The 2022-2023 Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Busia County league season will commence on January 7, 2023 after FIFA lifted the indefinite suspension it imposed on Kenya in February.
FKF Busia branch chairman Hillary Musundi made the disclosure on Wednesday at Busia Polytechnic during a meeting between the branch officials and those from the clubs set to feature in the league.
Musundi told the meeting that the new season will be a replica of last season which was very competitive.
“We expect a good turnout with many clubs which qualified at various sub branches expressing interest of participating in the branch league whose top performers will earn promotion to the Western Regional League,” Musundi said.
Musundi revealed that over 120 teams participated in various league cadres last season with branch league which has two zones attracting a total of 27 teams.
He said about 80 clubs participated in the sub branch leagues with Teso North having the lion’s share of 17 teams while Teso South had 11, Matayos 9, Butula 8 and Nambale 7.
The FKF Branch had also four teams participating in Division II league, one in Division I, nine in the regional league while 30 clubs participated in the women’s league.
The branch chairman noted that most clubs suffered financial constraints in the last league campaign but pledged to push for the enactment of the County Sports Bill which will reduce financial burden on the clubs.
He urged clubs to explore other ways of seeking financial support to enable them participate effectively in their respective leagues.
On the FIFA Connect Programme- which provides a unique FIFA ID code for every individual who has a role in the football organization, Musundi said coaches will have a training session on the same with club officials soon.
He said the purpose of the program is to enable member associations register all their stakeholders in a systematic way and keep track of players, coaches and referees wherever they are in the world.
The resumption of football activities without any barriers across the country follows Monday’s lifting of a nine-month indefinite suspension barring Kenya from taking part in international soccer activities.
World football governing body-FIFA imposed an indefinite suspension on Kenya in February after the Sports Ministry disbanded the FKF over alleged misappropriation of funds and appointed a caretaker committee.
The suspension meant the country was banned from fielding any team in any competitive tournament outside the country including the men’s and women’s football teams and clubs.
By Melechezedeck Ejakait
