This archive report was first published on 18 April 2020.
On April 18, 2020, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) clarified the reason behind the delayed payment of winning bonuses to national football team players after Kenya's 3-2 win against Tanzania at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
The federation explained that it had not included the money meant for paying bonuses in the budget it presented to the government prior to the tournament.
FKF Chief Executive Officer Barry Otieno stated that his office had not received the Sh31.5 million promised to all teams that finished in third place at the group stage of 2019 Afcon by the Confederation of African Football (Caf).
“The only money we received from Caf was Sh26 million, which we used to cover our operational costs. We are yet to receive any more money from Caf,” Otieno said.
According to Otieno, the federation had sent numerous letters to Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed reminding her of the ministry’s agreement to pay the national team players Sh10 million for every win recorded during the tournament.
However, Otieno did not provide any proof of whether or not Amina received the said letters or her response.
Former FKF president Sam Nyamweya has criticized the federation, stating that it was time they provided tangible answers to Kenyans about their expenditure of public resources.
“It is a shame that players who sacrificed their energies to represent the country are yet to be paid, yet the federation had all the money to airlift and pay its NEC and branch officials per diem while in Egypt,” Nyamweya said.
