Mwalala explains what has contributed to KCB's drop in form

KCB head coach Bernard Mwalala has admitted that his side is in a moment of transition after some of his important players left the club following the expiry of their contracts.

The Bankers let go of seven players, including first-choice Harambee Stars goalkeeper Byrne Omondi, defensive midfielder Apollo Otieno and star striker Francis Kahiro following the expiry of their contracts, which effectively weakened his spine.

As a result, KCB have fallen off a cliff in the title race considering they were not too far behind leaders Gor Mahia as little as three weeks ago, but now are practically rebuilding again in the middle of the season.

Following their 0-0 draw with his former employers Ulinzi Stars on Sunday, Mwalala admitted frustration at the fact his side was having to rebuild in order to regain their form, especially considering they suffered a mental setback by being humiliated 5-0 by Tusker a week earlier.

“The spine of my team has been ripped apart. We are talking about losing the goalkeeper, the midfielder and the main striker,” Mwalala told Pulse Sports.

“It has affected us and that is why you saw we have been inconsistent in our two games played so far in 2024.

“We were mentally affected by the 5-0 loss to Tusker if you look at our first half but in the second half, it came back a little bit.”

Mwalala, however, insists there is light at the end of the tunnel especially with the replacements he brought in, who he thinks will adapt quickly to his demands.

“The team is in transition and the cohesion is still not there yet,” Mwalala said.

“The team is a little different to how it was two weeks ago and that is why I am saying the performance will really help us considering we have seven days before we play Muhoroni.

“I am satisfied with the performance of the new players. I saw Francis Oduor at the back who did well, Tiero (Henry Onyango) did well as well as Neto (Collins) and Shadrack (Simiyu).

“Moving forward, I think they will give us something. We have seen what we need to correct with these players so I am hopeful we will produce better results.”