Mara Sugar head coach Benedict Wanjala has revealed that his long-term love for the Millers is what made him pick the project over others that were presented at the table.Wanjala joined the Sugar Men at the start of the year from the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Division Two outfit Administration Police. At the time, the club was struggling and almost dropped out of contention for the FKF Premier League.Fast forward to today, and the Millers are not only on top of the table with a four-point lead but also unbeaten in nine league games, with seven matches to the conclusion of the campaign.In an exclusive interview with Mozzart Sport, the gaffer, who has had stints with several teams in the lower leagues, among them Mwatate United, Chemilil Youth, APS Bomet and Mombasa Elite, disclosed that he was a secret admirer of Mara project and when the chance to join them came, he could not think twice.##NAJAVA_MECA_8101351##Wanjala was tipped to take over another National Super League (NSL) side, Mully Children Family FC (MCF), who at the time were experiencing a rough patch with Robert Orangi at the helm.“I was keen to work with Mara because I have interracted with most of the players before and and some passed through my hands at Chemilil Youth, others at high school level in Chemase and Awasi, so I understood them,” started Wanjala.“The Mara set up was appealing and created the belief that we could achieve our objectives together,” he added.On why he declined the MCF project when all pointed at him taking over from Orangi after appearing a couple of times with the team in their league matches, the youthful expert said:“A lot was said when I picked the millers, but the truth is, I did not make the move with monetary gain in mind. Money-wise, MCF was offering a better deal than Mara, and again, I had an active contract with Administration Police (Division Two) which I couldn’t go against it,” said the 2020-2021 NSL Coach of the Year, runner-up with APS Bomet.Date with destiny for MOFA and Fortune Sacco as playoff date is setThe soft-spoken coach is not new to promotion and survival battles, having previously elevated Mwatate United from the third tier to the second division before securing APS’s NSL survival in the 2019/2020 season and making them promotion challengers the following term.However, he has never earned the coveted FKF Premier League ticket in what he termed as the ‘nature of our work’“I came closer to gaining promotion with APS, but I left at the start of the second leg to join Mombasa Elite, leaving the team at the top of the table. No one expected such a move but I had to make a bitter decision because football is a career and Elite offered more.“APS blessed the move, and I was part of the panel that proposed the next coach. It was a missed opportunity, but I am hopeful I can achieve league status with Mara this season,” offered Wanjala.Reflecting on what has made the Sugar Men so formidable under his reins, the gaffer attributed it to developing Reims defender Joseph Okumu at Chemilil Youth, noting that instilling discipline, working with a youthful squad eager to learn, and creating a winning mentality had worked wonders for him.“At Mara, I picked players who had the same goal as us. Young players have a hunger for success and that is what my technical bench looked at. We again brought in players with experience, such as Mike Isabwa and Erick Sinje, because we knew at some point we would need them, and already we had felt the impact of the pair,” he concluded.The Narok-based club currently sit at the top of the table with 68 points from 31 rounds and will have a chance to cross the 70-point mark on Sunday when they host Rainbow at Awendo Green StadiumSakaja proud of Dandora Stadium’s impact months after completion
