This archive report was first published on 21 August 2019.
Kenya Power's involvement in football in the Coast region has taken a dramatic turn, with a dispute over the ownership of Coast Stima F.C. emerging in Mombasa. The controversy began in 2014 when Kenya Power signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Coast United F.C. to merge their teams.
The merger aimed to enable Kenya Power to have a football team in the top league in the Coast region, similar to Nairobi Stima and Western Stima. According to the agreement, Kenya Power would provide financial sponsorship and take charge of the management, while Coast United would be responsible for the technical bench.
However, the four-year merger started showing cracks when the club kicked Yahya Hassan from the technical bench last year and Kenya Power terminated the MoU altogether through a letter written to Coast United chairman on July 19, 2019.
Coast United officials have accused Kenya Power of terminating the MoU without following the proper procedures. They have vowed to use all sporting and legal channels to reclaim their team, saying the action taken by Kenya Power negates efforts to promote football in the country.
FKF Acting Chief Executive Officer Barry Otieno confirmed that the Club had written to the body, saying the matter will soon be heard by the Arbitration Committee.
Coast Stima F.C. Chairman David Opiyo dismissed the allegations, saying the MoU was terminated within the stipulated conditions due to unrealistic demands towards running of Coast Stima F.C.
