Gor Mahia ace Owusu detained in city hotel over Sh600k bill

Imagine you are in a foreign land where there is no activity relating to your profession and your freedom is severely limited.

This is the situation Gor Mahia’s Ghanaian import Jackson Owusu has found himself in. He is trapped in a hotel in Nairobi and his unpaid bills have sky rocketed to Sh600,000. The cancellation of the Kenyan Premier League because of the coronavirus outbreak has aggravated his situation.

The versatile midfielder has been staying at Jimlizer Hotel in Buru Buru. Gor Mahia’s Organising Secretary Judith Anyango ‘Nyangi" confirmed that K’Ogalo owes the hotel over Sh600,000 due to earlier and current pending bills.

Owusu narrated to Nation Sport how he is dead broke and how his pleas to the club management to pay the bills have fallen on deaf ears. He said the club has not responded as fast as he expected.

The Ghanaian import, who joined Gor Mahia during the January transfer window, was able to earn a starting berth under coach Steven Polack. He even featured in the last “Mashemeji” derby against arch-rivals AFC Leopards in February.

Polack and Owusu had earlier worked together when the coach handled Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko during the 2018 season. Polack is revered by the Ghanaian giant’s fans for leading them to the group stages of the Caf Confederation Cup.

"Gor Chairman Ambrose Rachier has been promising to come and assist me but he has not been here. I am not allowed to leave with anything out of the hotel until their is a commitment from the club that the money would be paid. As at now, I don’t know when this will happen," Owusu said.

He said the issue has annoyed his parents in Ghana who are worried about his plight in a foreign land.

"My parents are poor and fully depend on me. They live in Kumasi, many kilometres away from Accra. Circumstances have forced me to reach out to them for help. Because of my condition, my parents travel to town from Kumasi to send me something little to survive on. We have not been paid by the club, therefore, I cannot help them,” Owusu said.

"Sometimes, I only eat one meal a day. I only get the food if the attendant at the hotel is instructed by the manager. Some fans brought me food on Wednesday and I am really grateful for their kind gesture.”

However, a source at Gor Mahia said it is unclear clear how Owusu was still staying in the hotel yet fellow foreign players David Mapigano and Juma Balinya had rented apartments.

"Usually when a foreign player joins Gor, they familiarise themselves with the environment for even a month then after getting their salary they rent houses," a source who sought anonymity said.