This archive report was first published on 19 July 2020.
On July 19, 2020, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa announced a five-year sponsorship deal with Nigerian betting firm BetKing worth Sh1.2 billion to sponsor the Kenyan Premier League.
Under the deal, each KPL club will receive Sh8 million per season, and a meeting of all league club chairmen has been called to explain the finer details of the sponsorship.
However, SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri has criticized Mwendwa for ignoring local betting companies, saying it is a vote-hunting tactic ahead of the upcoming elections.
“FKF, even if it’s looking for votes, shouldn’t you have considered Betika or Odibet or any of the other 100 per cent licensed Kenyan companies?” Karauri tweeted.
Notably, Karauri's company had previously signed a sponsorship deal with the KPL before exiting the country in August 2020 due to a disagreement with the government over taxation.
FKF president Nick Mwendwa responded to Karauri's criticism, pointing out that SportPesa has also sponsored foreign clubs in deals worth billions of shillings.
“Not a fair comment Captain! Coming from you and knowing that football supported you even when you went outside and sponsored others for more than Kenya,” Mwendwa replied.
