Mwendwa, Kaberia engage in war of words as football funding crumbles

“I need you to tell me what your problem with football is!”

Those were the stern words of Football Kenya Federation president Nick Mwendwa to Sports Principle Secretary Kirimi Kaberia whom he accused publicly of sabotaging the national football teams.

Mwendwa, who threatened to pull the women’s national team out of the Tokyo Olympics qualifying match set for November 9 against Zambia if he does not receive any funding from the ministry, blamed Kaberia for the financial woes troubling his office, and demanded an explanation from him regarding “why he doesn’t want to support football”.

“It is unfortunate that we have gotten here, but I have to call out the Sports PS because since October last year, we have been waiting for funding from the ministry through the Sports Fund, which is lawfully meant to cater for sports in this country in vain.

“It is frustrating that we are being denied this money yet we have complied with all the requirements.

“The PS never responds to calls or emails, and when he meets national team players, he makes promises that he never bothers to fulfil.

“Now, the women’s national team was meant to report to training today, but we have been forced to call it off because we owe these girls a lot and there is just no money.

“It is so sad that they may fail to make it to the qualifiers just because someone is keeping the requisition documents for funds in his drawer. Today we are asking the PS, what is his problem?” he said.

SWIFT REBUTTAL

Mwendwa was accompanied by his vice president Doris Petra and CEO Barry Otieno, and they all showed up carrying files which contained documents to prove that they have not been given funds.

He was particularly frustrated during the press conference, and twice clashed with journalists who put him to task regarding how he spends millions of shillings from world governing body Fifa, and the OB van which is yet to be delivered two years since it was purchased at a cost of Sh135 million.

But in a swift rebuttal, Sports PS Kaberia told Nation Sport that Mwendwa is “simply being ungrateful,” and is only diverting attention away from the disappeared OB van, millions of funds from Fifa, and the Sh244 million from the government which remains unaccounted until today.

“I think he is just an ungrateful person. FKF has received so much money from the ministry last year and this year. So much more than all the other federations combined. If I show you the documents you will be surprised. We gave them Sh244 million for the Cup of Nations, and this money was to cover their stay in Egypt until the finals.

They came back after the first round, and have never accounted for their expenditure, yet they want more money. That is where the conflict is. And it is not just government money that they are refusing to account for. We have found out that the federation receives a substantial amount of money from Fifa for funding the national team assignments, yet they still come asking for money for the same purpose.

“Recently we all heard about the OB van which remains undelivered. The monies they received from SportPesa and Betin have also never been accounted for. Nobody has heard about it and yet they want more money.

“Let them account fully for the money they have received from government, and practice full disclosure by saying how much money they receive from external sources and sponsors before they can ask for more money,” Kaberia said.

Regarding claims of misappropriation of funds, Mwendwa said: “We are the only federation that is being asked to account for monies given to us, and that we have done, yet still we don’t get any funding from the ministry.”