The Safaricom Chapa Dimba Western Region boys’ final on Sunday, 27th August at a packed Bukhungu stadium. The contest between Vihiga’s Ebwali Boys and Compel Sportif of Bungoma is finely poised.
After playing out a barren draw in the first half, the game had burst into life early in the second half. Ebwali took the lead two minutes after the restart, and 10 minutes later, centre referee Francina Khamali’s mettle was tested when she had to make a decision on whether to award a penalty to Compel Sportif.
Without any hesitation, Francina pointed to the spot. Prolific striker Titus Gambo would go on to miss the penalty, and Ebwali held on to win the final 1-0.
With no Virtual Assistant Referee (VAR) to turn to, as is the case now in modern football, Francina’s decisions as the woman in the middle are final, and she has to be at the top of her game every time she steps onto the pitch.
As Ebwali Boys celebrated clinching a spot in the national finals and pocketing the KES 250,000 cash prize, Francina was happy that she got the chance to take charge of the boys’ final.
“Officiating the Western Region Safaricom Chapa Dimba boys’ final was an awesome experience. We had just finished a refs’ training, and because the players were speedy and skilled, I was able to apply my recent teachings. I am glad it has gone well,” she said.
In her heyday, the former footballer for perennial school games champions Wiyeta Girls also featured for the national women’s football team, Harambee Starlets. Unfortunately, back then, girls football was not taken seriously in Kenya, and her playing career was nipped due to poor sports administration.
Her lived experience explains why the Kenyan Premier League referee has many kind words for Chapa Dimba’s deliberate quest for inclusivity, “I would like to really appreciate Safaricom Chapa Dimba for uplifting the girl child as equally as the boy child and ensuring gender parity. It is great that when the boys go to Spain, the girls will also go and they can be scouted, selected by teams abroad, and they can earn from their talent, fly Kenya’s flag high and uplift their families.”
Unable to earn a living from her playing career but with her love for football still strong, Francina switched sides, picked up the whistle and became a referee.
She took refereeing courses, learnt informally from other officials, and hang on for the ride, which has not been easy, with many of her peers dropping off along the way.
From humble beginnings officiating in local tournaments and the lower leagues, her perseverance paid off as she steadily rose. Since 2018 Francina has been one of a handful of women centre referees in the country’s top flight men’s league.
“As a woman I feel good when I officiate men’s matches. What a man can do, a woman can also do and do it well,” declares Francina.
In addition to being a referee, Francina is a businesswoman and a mother to a 14-year-old girl, who, like her mother, is a footballer. Coincidentally, Francina attended Wiyeta Girls on a football scholarship, and the same thing has happened to her daughter after her talent was spotted during a football tournament in Kakamega.
Francina’s role model is Mary Njoroge, a FIFA-accredited assistant referee who has been an assistant referee at the last two FIFA Women’s World Cups as well as at the Tokyo Olympics.
History was made in Qatar 2022 when three female referees, among them Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga, officiated at a men’s FIFA World Cup for the first time.
It has given Francina a reason to believe she can also do it: “My dream is to officiate internationally. I want to be a FIFA-accredited referee.”
