Harambee Stars yet to get Afcon winning bonuses
What you need to know:
- FKF insists Sports ministry is responsible for paying players bonuses after beating Tanzania in tournament
- Amina said that as far as she is concerned, there is no money owed to players by her ministry
- Amina’s statement is sure to send jitters within the team’s playing unit, as players have been waiting for the money
Kenyan players who competed in 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament in Egypt are yet to receive winning bonuses for their 3-2 success against Tanzania in a Group 'C' match.
The government funded the team to the tune of Sh244 million for use before and during the tournament last June in Cairo. Football Kenya Federation (FKF), through its CEO Barry Otieno, has stated numerous times that winning bonuses were not factored in the budget.
Otieno said that prior to the match, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed had promised the team Sh10 million if Kenya beat Tanzania. Otieno said that means Amina took up the responsibility of paying the team’s winning bonuses.
“We are still waiting for the ministry to give us that money. However, we acknowledge the unique situation brought about by coronavirus pandemic, and it would be unfair to go to ministry to follow up on this issue when we are faced with this coronavirus threat,” Otieno said on Friday.
But Amina has distanced herself from the claims, saying it is odd for FKF to say this when it had received maximum support from her ministry, including two visits abroad by senior ministry officials and a whopping Sh244 million budget that was to cover the team’s expenses, including winning bonuses.
Amina said that as far as she is concerned, there is no money owed to players by her ministry.
“I know without a shadow of doubt that all the monies requested for the Africa Cup of Nations were paid in full. That allowed our national team, for the first time in many years, to have proper training in France and to play in Madrid before setting foot in Cairo. Nothing was left to chance and nothing was left unpaid.
“It is odd (for the federation to expect the government to pay the winning bonuses). The Sh244 million was dispatched to FKF for Afcon. It was the largest amount to ever be channelled towards any national team,” she said.
Amina’s statement is sure to send jitters within the team’s playing unit, as players have been waiting for the money.
It also brings back the sticky issue of the federation’s expenditure, as FKF president Nick Mwendwa has been hard-pressed to explain how the federation spent the Sh244 million.
Separately, FKF has also requested the ministry to compensate former Harambee Stars coaches Adel Amrouche and Bobby Williamson for wrongful dismissal.
“When we were in Cairo, the federation told us that the winning bonuses would be settled within three months. It has been nine months now and I am beginning to lose hope because every time the captain raises that issue, the federation officials say that they are broke,” said a Harambee Stars player who sought anonymity for fear of victimisation.
“No player has been paid the winning bonus for the Tanzania match. During Afcon, Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed promised the players that they would be given Sh10 million to share among themselves if they won any match, but we have not yet received this amount,” Otieno said in an earlier interview with Nation Sport.
Kenya got Sh31.5 million for finishing third in Group C, and a further Sh26 million for preparations for the tournament. Months before the tournament, FKF also got Sh20 million from betting firm Betin.
However, CEO Barry Otieno now says that Sh20 million from the amount went into administrative costs.
