Produce OB van, Nyamweya dares FKF

Former FKF President Sam Nyamweya reacting on allegations of financial mismanagement of the institution at his offices in Nairobi on Thursday, Feb 8, 2017 [Courtesy]

Former Football Kenya Federation (FKF) boss Sam Nyamweya wants the Nick Mwendwa-led federation probed over an Outside Broadcasting (OB) van, which he says has mysteriously gone missing.

FKF officials have however scoffed at his accusations and dared him to report the matter to police if he has evidence of corruption.

In September 2018, Mwendwa announced that an OB van had been purchased using Development Funds from FIFA, for production of local football matches. Indeed several SportPesa Shield Cup matches were reportedly produced using the van. But after a few weeks, according to Nyamweya, the van went missing without explanation.

Nyamweya now claims the procurement of the van was not above board and that he has ‘confidential reports’ suggesting that FKF could have been involved in a fraudulent deal, which explains why the van has been ‘repossessed’.

In a letter seen by The Nairobian, Nyamweya further explains that the OB van was meant to relieve Kenyan clubs competing in continental tournaments from spending excessive money on filming matches and wants authorities to investigate what went wrong.

Nyamweya wants the Nick Mwendwa-led federation probed over an Outside Broadcasting (OB) van, which he says has mysteriously gone missing [Courtesy]

“My attention has been drawn to confidential reports that an Outside Broadcasting van bought by Football Kenya Federation through funds from world governing body - FIFA, is shrouded in mystery.

“While it is known by the public that the van was bought to ease the burden of hiring production costs during CAF matches involving clubs and the national teams, clubs participating in CAF competitions have continued to suffer huge financial losses in the name of production costs.

“Gor Mahia, for example, has lost a total of Sh8M deducted by CAF last year and are bound to have a similar amount deducted this year as production costs yet the federation spent Sh135 million to purchase production equipment,” the letter reads.

“It is in the best interest of Kenyan football that FIFA, in conjunction with the investigative arms of the government of Kenya, namely the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, to take up this matter with a view of establishing criminal liability on the part of the federation and/or the other parties involved. This is a very serious matter and should be urgently addressed so that the culprits are brought to book for the good of the game,” he adds.

In his statement, Nyamweya went ahead to question how the amount of the OB van was arrived at, in the first place, besides wanting to know how clubs ‘affected by the mysterious absence of the van’ will be ‘compensated’.

“How was the figure of Sh135 million arrived at, considering that the van in question was one of the smallest owned by the supplier? How will clubs like Gor Mahia recover the lost monies?” he asked.

But FKF have maintained that they’re never corrupt, in any way, and that anyone who thinks otherwise should report to the authorities.

“As a federation, we have zero tolerance for corruption and we welcome anyone with evidence touching on our integrity to report the same to relevant institutions,” Bari Otieno, the FKF’s communications officer told The Nairobian.