This archive report was first published on 31 October 2019.
On October 31, 2019, a group of auctioneers arrived unannounced at the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) secretariat in Nairobi, carting away property worth millions of shillings.
The auctioneers were representing a client seeking to recover a Sh4 million debt extended to the Union, according to Nairobi News.
KRU chairman Gangla Oduor confirmed the debt and the incident, explaining that the debt had accumulated for services rendered to the men's national sevens rugby team in its preparations for international assignments.
"It is an old debt. The incident is unfortunate but there is nothing we could do," Oduor said. "We at times access some of these facilities on credit and when the government does not pay on time, we encounter such incidents."
Multiple sources told Nairobi News that the Sh4 million debt had ballooned to Sh10 million after additional charges, including legal fees and interests, were added.
The Kenya Rugby Union owes various suppliers, with an additional Sh75 million debt, according to Oduor. The union had submitted an annual budget of Sh195 million to the government for expenses of four national teams, but less than half of that was approved, and only Sh4 million has been paid.
