Kaberia urges corporates to embrace sports sponsorship

What you need to know:

  • Kaberia also stressed the government was committed to improving the standards of football in the country
  • SportPesa has in the past five years pumped in almost a billion shillings into football sponsorships and development
  • Struggling K'Ogalo always relies on the Ministry of Sports for air tickets so as to honour continental assignments

Sports Principal Secretary Kirimi Kaberia has called on corporates to take advantage of the tax rebate on sports sponsorships to form partnerships with football clubs.

The Finance Act 2016 added funding of sports in the list of items that are tax-deductible.

Kaberia also stressed the government was committed to improving the standards of football in the country despite genuine concerns to the contrary from stakeholders including SportPesa Chief Executive Ronald Karauri and youthful politician Edwin Sifuna.

"The government has provided tax incentives for corporates to sponsor sports, including football," Kaberia told Nation Sport.

"Also, we (the government) are negotiating with local and international academies and clubs to establish units in various parts of the country."

But Karauri suggested the government was 'wasting taxpayers money' by only supporting Kenya Premier League champions Gor Mahia at a time virtually all professional football clubs in the country are struggling to make ends meet.

Struggling K'Ogalo always relies on the Ministry of Sports for air tickets so as to honour continental assignments.

"I hope the news of (national women football team) Harambee Starlets breaking camp due to lack of funding was fake. What they (government) should do is make a conducive environment for corporates to support sport and thus build from the grassroots," added Karauri.

SportPesa has in the past five years pumped in almost a billion shillings into football sponsorships and development but the betting firm recently terminated all these partnerships, fired 400 employees and closed shop citing a hostile environment.

And Sifuna has called for a change in the laws so as to allow equity control and foreign investments in football.

"Kenyan football is suffering and some of us who love this game are disappointed," the ODM secretary-general said while gracing a fundraiser in aid of AFC Leopards.

"It appears we (the clubs) depend so much on government. What can we do to make things better? I am happy our (Senate) Speaker (Kenneth Lusaka) is here. Can we start buying shares in these clubs so that we Leopards lose a football match we are all disappointed? Should we change the rules and allow foreign investors like is happening at Manchester City?"

About Sh2.7 million was realized at Leopards' fundraiser with Deputy President William Ruto donating a million shillings while Lusaka, opposition leader Raila Odinga and Sifuna each gave Sh300,000, Sh100,00 and Sh50,000 respectively.

Meanwhile, SportPesa's departure left a Sh200 million hole in football's annual budget. This in turn led to teams failing to honour league matches and concerns that both the Kenyan Premier League and domestic cup matches may not be competitive, or played at all.

The second-tier National Super League clubs have not been spared by this financial turmoil, with Northern Wanderers the latest team to close shop.