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Muhoroni: Kenya Premier League hotbed of impunity?

Kiambu
 Muhoroni Youth FC Players are prayed for by the Voice of Salvation Bishops

Muhoroni Youth FC did not restrain their supporters from beating Western Stima chairman Laban Jobita during a Kenyan Premier League (KPL) match on April 25, 2015 at Muhoroni Stadium, the Independent Disciplinary and Complaints Committee (IDCC) has ruled.

In a May 22 ruling, the KPL tribunal formed to resolve football disputes says Muhoroni Youth fans assaulted some Stima officials, stole and damaged property worth hundreds of thousands of shillings. Consequently, Muhoroni were ordered to pay Sh 124,000 in damages to Stima for lost and damaged property and an additional fine of Sh 200,000 to KPL.

The ruling came after Stima filed an official complaint with league managers KPL who then instituted a legal proceedings to ascertain whether Muhoroni Youth FC breached Kenyan Football rules.

Jobita told IDCC that on that fateful day, he arrived for the match at 1.12 pm when the game was in progress and was directed by Muhoroni stewards to the VIP Section where other club officials were seated.

But Jobita said by the time he was taking a seat, there was already tension and Muhoroni fans at the VIP dais were splashing water and throwing stones at Stima officials.

Jobita further alleged that the Muhoroni fans were also directing unprintable insults at Stima officials and fans in the presence of Muhoroni Youth FC chairman Moses Adagala who was seated at a different end of the dais.

Jobita told the tribunal that when efforts to get Adagala to intervene failed, he decided to record the melee on his iPad. Jobita further stated that when Muhoroni fans noticed that he was filming, they (fans) even became more hostile and one of them, a man he recognised as George Odhiambo Onyango (aka Jojo), went over and knocked his iPad to the ground.

Jobita narrated that while he was struggling to retrieve his iPad, Jojo wrestled him to the ground as Stadia stewards tried to grab the iPad instead of restraining the attacker. This caused a commotion that made members of the Muhoroni team’s technical bench to run into the field of play.

The tribunal was told that as the scuffle ensued, some of the Muhoroni Youth players ran to rescue their officials causing the match to be halted in the 35th minute for about 10 Minutes. Adagala allegedly went to Jobita accusing him of inciting the fans and threatening that if the match was abandoned, Jobita would bear the consequences.

IDCC was told that the match commissioner asked for increased security and the OCS who was present brought in more officers. But when Jobita pointed out Jojo as the person who had attacked him to Muhoroni officials and the OCS, nothing was done yet Jojo was close by.

A section of the report reads: “The OCS however said the match should go on. The Matchcom also talked to Mr Jobita and at that point Mr Adagala warned that if the match was abandoned Mr. Jobita would not leave the stadium alive.” The Respondent, Muhoroni Youth, in their filed response to the tribunal, denied any wrong doing terming the allegations by Stima as malicious. Muhoroni in their written response accused Jobita of engineering trouble ‘by provocation with evil intent’.

Appearing on behalf of the accused, James Orundu, the Chief Executive Officer, Muhoroni Youth FC dismissed the video clip from the iPad stating that the recordings played only showed shouts and noises without any evidence of assault, loss of property or other personal effects.

“As regards the damage to the iPad and claim for lost items, there is nothing to show they were damaged or lost then. There was no inventory of property taken when accessing the venue, and so there can be no evidence of loss or damage to property,” Omondi told IDCC

Omondi confirmed that he knew Jojo as a fan and not he was neither a steward nor was he Adagala’s driver as earlier alleged by Stima. Omondi further reiterated that Muhoroni Stadium is in compliance of set safety standards since joining the KPL League in 2012.

“The Safety & Security Committee (Chaired by none other than Mr. Jobita in their zone) have inspected it and approved it as fit for KPL matches save matches designated as “high risk” matches such as the ones involving AFC Leopards,”

In their ruling, IDCC states that Jobita sustained bodily injuries, sought medication for the same and provided a treatment sheet to confirm the same while Omondi also sustained bodily injuries, especially to his right elbow.

IDCC further lists the complainants’ destroyed or lost items as: iPad (Apple 2) valued at Sh 83,000, wrist watch valued at Sh2,500, money in cash Sh15,000 spectacles broken valued at Sh12,000/, lost phone (Nokia C3) valued at Sh 12,000 and a Samsung phone screen.

But Stima raised issue with the safety status of the Muhoroni Stadium stating that the edge of the spectator, VIP stand is way too close to the technical bench and pauses a challenge to the visiting teams’ technical staff and substitutes and could be a possible security challenge to visiting teams. Stima also raised concerns with the manner in which the match Commissar and the security personnel responded to the situation and complaints on the material day saying they felt unprotected.

The Committee also slapped George Odhiambo Onyango akaJojo with a one year a ban from ALL KPL Matches and ordered Muhoroni Youth to co-operate with KPL, and other Clubs or Security teams to ensure adherence to this Order.

 

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