Even as the football activities remain suspended, Ulinzi Stars have every reason to uncork the champagne bottle after their chairman, Erick Oloo, was promoted to the rank of Colonel.
Until his promotion, Oloo was serving in the rank of a Lieutenant Colonel and has been at the helm of the club for the last four years.
He took over from Colonel Juma Mwinyikai in 2016 who was promoted from the rank of Colonel to the rank of Brigadier last year and deployed to other duties.
“We are planning to have a big celebration to thank God for promoting our hardworking chairman who has been instrumental in the many wins Ulinzi Stars have registered in the Kenya Premier League,” said a player at the club who sought anonymity because he is not authorised to speak on such matters.
“With Oloo on the driving seat as our chairman , this year we promise our fans we shall give our best and win the Premier League title,” the player said.
Ulinzi Stars finished the season in fourth position and last won the coveted Kenyan Premier League (KPL) title back-to-back in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
This year, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) ended the league prematurely and crowned reigning champions Gor Mahia the winners.
The soldiers have been using Afraha Stadium in Nakuru as their home ground for the last 16 years after shifting their base from Thika Stadium in 2004.
In 2010, they won the title and received the Team of the Year award in Sportsman of the Year Awards.
In 2011, the armed forces outfit, which was formed 35 years ago after all the Kenya Defence Forces Teams in the domestic leagues were merged, finished runners-up in the KPL Top 8 competition.
The promotion of Oloo was received with joy by the club’s fans, players and members of the technical bench.
A club official said the promotion of Oloo comes at the right time as he has big plans to turn around the club into a winning outfit.
“Watch this space. The Ulinzi Stars you know in the just concluded season will bounce back in a big way as our newly-promoted chairman has promised to revamp the playing unit and this will start immediately Coronavirus is contained,” said the player.
