Woman of Passion: Kentice Tikolo: Why I said yes to chairing the FKF board

 

For years, Kentice Tikolo through her PR and communications consultancy firm, Cause Impact, consulted for Wazito Football Club. Her company was on the fourth floor of a six-story building and after wounding up another entity she ran on the third floor, she hosted the club.

"We created the football club logo and advised them on how to run the club professionally. It's was an outfit I was very much fond of so when I was requested to chair the club, I accepted. The sport thrilled me," she says.

The opportunity presented a doorway into the inside world of Soccer, one that she had a sneak peek of at one point in her life.

More than two decades ago, Kentice, who is now 57, doubled up as the public relations officer for the Kenya Sugar Authority and the personal assistant to the then CEO. He was the chairman of FC Leopards and Kentice being his right-hand man, got acquitted to soccer affairs.

"At that time, football fans would fill the stadiums but there was ticketing fraud and the clubs were not making money. My boss revolutionised how things worked by having tickets printed on the day the club was playing with him being their sole custodian to seal the loopholes. Through him, I was learning a lot and I even started sharing my vision with him," she offers.

While under his management, Kentice made a maiden visit to a relative who lived near a football club's stadium in Cairo, Egypt. "I was stunned. You'd see boys and girls getting into the stadium and there was an aura of orderliness. But what amazed me was the fencing. The club had built shops around the stadium and rented them out to people as part of their sustenance," she offers.

This was something that she likes to tout about. "We could change the perception around soccer and the club in entirety. When I assumed the role of a chairman of the club, this is the dream I shared with the board members."

She pauses as if recollecting memories of the past and her eyes widen. "They married the vision so we built the club's website, visuals, had the team trained on etiquette, financial management, and social media branding. There was togetherness. It was a family," she offers.

Kentice Tikolo, then chairman of Wazito FC issuing certificates to players at the end of the season in 2017. PHOTO| POOL

Kentice is a sports enthusiast who followed in her father’s footsteps. In his youth, while working as a teacher, he played football and kept many cuttings of matters football, something she thought of as ridiculous. "I love sports and probably that's how I married a sportsman. My husband, Tom Tikolo is a former cricketer. If I pick a sport, I play it admirably. Back in school, I was extremely good at hockey, basketball, and volleyball. Further, I was in the country's lawn tennis team, a game that I only started playing upon joining secondary school," she offers.

Early last year, Kentice became the first woman to chair the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) governing body in Kenya and become the only female on the board. "When I got the offer, I received many calls from people from diverse sectors dissuading me from taking up the position. 'It's a murky realm, Kentice. You risk ruining your reputation. But if you think you can bring change, well….' To these, I would respond, "Let me try."

There were doubts but she held on to self-belief and hope.

This was not the first time that Kentice was making an unconventional decision. When she decided to enroll in a management course while working for an international organisation as a research technician, many quarters poked at her move. "Then science was the "it" thing and they wondered why I wanted to leave a well-paying field for management. But, it is in my personality. When something becomes routine I get bored. I have been a researcher, dean of students, public relations officer and here I am— running a consultancy firm and a football federation," offers Kentice who ascribes to author Regina Brett's quote, 'Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.'

For her undergraduate studies, Kentice pursued a degree in education (botany, zoology) then her career trajectory changed when she enrolled for a Master's degree in public relations. Currently, she is a doctoral student at the University of Nairobi pursuing climate change and adaptation (policy and communication).

"One of my endeavours as the chair of FKF is to change the perception that football is not a place for intellect. To score and make quick decisions at the pitch you have to be a thinker. We are not doing enough to turn sports into an industry. Together with other members of the team, we are in the process of coming up with a recommendation report," she says.

"How does it feel to be the only woman on the board?" This is a common question I get. There's no disdain because I am a woman but from the very beginning, I set it out that I was not going there as a flower girl. I ask real questions and I walk around with my armour of excellence, honesty, and transparency. Also, when I set out to do something, I give it my level best such that people working around me know my standards.

Kentice Tikolo, 57, during a Personal development training for Wazito players in 2017. She was the then chairman of Wazito FC then. PHOTO| POOL

However, there is an urgent need to bring women who are qualified and sports enthusiasts on board. Here, my background in research comes in handy and I am doing my situational analysis to see the gaps and opportunities in the sports industry and I will rally women to go for them," she offers.

During her four-year term, Kentice is keen on creating a lasting positive impact in sports. "I want someone to look back and say, "You see the positive transformation in the sports industry? There was this board chair....." That will be our story.  BY DAILY NATION