Please pay me my dues now, retired Kenyan boxer cries out
Kenya's boxing team captain Nick Okoth (centre) attends a training session on March 30, 2022 at Mathare Depot Social Hall ahead of the Africa Zone III Boxing Championships scheduled for Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from April 3-11.
What you need to know:
- This year's AFBC Championships took place in Yaounde, Cameroon in August where seven Kenyan boxers claimed bronze medals.
- The championships also had cash rewards where each of the boxers received US$5,000 (Sh710,000).
The 2017 Africa lightweight champion Nick "Commander" Okoth has urged the government to intervene and have Boxing Federation of Kenya (BFK) pay him his cash reward from last year's Africa Boxing Confederation (AFBC) Championships.
Okoth, the 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, said that efforts to get his prize purse of US$ 5,000 (Sh600,000) have fallen on deaf ears with BFK officials taking him and other medallists from the continental event in circles for the last one year.
Okoth said boxers from other countries got their cash rewards including their Ugandan counterparts.
Uganda Boxing Federation president Moses Muhangi confirmed that his boxers received their cash reward in a ceremony on March 3 this year.
"Our counterparts from as far as Botswana have shared with us what they did with the money including buying land and cars among other things. We are still waiting for our cash that we ain't sure we will ever get," said Okoth, 40.
Okoth, the former national boxing team captain, said that he has raised the issue several times with BFK treasurer Benjamin Musa and secretary general David Munuhe.
Musa is the head coach of the national boxing team while Munuhe is his deputy.
"They have come up with so many excuses including asking us to sign papers that we don't understand what they entail," said Okoth.
"Nobody explained to us how that procedure changed," said Okoth in a telephone interview on Thursday
"I am a boxer who rarely complains but this is too much. That is my sweat and I demand to be given my money," said Okoth.
"I am speaking for myself since the rest of the boxers are still in the national team and I am sure they will be victimised," explained Okoth, who hanged his gloves after the continental championships last year.
Okoth, Elizabeth Andiego (heavyweight) and Samuel Njau (featherweight) settled for silver medals in the championships that were held in September 2022 in Maputo, Mozambique.
Boniface Mogunde won bronze in light middleweight.
Medal winners were rewarded with cash for the first time in the history of the championships with Africa Boxing Confederation spending US$500,000 (Sh60 million) in cash rewards.
The gold medallists at the continental event pocketed US$10,000 (Sh1.2 million), silver medallists US$5,000 (Sh600,000) and bronze medallists US$2,500 (Sh300,000).
However, in a statement, Munuhe said there was a problem with international moeny transfer, the source and charges but AFBC has since wired the money to the Federation's account.
"We had similar issues locally with our bank and we have been in constant communication with the boxers concerning the issue," said Munuhe, who failed to disclose when AFBC wired the money.
Munuhe said the boxers will get their cash reward in full but could not to state when.
"We understand it has taken time, but we want to reiterate that they will get their cash reward," explained Munuhe.
This year's AFBC Championships took place in Yaounde, Cameroon in August where seven Kenyan boxers claimed bronze medals.
The championships also had cash rewards where each of the boxers received US$5,000 (Sh710,000).
However, AFBC said that a percentage of the boxers' cash reward would go to their respective national team coaches but failed to specify how much.
