Tikolo quits Cricket Kenya

By Oscar Pilipili

Cricket Kenya (CK) Chief Executive Officer Tom Tikolo has resigned over allegations of misappropriation of funds.

His resignation came following an inquiry of CK Board that featured Sharad Rao, an advocate, as an independent adviser.

The FeverPitch was the first to publicly expose the scam involving thousands of shillings.

The allegations against Tikolo centred around a refund given personally to Tikolo amounting to some US$3,000 (approx Sh225,000) by Kenya Airways in respect of funds paid by Africa Cricket Association (ACA) for the airfares of players from East Africa who participated in the Afro-Asia tournament held in India in 2007.

A travel grant of US$10,000 (approx. Sh750,000) payable to Cricket Kenya by the organisers of the Clico under-15 tournament held in West Indies last year which amount was also alleged to have been paid in cash to Tikolo who failed to account for it.

A statement from CK said the inquiry was satisfied with explanations and evidence received from Tikolo and other parties involved.

"In particular, the fact that ACA, who had supplied the funds, was fully aware of and approved the course of action taken by Tikolo, there was no basis for concluding that any misappropriation had taken place in this matter," said the statement.

"Following the recent attacks on my character in the press, I have as on December 20, 2009 offered to resign as the Chief Executive Officer of Cricket Kenya in an effort not to be seen as an impediment to the general development of the game in the country," Tikolo said.

"Even as I take this decision to resign, I want to deny any wrong doing in all the dealings mentioned in those allegations," he said in a statement on Tuesday.

Tikolo offered his immediate resignation to the Cricket Kenya Board, which was accepted.

He further agreed to reimburse the funds due to Cricket Kenya in full and to work out the modalities of such repayment with the Treasurer at the earliest opportunity.

It appears that Tikolo asked for the allowance, which was on offer from the sponsors of an Under-15 tournament in the West Indies in May 2008 which he attended, to be paid to him in cash.

Too frightened

He subsequently claimed a bag containing the money was stolen a few days later, a fact it is a said, he reported to the sponsors, but not to the local police.

CK only became aware of this last week. Tikolo said he was too frightened to report the loss to his bosses and so decided to say nothing about it.

The matter might never have come to light had an ex-employee of CK not hacked into Tikolo’s private email and discovered the exchanges.

They were then passed on to a former player who circulated them to the national and international media.

"When my personal mail is hacked into for the purpose of casting aspersions on my integrity, the honourable option for me is to step aside," Tikolo said.

"I urge you not to cry as I am not dead. But for those faceless enemies that are out to tarnish my reputation, do not rejoice as there is no grave that you will dance around on and collect soil for your traditional rituals," he said

The news will be a blow to the current administration of CK as they have always sought to distance themselves from the financial shadows, which dogged the discredited old Kenyan Cricket Association.

—Additional reporting from Cricinfo.com