Report: FKF saddled with Sh383m debt

FKF President Hussein Mohammed makes his remarks during the draw for the delayed 2024 African Nations Championship at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) on January 15, 2025.
What you need to know:
- With the audit exposing deep-rooted financial and administrative flaws, FKF’s new leadership faces an uphill task in cleaning up the federation and restoring credibility.
- The report's recommendations—financial restructuring, HR reforms, legal oversight, and greater investment in women’s and youth football—are seen as crucial steps toward stabilizing Kenyan football.
A new audit report has revealed that the former Football Kenya Federation (FKF) regime left behind a staggering debt of over Sh383 million, raising serious concerns about financial mismanagement.
The audit, conducted by the FKF transition committee, uncovered extensive financial irregularities, including multiple bank accounts with unclear purposes, legal challenges, and an unequal distribution of funds within the federation.
According to the report presented on Wednesday to FKF President Hussein Mohamed at Weston Hotel, Nairobi, the federation’s outstanding payables stood at Sh383,940,846.70 as of December 31, 2024. The debt includes unpaid obligations to external agencies and service providers, which pose a significant financial risk to FKF.
"As of December 31, 2024, FKF’s outstanding payables amount to Sh 383,940,846.70. This includes debts with external agencies and service providers, which pose a significant financial risk to the Federation," the report stated.
The previous FKF leadership, led by Nick Mwendwa (President), Doris Petra (Vice President), and Barry Otieno (Secretary General), is now under scrutiny following the damning audit.
The transition committee, chaired by FKF Vice President MacDonald Mariga with Kerubo Momanyi as Deputy Chairperson, included other National Executive Committee (NEC) members such as Charles Njoka Njagi (Secretary), Bernard Lagat (Upper Rift), Robert Macharia (Central), Ahmedqadar Mohamed Dabar (North Eastern), and Peter ‘Kass Kass’ Kamau.
One of the alarming findings was FKF’s operation of 16 different bank accounts with a lack of transparency, raising concerns about potential financial mismanagement.
Adding to FKF’s financial woes, the federation is embroiled in 21 legal cases linked to election disputes, unpaid legal fees, and contractual matters, further straining its resources.
“These include disputes over previous elections, unpaid legal fees, and other contractual matters. The Federation’s legal costs and the mounting cases present a further strain on its resources,” noted FKF President Hussein Mohamed, who defeated both Petra and Mwendwa in the January 7 elections.
The audit committee has recommended consolidating FKF’s bank accounts, restructuring debts, and conducting a forensic audit to enhance financial accountability. The report also emphasised the need for increased funding for women’s and youth football, which has been severely underfunded compared to men’s football.
"The committee recommends consolidation of FKF’s bank accounts, restructuring its debts, a thorough in-depth forensic audit, and increasing funding for women’s and youth football to ensure equitable development," stated the report.
The report also highlighted severe shortcomings in FKF’s human resource policies. It found that employment contracts lacked security features, were irregularly signed, and had no defined salary grading system, causing pay inconsistencies and dissatisfaction among employees.
“Employment contracts were found to lack basic security features and were irregularly signed, raising concerns over their authenticity. There is no defined salary grading system, causing pay inconsistencies and dissatisfaction among employees,” the report detailed.
Referee bribery, poor pay, and rising cases of match-fixing were also flagged as pressing issues. The committee cited multiple incidents of referees being assaulted, a trend fueled by allegations of bribery.
“The committee has recommended the establishment of clear merit-based promotion policies for referees, a comprehensive code of conduct, and an enhanced focus on training and capacity-building to improve professionalism and initiate a legislative process to address match-fixing in the long term,” the report stated.
To tackle hooliganism, the committee proposed severe penalties for offenders and the creation of a dedicated legal committee to oversee enforcement.
“Collaboration with law enforcement agencies will be critical in addressing these menaces,” the report emphasized.
With the audit exposing deep-rooted financial and administrative flaws, FKF’s new leadership faces an uphill task in cleaning up the federation and restoring credibility. The report's recommendations—financial restructuring, HR reforms, legal oversight, and greater investment in women’s and youth football—are seen as crucial steps toward stabilizing Kenyan football.