NAIROBI, Kenya, August 21, 2026 – One of the best coaches to have ever arisen in Kenya is going back to the grassroots to unearth more ‘diamonds’ from the dirt.
For all his glittering CV, former Harambee Stars head coach Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee is not interested in tutoring at the top level, rather his eyes are set at the lower tiers.
Mulee says he wants to identify and produce the ‘next Michael Olunga’ as he did in the case of the Al Arabi hitman.
“Right now, I’m not interested in top-flight football. I am interested to go down to the foundation to be able to develop the young ones in a good way. I can be proud that we produced one of the top players in Michael Olunga, but we still need to produce more and that’s why I’ve said that my work at the top is finished now I’m going down and at least I know the foundation of the player is the most important thing,” the former Tusker FC tactician said.
Borrowing from the words of Arsenal great Arsene Wenger, Mulee wants to help in building world class Kenyan footballers from scratch, by developing a solid foundation.
“If you listen to Wenger talking about development, building a place is like building a house and the foundation is the most important thing. So right now, I’m going back to do a foundation of the players,” the tactician says.
As far as Kenyan football is concerned, Mulee has been there and done that.
He went into annals of history when he led Harambee Stars to the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Tunisia, 12 years after they had last competed in Senegal.
In the local scene, he won three FKF Premier League titles with Tusker (1999, 2000 and 2007) as well as a similar number of crowns at the Cecafa Club Championships.
Mulee was also coach at Rwandese giants APR with who he won the local league.
Comparing how far the local league has come, Mulee cannot help but smiling at the increasing level of competition.
He expects more of the same in 2026/27.
“I am also happy that most of the Premier League coaches have attended this course and they have been empowered with all that knowledge. So, I am expecting also a very competitive season this year,” he says.
Despite ghosting from the upper echelons of Kenyan football, one sure thing is that Mulee’s fingerprints will keep appearing in the next chapter of the game as he gets down to work at the grassroots.
