"I don't want to die early": AFC Leopards chairman gives up hunt on 33-year Kasarani land

AFC Leopards chairman Boniface Ambani has urged club members to abandon the long-running pursuit of the disputed Kasarani land, saying the club should, instead, focus on acquiring its own property.

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The contested parcel dates back to 1992, when former President Daniel Arap Moi reportedly allocated AFC Leopards a 20-acre piece of land near the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani.

The land was intended for the construction of the club's own stadium and training facilities.

However, more than three decades later, the club has yet to obtain a title deed, despite repeated efforts to trace the land, all of which have proved unsuccessful.

Gor Mahia and several other sports organizations have faced similar frustrations over land believed to have been allocated during the same period.

Addressing members during the club's Annual General Meeting on Sunday, Ambani admitted that the search had reached a dead end and urged the club to move on.

“On the Kasarani land, I would like us to forget that thing. Let us forget it completely.”

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Explaining why he believes the matter should be put to rest, Ambani questioned whether the land can even be identified and warned against spending more time chasing an uncertain claim.

“Why should we follow something we do not know where it is or if it exists? I don’t want to die early. I still have a lot to lead. I want to take this team to the next level.”

He also revealed that his administration had made several attempts to verify the land's existence and location but came away with more questions than answers.

“On the Kasarani land, I did not inherit it; I found it in the notes and tried to follow it alongside the Secretary General. We went to the surveyor, and all we were shown were some papers; they were telling us it is here on the paper, so why doesn’t he take you there and show you the land?”

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According to Ambani, the exercise consumed valuable time and resources without producing any tangible progress.

He now believes the club's efforts should be directed toward purchasing its own land, free from any government-related complications.

“I got tired. It was a waste of time and resources, and I decided, no. Now, it is up to us as members to sit down and see what we can do as a team. Let us not wait to be given; we should get it ourselves so that we own it without issues.”

Ambani's position echoes that of Gor Mahia chairman Ambrose Rachier, who last year disclosed that his club had also abandoned the search for the disputed land in favour of buying a separate parcel for its long-term infrastructure plans.

“We decided to abandon that pursuit and to look for land which has got nothing to do with the government, purchase it with the help of some of our benefactors, and then put up a stadium.”

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