Mumias may rescue Leopards

AFC Leopards’ hierarchy is hopeful of retaining financial support from Mumias Sugar until the rest of this league season at the very least, ahead of a round-table meeting between the two parties this week.

Leopards’ current financial woes are as a result of the withdrawal of a three-year Sh75 million sponsorship arrangement with the millers, which was entering its final third.

According to documents in our possession, Mumias Sugar initially terminated the contract with the top-flight league club “without prejudice” in March.

The company’s Managing Director, Coutts Otolo, thereafter reconsidered the decision, and instead asked to suspend the Sh2 million monthly payments to the club as per the contractual obligation for three months, a period that lapses on Saturday.

“We head to the negotiations table with them (Mumias) in the coming days hoping for a mutual understanding that will benefit both parties,” Leopards chairman, Allan Kasavuli, told Daily Nation Sport. In Mumias Sugar’s absence, Leopards management has failed to pay its players for the past two months.

The club could face further sanctions or even legal action from other partners such as kit sponsor EDGE East Africa Limited, Kenyan Premier League and Pay TV channel Supersport, owing to separate financial obligations that were agreed upon as a result of Mumias Sugar’s involvement. 

RELYING ON HANDOUTS

The club is in the meantime relying on handouts to remain afloat with former MP Cyrus Jirongo among the latest to hand in a Sh200,000 donation. Leopards have had a rough time lately. On May 13, players were detained at Jambo Village Hotel in Mombasa for close to five hours over unpaid bill.

Their ordeal was however ended by Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho who settled bill.

Last Friday, players staged a sit-in at the Kenya Cinema in Nairobi, where they refused to travel to Kisumu for a league assignment until their demands were met.

They were demanding at least Sh20,000 each from their cumulative monthly salary arrears stretching back three months.

“My family is starving and I haven’t even paid my rent for last month, I badly need the cash else I might even collapse on the pitch,” one of the players told Daily Nation Sport. It took the personal intervention of Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi for the situation to change.

The legislator, through his personal assistant, gave Sh200,000 in cash to be shared equally by the 20 players. The team then left for Mumias on Friday at midday, five hours past the agreed departure time.

“The club’s current administrators lack focus. I am working with some of my friends to secure the team some consistent income but I cannot entrust them to handle those monies,” Wanyonyi said in a telephone interview.

Webuye MP Alfred Sambu also donated Sh12,000 to each player and technical bench member last month.