Opening Day: Speech of our MD

Our MD Lukas Mott during his speech on the Opening Day of Acakoro Campus.

When a Dream comes true

"Nothing quite prepares you for the moment when a dream steps out of your head and into the dust. When your dream is no longer an idea on paper, but a piece of land that needs clearing, a budget that doesn’t add up, a wall that won’t hold.

The Acakoro Campus was never meant to be easy. It wasn’t built for show. It was built to secure Acakoro and all it’s positive impact for future generations.

In Nairobi’s Korogocho slum, we had seen what football could do: it could pull a child off the street, into school, into confidence, into a better version of themselves. We had also seen the challenges that jeopardize the good work that happens in our Nairobi project. When I was joining Acakoro in 2021 amongst my many tasks there was one subtask that I should come up with a concept on how to improve the pitch, that we hire in Nairobi.

Soon it was clear that we needed more than a pitch. The vision became bigger and bigger. We chose a holistic approach in combining school, housing of students and sport - the first ones in the East African region to do so.

And so, a team of fellow dreamers came together. With the help of our Austrian friends, we raised funds to invest into the future of our organization. Homa Bay, on the shores of Lake Victoria, became the setting for something new due to the unwavering support of Her Excellency Governor Gladys Wanga. Without her, we would not have made it and therefore I am very grateful.

Our vision: A safe space with dormitories, classrooms, and football fields - where children can grow up in peace. But dreams don't pour concrete. They don’t withstand floods, or unserious contractors, or rising costs. El Niño washed away months of progress in 2024. We doubted. We adjusted. But we kept going.

At the height of the construction period over 80 people, mostly from the local community, have been employed daily. During our startup or soft opening phase since August we have created 10 new jobs that were not there before – teachers, chefs, security guards, maintenance workers, etc. I am proud to report that over 60% of these jobs went to the local community. At the end of the school year, we prepare ourselves to receive more student-athletes from all over the country but most importantly also from within the community. We have already started our selection process aimed at children from Kanyamwa. I am thrilled to announce that we have already identified one boy, who will receive a full scholarship at our academy – please stand up, Moses (Surname).

As our organization will grow here, the number of students, employees and suppliers will grow. I am looking forward to a mutual beneficial relationship between the local community and our organization. Since the first kids joined from Nairobi, they have added so much weight, because the food and life are so much better here.

Besides being a school, we are also a talent hub. You can see it for yourself later at the exhibition match, but believe me, you won’t see such a good U11 team anywhere in Africa. Our teams will proudly present the County of Endless Potential around the world and will make this community proud.

I hope that you enjoy your day at our Campus, and I am looking forward to get to know you all personally during the exhibition match.

Even though the road we’ve walked was long and sometimes hard I am proud of and grateful to my team and anyone who was involved of making this a success – now is not the end, a lot of work lays ahead of us and the future is just beginning to shape."

Lukas Mott, MSc

24.09.2025