Female journalists covering Football Kenya Federation (FKF) matches find themselves working in hostile environments where their safety, dignity, and professional integrity are compromised by those meant to keep order.
Football is the most popular sport in the world but its unpopular when to women seeking to further sports journalism careers reporting on the sport.
For female sports journalists in Kenya, it has remained to be a pipe dream in actively providing coverage to the sport given the resistance that they face in the field.
Female journalists have been restricted from accessing the players and even the pitch and in some instances faced the wrath or harassment from these teams stewards or security when on the line of duty.
They are not intimidated because of sexism reasons but by superstitions within the main tribes that support these teams that women bring a bad omen or bad luck and should not be near the men’s team players when preparing for a match.
This has ended up with the female journalists not being allowed near the players for interviews, even physically shaking a handshake with any of the or passing in front or behind the squad when they are walking to the pitch or dressing room.
Since the movements of female journalists are restricted and it’s usually hard for a female journalist to take shots.
One such incident that resonated with the malpractice was the experience of a Kenyan female sports journalist Ruckiel Odikor popularly known as Rix in the media circles, the spirited face behind the popular online magazine Sports Eye, was barred from a football matchentrance due to superstitions about women bringing a bad omen.
She was barred from accessing the match venue of a Football Kenya Federation Premier League (FKF-PL) fixture between AFC Leopards and Muhoroni Youth at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi.
“So I’ve come for the AFC Leopards vs Muhoroni Match here at Kasarani and am being told I cannot use the main entrance because am a “woman” eti “nitaleta mikosi kwa team” spoke in Kenya’s national language Swahili (I will bring to the team misfortune) Sad Sad Sad,” said Rix.
A female sports photographer identified as Yasmin (The Passion Press ) was subjected to discrimination and unfair scrutiny by ground security guards during a Kenya Women’s Premier League (KWPL) match between Kayole Starlets and Shabana Starlets at the Dandora Stadium, despite having valid media credentials .
“The Sports Journalists Association strongly condemns the physical handling and intimidation directed at our members in the course of duty. This statement therefore serves not only as a response to a single incident but as a broader advisory on media safety across all sporting events in Kenya. “the statement from SJAK read.
The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Hussein Mohammed pointed to a structural flaw in how match-day security is deployed.
While the federation frequently conducts training workshops for stewards and law enforcement, high turnover rates consistently wipe out those gains.
“The challenge we have is that we do training sessions, but the people who train are not consistently with the league or the federation for a long period of time,” Hussein said.
Kenya’s pioneer female sports journalist Eileen Kimutai was surprised that in this generation that women providing coverage for football matches were still facing restrictions that she faced in the 1970s and in the 80s.
“In my days as a young journalist in the1970s and in the 80s, I was usually not assigned to cover football matches especially those involving the country’s traditional giants AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia, as there security teams never allowed me to access the stadium or even their training grounds,” she said.
According to a research conducted by newswire.co.ke, the participants reported that in most cases, footballers, fans, coaches rarely agree to be interviewed by women.
“For instance, when covering a football match, soon after the match or during halftime, footballers go to the restrictive locker room.
“As a female floor manager in sports, it has become challenging for me to arrange interviews since accessing the locker room is difficult for women,” said Rebecca Maria.
This lack of support from sources and fans not only hampers the quality of their reporting but also perpetuates a cycle of dependence on established male journalists, exacerbating the already existing disparities in sports journalism.
“Not only in entering the locker room, but Maria also added that there is significant gatekeeping within the industry that keeps female sports journalists in Kenya reliant on their male colleagues:
“If men do not accompany you, you will find it challenging to obtain the story. This reliance on male companionship creates a dependency that, in my opinion, needs to be addressed,” said Maximilla Wafula of County News.
The Sports Journalists Association (SJAK) has been engaging the football federation in finding ways of having the women scribes being accepted and accommodated in providing coverage to soccer in the country.
SJAK president James Waindi says it’s a thorny issue in trying to break the barriers which are deep-rooted in tradition, belief, and culture.
“It highlights an intriguing dichotomy present in Africa in relation to football. While on one hand, the sport has seen rapid modernization with advanced training facilities, strict dietary regimes, and a high level of professionalism, on the other, it remains deeply connected to its traditional roots and beliefs,” he said.
African football is a fascinating blend of raw talent, passion, tradition, and at times, age-old superstitions. The game, known globally for uniting people, has intricacies that sometimes bring unforeseen challenges for those who love it.
Journalism is not a crime, and a sports venue must never become a place of fear for accredited media professionals but going into the future if no action is taken, then there will be no women covering football in the country.
