Kenyan Premier League: Uncertainty over sponsors as KPL set to start

Gor Mahia Welington Ochieng(L) and John Mwangi of Mathare United battle for ball possession during their KPL match at Thika Municipal stadium on Saturday 14/10/17[Boniface Okendo,Standard]

With just days before the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) kicks off, clubs are facing an uncertain future following the withdrawal of title sponsors SportPesa.

With hopes of getting a broadcast sponsor almost dashed, clubs could be forced to not only pay players, but also go into their pockets to pay match officials a situation that was once prevalent ten years ago.

But even in the wake of this crisis, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has said they are doing everything possible to make it easier for clubs to cope and expressed confidence the Government would come through on their promise to bridge the gap.

FKF President Nick Mwendwa said they had had several meetings with the Government and had been assured that they would get financial support.

“We have agreed with the Government that they will give us support to try and recover what was lost when SportPesa pulled out. They have agreed to do so, though they have not indicated how much they will give us,” he said.

Apart from money to pay Harambee Stars coach Paul Put and other grassroots activities, Mwendwa said that KPL will also be supported as well as Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards who had sponsorship with SportPesa.

“We have many pending  projects at risk and we need immediate funding to keep them rolling.

“These include coaching courses and youth leagues, which are bound to suffer should we not be sorted immediately,” he added.

“We gave the Government the whole picture in terms of our priorities and we hope that by the end of the week we will have some good news. If we get something we will see what is needed in particular areas and apply the funds.” [Gilbert Wandera]