FKF made a fool of itself with claims on league sponsorship

Ababu Namwamba

Sports CS Ababu Namwamba (left) and FKF president Nick Mwendwa (right) during a meeting at the Maktaba Kuu Building in Nairobi on May 15, 2023.

Photo credit: Pool | Ministry of Sports

What you need to know:

  • Sometimes FKF does give peanuts to the champions and many times they simply don’t give anything and life goes on
  • It is embarrassing that even the trophy that Tusker FC were given the last time they won the title was not even a football trophy, it was a netball trophy
  • Next season, they shall be shamelessly promising a better season in some airy future


A week ago, Football Kenya Federation president, Nick Mwendwa was again in the news. He has taken too long to say anything after a very long while but there he was! He was just about to say something very weighty and we knew it would be weighty and annoying as well.

We knew that from his physical demeanour, from his fidgeting and putting his left hand fingers on his left ear and twisting it involuntarily. He then spoke without any hint of shame. He said: “there shall be no prize money for the FKF Premier League champions this season.” He explained himself with a lot of confidence and without batting an eyelid.

He was at his best throwing all the blame on the past government for having interfered with the running of football in this country. That interference, the president informed Kenyans, made all the sponsors of the league go away and thus there is no money to run the Federation.

It may have come as shock to many Kenyans who are still optimistic. We on the other hand just took it as small news item because we know so well that the prize money issue has been a very irritating one for many years in a row. Sometimes FKF does give peanuts to the champions and many times they simply don’t give anything and life goes on.

Last season, Tusker lifted the trophy and walked home with Sh2million in prize money from the FKF Caretaker Committee. In 2018/19 season, Gor Mahia won the league and were never paid the prize money!

It is embarrassing that even the trophy that Tusker FC were given the last time they won the title was not even a football trophy, it was a netball trophy. The FKF Premier League has no standard trophy. Anything the federation lays its hands upon in the dying moment of the league is awarded to the unhappy winners.

“There’s no money and we won’t reward the league champions this season. We will not have any prize giving, where’s the money going to come from?” our hero asked the journalists.

Then he fell into promises: “But we are packaging something big for the new campaign and these clubs will smile throughout the season. I can’t give details right now…our season will officially run between August and May with broadcasting and sponsorship deals as well as club licensing…”

It is a season of promises right from the national government to the nether authorities and even though the Minister of Sports sounded dismayed by Mwendwa’s announcement, he too was promising a great package next season with his pet incomprehensible Talanta Hela project.

For those who do not wish to get depression, do not take both those people seriously. Next season, they shall be shamelessly promising a better season in some airy future. Let these showbiz kings take time cat walking. They shall one day walk away into the sunset.