This archive report was first published on 10 September 2019.
On Monday, Sports PS Kirimi Kaberia revealed that the government has no money to fund Gor Mahia's trip to Algeria, citing the Sports Act as the reason for the club's request being declined.
According to Kaberia, the Ministry of Sports does not budget for funds to cater for such travels, and the club should have followed the due process to get funding from the sports fund through the Football Kenya Federation.
"The Ministry has no money and Gor Mahia management should have written to us through the federation to get money from the sports fund instead of the ministry itself," Kaberia said.
As a result, Gor Mahia's 30-member delegation, including players and officials, may not be able to travel to Algeria for the first round Caf Champions League tie against USM Algiers, whose return leg will be in Nairobi in a fortnight.
The club had requested the Ministry of Sports to facilitate their travel in a letter dated August 30, but the request has fallen through. The delegation was set to depart for Algeria on Thursday, but now that is in jeopardy unless the club can find tickets elsewhere.
The current situation is further complicated by the fact that the club's sponsor, Sportpesa, is yet to return to business even after Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) issued a statement that it had complied with the tax obligation last week.
