AFC Leopards Chairman plots airline partnership in bid to roar again

AFC Leopards chairman Boniface Ambani is dreaming big, starting with an airline partnership to ease the club’s travel burden next season.

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It is part of his broader vision to restore Ingwe’s lost glory and return them to the summit of Kenyan football.

The iconic blue-and-white outfit has relied heavily on road transport, often using a bus to honor league fixtures across the country, a situation Ambani believes has negatively impacted players' performance.

“Our players travel for hours to places like Mombasa or Kakamega and are expected to give 100% the next day. We need to fly them there and preserve their legs,” Ambani said during the official handover ceremony held on Thursday, July 3.

Leopards, once the pride of Western and Kenyan football, have endured a prolonged trophy drought.

Their last Premier League title came in 1998, and the most recent major silverware, the domestic cup, was lifted in 2017.

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This barren run has drawn mockery from rival fans, especially Gor Mahia supporters, something the former Yanga SC forward is determined to change.

“This club should not be traveling by bus from Nairobi to Mombasa for a match. That must stop. We’ll talk to companies, bring in sponsors, and even the junior team, which cannot be sponsored by betting firms, can get alternative partners,” he said.

Ambani, a former Harambee Stars striker, now leads a new regime that includes Secretary General Isaac Mulanda Mulindi and Treasurer Newton Lime

They officially took over from Dan Shikanda, Caroline Walusaga (outgoing interim SG), and Oliver Napali (outgoing treasurer) following last Sunday’s elections.

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“My goal is to leave a legacy. I want to be remembered as the chairman who transformed this club and raised it to international standards,” declared Ambani.

He noted the need to rebuild the team’s structures and infuse new energy into the club’s operations.

“This is an international club, not a local one. Yet we treat it like a village side. We need an overhaul, fresh ideas, and smart people to restore Leopards to its rightful place in African football,” he said.

Leopards finished sixth in the 2024/25 FKF Premier League season, 14 points behind champions Kenya Police.

Ironically, the club’s last league triumph in 1998 featured Ambani himself among the top scorers, finishing just behind his elder brother, Fred Ambani.