include:
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Chairman: Stephen Toya
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Vice-Chairperson: Twaha Mubarak
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Treasurer: Ayub Nyata
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Trustees:
Nurein Shakuwe, Cleopatra Taabu, John Kiptoo Maritim, Patricia Manthi, Vincent Kosgei, Gunda Kaneno, Gabriel Mugendi -
Other officials:
Ricky Solomon, Salim Ali, Rajab Babu, Mohamed Madigi, Wycliffe Anyangu -
Secretary: Dave Buchere
The move clears out all factions, legacy decisions, and internal bottlenecks that could compromise the rebuilding process.
Only one senior official was left standing: CEO Tony Kibwana. Instead of dismissal, Kibwana has been handed full stewardship of the club and appointed acting CEO with expanded powers.
Kibwana—formerly the club’s security services manager—is now responsible for stabilising Bandari on and off the pitch, overseeing recruitment, coordinating technical restructuring, and restoring discipline within the playing unit.
His survival signals KPA’s confidence in his administrative capability, but also places him under intense pressure. With the board dissolved, all eyes are on Kibwana to justify the trust placed in him.
The shake-up reverberates far beyond football. KPA is one of Kenya’s biggest sports patrons, sponsoring:
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Bandari FC (men)
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Bandari Queens FC (women)
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Men’s and women’s basketball teams
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Men’s and women’s volleyball teams
A failure at Bandari FC threatens public confidence in KPA’s entire sports programme. Captain Ruto’s action therefore doubles as a corrective measure and a warning shot: performance standards across all KPA-sponsored teams must rise.
For supporters, the board’s dismissal offers hope of a fresh start. For players and technical staff, it signals a new era of accountability where only results will speak.
Whether this radical overhaul is enough to salvage Bandari’s 2025/26 season remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: the era of the dismissed Bandari FC Management Board is over, and patience in the port city has officially run out.
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