FKF probe: Sports CS to appear before Senate committee

Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed is expected to appear before the Senate Committee for Labour and Social Services Thursday morning to explain the challenges facing Kenyan football and remedies formulated by the government.

Her appearance before the Johnson Sakaja-led Committee will be virtual.

Amina is also expected to shed light on the ministry’s expenditure on the national men’s and women’s football teams.

The CS will also respond to claims of a relationship breakdown between her ministry and the Football Kenya Federation (FKF), plus the scope of an audit she recently instructed the Sports Registrar to conduct on the federation.

The federation has claimed the probe is victimizing them with FKF boss Nick Mwendwa further charging that Amina was determined to kick him out of office.

Amina's summons by the Senate, which was pushed back by a week on her request, come after concerns by Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Junior on the floor of the house over the nature of the probe.

Kilonzo suggested the audit on FKF was “impromptu” and thus inappropriate as it was being conducted by a number of agencies including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and National Intelligence Service (NIS).

Nation Sport has established the inspection team handed in their report to the Sports CS earlier this week.

On Tuesday, Mwendwa again accused Amina's office of consistently delaying funding for the national teams, with the Harambee Stars contingent currently in Kampala for the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifier against the Uganda Cranes, the latest team to be affected.

“The ticket (Micheal Olunga’s) used to travel to Nairobi has not been paid for. We sent a request to the government for funding a month ago and sent a reminder last week but there has not been any response. We've had to talk to partners and service providers to extend their services on credit,” said Mwendwa.

The beleaguered football boss spoke at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Nairobi during a dinner send-off for the team organized by sponsors Mozzart Bet.

Amina’s move to conduct an audit on FKF has received the backing of other sports bodies including the Kenya Cycling Federation (KCF), Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF), Kenya Taa Moo-Doo Federation (KTMF), Kenya Rugby Union (KRU), and Kenya Weightlifting Federation (KWF).

“'Since Covid-19 affected sports, the Ministry of Sports has helped out athletes both financially and medically by providing support and vaccination,” said KRU chairman Oduor Gangla.

The Sports Cabinet Secretary has maintained her silence since she ordered the probe a few weeks ago.

[email protected]