Football statistics Irishman Jonathan McKinstry has been hired by the champions of the Kenyan Premier League, Gor Mahia, on a two-year deal.
German coach Andreas Spier, who led K’Ogalo to a top-four finish in the nation’s topflight competition, was replaced by McKinstry at the conclusion of the season.
Ambrose Rachier, the club’s chairman, announced Jonathan McKinstry as the team’s new coach on Friday. “We are thrilled to welcome Jonathan McKinstry as our new coach,” Rachier said.
After club captain Philemon Otieno said that the former Uganda Cranes head coach was leaving for Nairobi, the development happened a few hours later.
Yes, McKinstry is anticipated to arrive in the nation tonight. If all goes as planned, he should join the team for our Monday training session, according to Otieno.
The 37-year-old Uefa Pro License holder, who has previously managed the national sides of Uganda and Rwanda, is making his third trip to East Africa.
After managing the team for 18 months, he parted company with the Uganda Cranes coach in April 2021.
During his tenure, McKinstry led the Cranes to 12 victories, three draws, and three losses. He gained notoriety after leading the East African country to the Cecafa 2019 championship.
However, due to Uganda’s terrible performance at the 2021 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN), where they failed to win a single game, he was requested to go before of two AFCON qualifiers against Burkina Faso and Malawi.
Following his hiring in March 2015, he coached the Rwandan national team, leading them to their first away success in four years with a 1-0 victory against Mozambique in the first round of the 2017 African Nations Cup qualifiers.
When he led Rwanda to top place in Group A of the 2016 CAF African Nations Championship and qualified for the quarterfinals, McKinstry took them to the knockout rounds of a significant tournament for the first time in their history.
However, they were eliminated from the tournament after losing 2-1 to the eventual winners, DR Congo.
Under his leadership, Rwanda defeated Mauritius 5-0 in Kigali to earn their largest victory in the Africa Cup of Nations. McKinstry was fired as head coach in August 2016 despite having just signed a new two-year deal five months earlier.
He previously coached Sierra Leone from April 2013 and September 2014, when he created history by being the youngest coach to ever lead a national team at the age of 27.
He also has a ton of club-level experience, having managed SAIF Sporting Club in Bangladesh from November 2018 to September 2019. Prior to that, he spent a season managing FK Kauno algiris A-Lyga in Lithuania.
