Match-fixing rife in Kenya and not for the commonly known reasons

The most famous match-fixing incident in Kenya, to my memory, is the Kenyan Premier League fixture involving Mumias Sugar against Kisumu All Stars in the 1999 season.

Going into the final round of matches, Mumias Sugar and Tusker were locked in a neck-and-neck race for the league title with AFC Leopards and Shabana snapping hungrily at their heels.

As usual, the league programme was one chaotic affair, as has been the hallmark of this competition at the hands of the federation, with several match results suspended pending hearings, clubs temporarily included in the league or out of it pending boardroom decisions, some teams way behind in fixtures played and others way ahead. In other words, chaos.

And so it reached a climax on the official last weekend of that 1999 season with Tusker leading the table on 70 points and Mumias Sugar second, on 69 points but with a game in hand.

Here is where things got interesting. Tusker duly dispatched Oserian 1-0 at Naivasha courtesy of a strike by Kenya international John Muiruri while Mumias were held to a 0-0 draw by Eldoret FC at Kipchoge Keino Stadium.

It meant Mumias knew exactly the margin of win they needed – seven, in their last fixture versus Kisumu All Stars, slated for the next day to beat Tusker on goal difference. A highly unlikely possibility.

Sunday Nation of November 28, 1999 even proclaimed: “Tusker new league champs”. But Mumias went on to win 10-0, with goals from the accomplished Charles Kimuyu, Mark Sirengo, Abiud Ayuku, Athanus Amache and player-coach Nick Yakhama enough to overturn their goal difference deficit against Tusker and romp to the top of the league table.

“Mumias Sugar FC do the impossible,” Nation Sport splash breathlessly pronounced.

Five days later, Kenya Football Federation announced they had found Mumias and All Stars guilty of match-fixing. Tusker were declared winners and Mumias suspended, only for the ban to be rescinded.

Over the years, there have been allegations of match-fixing in our top league, particularly latterly, and with the proliferation of betting.

Accusations have been levelled at players for throwing away matches for a dime, of fixers influencing outcome of matches for illegal financial gain – read betting.

To many people’s mind, match-fixing only involves inducing players to throw away a match. That is certainly not the case.

I should have written on this topic a year ago following the publication by the Council of Europe, the continent’s leading human rights organisation, of a typology of sports manipulation.

An international group working under the auspices of the Council concluded match-fixing is much more than fixers paying a player or a referee to secure a particular outcome.

The group identified three main types of sporting manipulation. One, direct interference in the natural course of a sporting event or competition, such as manipulation by individuals involved in the event. Sounds familiar.

Two, modification of an athlete’s identity or personal information in order to influence the natural course or outcome of a sports competition, such as personal data, physical characteristics and mental or physical capabilities. Age cheats and the like.

Three, modification that is non-compliant with criminal laws or sport rules relating to playing surfaces, equipment, athlete physiology and/or a sporting venue.

The third category had my curiosity lights bright and beeping red. How many times have visiting teams complained of poor reception by their hosts and use of dirty tactics? Finding the visitors’ dressing rooms in shambolic state and practically unfit for use is a typical example.

Visiting teams are deliberately delayed at the entrance just to rattle and spook them. “The key to the gate is lost, we are searching for it”, “the person with the key cannot be found”, are some of the “innocent” reasons given.

What of outright intimidation? Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, with their huge following are notorious for that and they care less.

When fans were allowed in stadiums before Covid-19 changed things last year, the two clubs would often fail to provide adequate security by design or otherwise, in order to scare the opponent.

Imagine being a visiting player with hostile home fans, let loose by your host, at arm’s length threatening to pounce on you. Is that not a form of sporting manipulation?

The zealot fans even go to the extent of thoroughly intimidating match officials to rule in their team’s favour. What a way to manipulate a result.

I played my college rugby with JKUAT’s famous Cougars RFC. Our home pitch, situated at the varsity grounds, was not for the faint-hearted. One part of the surface was partially marram and green grass was a rumour. Visiting players were always hesitant to engage on that surface while we took to it like fish to water.

I do not remember us ever losing a game there, repeatedly thumping many a scared team. If I think back, this was certainly a sporting manipulation, albeit committed unknowingly.

Perhaps if we had more quality stadiums in Kenya, at least part of this kind of match-fixing will be eradicated. President Jomo Kenyatta never built any world-class stadium.

President Daniel Moi left us with Nyayo National Stadium and Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani that remain, to date, our two top most sports facilities.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto promised the country five ultra-modern stadiums but no single one has been built eight years later. 

The dynamic duo certainly engaged in a form of manipulation whose discussion is not within the scope of this column.

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