UNFOLDING Kenya Rugby Union crisis requires smart actions, tough choices

 

These are tough times for the Kenya Rugby Union.

From the heady days of the sevens national team matching the likes of New Zealand and Fiji, the Gold Coast Sevens IRB tournament, last weekend, showed how far the team has sunk, with a players’ revolt threatening to undo all the hard work previous technical benches have done to bring the team where they are today.

At the administrative level, the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) is faced with some serious allegations, including fraud, internal bickering amongst board members, along with threats by sponsors to pull out.

According to Sports News Arena, which is run by renowned rugby journalist Fred Ollows, the crisis has reached a point where the Patron’s Society, a watchdog for Kenya Rugby, has had to step in and has called a crisis meeting for Monday at the union’s headquarters on Ngong’ Road from 12pm.

Four directors are mentioned in a leaked document for their lack of conduct and fraud allegations.

Here is the document that I received – with some spelling corrections for purposes of this article (I have removed names of those implicated until the matters are discussed at the meeting):

SUMMARY OF COMMENTS BY SPONSORS IN RELATION TO KRU

A. Conflict of interest

1. Samurai national team kit

a. Lack of full disclosure by a director of extent of his interest
b. Perception that the deal is not best value for money

2. Safaricom 7s – Procurement of airline tickets for visiting teams

a. Tickets worth tens of millions (Ksh) procured outside of the established KRU channels

3. Safaricom 7s – Accommodation of match officials and VIPs

a. Hotel procured outside of the official KRU hotels, Sarova Stanley & Sarova Panafric
b. Allegations of attempted fraud by inflated billing

4. Safaricom 7s – Accreditation badges

a. Badges procured outside of the established KRU channels
b. Billing exceeded cost of procurement of match tickets by a wide margin
c. Allegations of attempted fraud by inflated billing through a proxy company despite dealing directly with the producers of the badges

5. Safaricom 7s– After match dinner at a leading restaurant

a. Event organised in partnership with a rival beer company to the official beer partners Tusker.
b. Embarrassment caused the cancellation of the event.

6. Safaricom 7s – Bars at the village

a. Allegations that the four bars were procured by or on behalf of four directors

7. Safaricom 7s – Security fencing at the villages

a. Allegations that barbed wire fencing was hired at rates in excess of outright purchase from the market

B. Bringing the game into disrepute

1.Bamburi Rugby Super Series – Transition

a. No proper hand-over of organising committee chair from Jack Okoth to Phillip Jalang’o, leading to a breakdown in previously agreed protocols.
b. Agreed mode of handling communication with media not followed.

2.Bamburi Rugby Super Series – Round 1 – Kampala, Uganda

a. KRU officials late to the tournament forcing Bamburi to take charge
b. KRU demanded from Bamburi passes to the event – rather than the inverse

3. Bamburi Rugby Super Series – ROUND 2 – Kakamega

a. KRU officials in charge of security arrived late, 11am, at the grounds - thereafter forcing everybody out of the grounds for screening.
b. Kakamega County (sponsor)– Unbecoming language directed at county officials during re-entry process.
c. Kakamega County (sponsor) – Governor kept waiting for two hours by late arrival of the team to the county-sponsored after-match dinner.
d. At Bamburi sponsored media briefing – KRU official handed over a Tusker rugby shirt to the governor – all captured by media cameras.

4. Bamburi Rugby Super Series – Bollore Logistics

a. Insulting language directed at MD during final.
b. Promises made to compensate for failed expectations in 2013 event during 2014 not honoured.
c. Further promises to compensate for shortcomings in 2013 and 2014 by provision of a corporate box at Safaricom 7s 2014 also not honoured.
d. Result: Bollore presently not interested in partnership with KRU

5. Safaricom 7s

a. Insults directed at a senior manager of Safaricom at the conclusion of the event.
b. Insults directed at KRU chairman in presence of sponsors.
c. Mishandling of an invitation of the KRU board to a meeting with Safaricom CEO and subsequent dissemination of the invite to social media.

6. Safaricom 7s - Auckland Metro 7s team

a. The blame game played out in the media where finger pointing at lack of control of the situation, the image and reputation of rugby in general, the KRU board in particular.
b. This incident was picked up internationally, including the IRB.

7. Sponsors clash at Safari Sevens

a. Failure to plan and agree, in advance, on all sponsors involved with the two events has resulted in both Safaricom and EABL unhappy.

8. Kenya 7S Team

a. KRU’s handling of the strike action by the Kenya 7s team has been questioned by many, and unfortunately, but rightly, by the team’s main sponsors.

b. Playing out the matter in the media had the effect of negative news association with the sponsor’s brand for a considerable time, and this has, in combination with other negative https://cdn.standardmedia.co.ke/images the KRU has built in the media over the past few months, put the sponsorship by Kenya Airways at risk.

c. Similarly Toyota Kenya, who supports the technical team with a vehicle, have raised concerns.

9. Playing out of board affairs in the public media

a. Contradictory remarks regarding the employment status of Jack Okoth as CEO of KRU.
b. Contradictory remarks regarding the dates of a special general meeting called to discuss proposed constitutional changes.
c. Contradictory remarks regarding communication thanking stakeholders at the conclusion of Safaricom 7s 2014.

10. Governance

a. No clear distinction between the roles of the boardand that of the secretariat
b. Usurping the role of the secretariat
c. No collective responsibility displayed

d. Lack of full disclosure by various directors in dealings with the KRU for personal benefit
e. Allegations of fraudulent activity by some members of the board.
f. Failure to invoke existing mechanisms within the board to tackle errant members.

g. Lack of diplomacy in handling of sponsors

h. Failure to resolve contracts with sponsors that have real or imagined negative implications

I will keep you informed of the developments at the meeting.

––[email protected]


 

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