Excitement as Leopards gear up for inaugural Ingwe Awards Gala

AFC Leopards will on Wednesday next week inaugurate club’s first Awards Gala dubbed 'Ingwe Gala Awards,' organised by Unit 45 fans branch.

Club Chairman Dan Shikanda is excited ahead of the event, which he says was inspired by the incredible Ingwe at 60 celebrations earlier this year.

The event will be held in Nairobi, and will focus on five categories: Player of the Season, Fans’ Player of the Season, Players’ Player of the Season, Fan of the Season and the Branch of the season.

"When you see fans joining hands to appreciate the players you know we are heading somewhere. It's a good gesture that has never happened in this country in this particular way. That’s why I’m so happy with this is great move from our U45 branch," he said.

"This is our first Gala and we are delighted to start in a humble way and we are hopeful it will grow to something big and better. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi will be Chief Guest for the event but importantly, we would love to see the players and the fans attending the event.

“This gala is our way of recognizing the heart and soul of our club, our players, and our fans; we welcome everyone to this historic event,” said Shikanda.

According to Olimpiah Musonye, who is the Chair for the U45 Unit Branch, the 2023/24 season was full of challenges, hence the need to celebrate the standout performers.

"Today we are excited to announce our support for the first ever AFC Leopards SC Player Gala. We believe this event marks the beginning of good things for AFC Leopards, our players, our fans and Kenyan football as a whole,” Musonye stated.

“This is the gate to a bigger celebration. As much as it might look small, this is the biggest that can happen now and this journey has just begun. This competition will push us to achieve better results and goals going forward,” he underscored.

Patron Alex Muteshi said the initiative shows the fans' branches are ready to take the team to the next level. 

"This will go a long way in motivating our players and in helping raise the standards of football in our club.  It will also inspire other branches into action, and it will end up giving us a very a formidable team," concluded Muteshi.