Major boost for Cricket Kenya as ICC lifts ban on funding
Manoj Patel casts his vote during the Cricket Kenya elections at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani on February 26,, 2022.
What you need to know:
- Cricket Kenya Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ronald Bukusi told Nation Sport that ICC wired funds to the accounts of the local cricket governing body on Wednesday. Bukusi remained non-committal on the exact amount CK received from ICC.
Efforts to revive cricket in the country received a major boost after the International Cricket Council (ICC) lifted a caveat on funding Cricket Kenya (CK).
Cricket Kenya Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ronald Bukusi told Nation Sport that ICC wired funds to the accounts of the local cricket governing body on Wednesday. Bukusi said he is unsure of the exact amount CK received from ICC because he hadn't checked the accounts yet.
He clarified that the world cricket governing body only released funds for the first quarter of the year, since Kenya is still under the controlled funding programme.
Bukusi explained that Kenya will be under the controlled funding programme until it puts its governance issues in order for a year.
Under controlled funding, ICC only releases money to its members on a quarterly basis.
The member countries are then required to strictly follow the budget that was approved by the world governing body.
“Hopefully within a year, the governance structure will be in place and ICC will lift the controlled funding,” said Bukusi on Thursday.
Owing to leadership wrangles in CK, May 2020 was the last time ICC sent funds to Kenya.
Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed then moved to restore order in Kenya's cricket by appointing a CK Normalisation Committee on March 16, 2021.
Part of the mandate of the committee that was headed by retired judge Joyce Aluoch included drawing a roadmap map to the federation’s new elections.
The elections were held on February 26 last year, with businessman and former player Manoj Patel winning the top seat.
ICC directed the Patel-led body to fill the positions of CEO, Development Director, and Chief Finance Officer (CFO) before they release the funds.
They were filled last December through interviews, with Bukusi, Thomas Odoyo and Nathan Okaka being named the CK’s CEO, Development Director and CFO respectively.
Addressing the press last Thursday, Patel said the delay by ICC to release funds was occasioned by an audit it was conducting on its accounts.
Bukusi said that a huge chunk of the money will go in settling “historical debts” which include delayed salaries and rent arrears.
He estimated the historical debt to consume about Sh30 million.
“Hopefully we can now settle down and focus on playing cricket. Everything now is about developing our game,” he said.
