This archive report was first published on 15 May 2020.
Published on May 15, 2020, a Ghanaian midfielder for Gor Mahia, Jackson Owusu, has found himself in a difficult situation in Nairobi, Kenya.
He is being detained in a city hotel due to unpaid bills, which have accumulated to over Sh600,000.
According to Gor Mahia's Organising Secretary Judith Anyango 'Nyangi', the club has pending bills with the hotel, Jimlizer Hotel in Buruburu.
Owusu, who joined Gor Mahia during the January transfer window, has been able to secure a starting position under coach Steven Polack in several matches, including the Mashemeji Derby against AFC Leopards in February.
Polack and Owusu previously worked together at Asante Kotoko in the 2018 season, where they led the team to the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup.
'The Chairman (Ambrose Rachier) has always been promising to come on a number of occasions to assist me but he has not been here. I am not allowed to leave with anything out of the hotel until there is a commitment from the club that the money will be paid. As at now, I don't know when this will happen,' said Owusu.
He revealed that the issue has caused concern for his poor parents in Ghana, who are worried about his situation in a foreign land.
His parents, who live in Kumasi, have been forced to travel to Accra to send him money, and Owusu has been surviving on a single meal a day.
Some fans have shown kindness by bringing him food, and he is grateful for their support.
Reacting to the issue, Gor Mahia's Deputy Secretary General Ronald Ngala asked Owusu to be patient, saying the issue will be handled by the club.
However, a source at the club revealed that it was unclear how Owusu was still staying in the hotel, given that fellow foreign players David Mapigano and Juma Balinya are living in rental houses.
Former K'Ogalo player Yikpe Ghislain and Francis Afriye, who play for Yanga SC and Township Rollers in Botswana, respectively, also lived in rental houses provided by the club.
Gor Mahia's Organising Secretary Judith Anyango has called on fans to help raise Sh40,000 to assist Owusu in renting a house if the efforts to assist him leave the hotel are successful.
