Sports Ministry should not support Gor Mahia alone in KPL – Shimanyula

The Kakamega boss reveals to Goal the Sports Ministry is biased to only support one club financially in the 17-team league

Kakamega Homeboyz chairman Cleophas Shimanyula has taken a swipe at the Kenyan government for pledging to support cash-strapped Gor Mahia.

On Tuesday, Goal exclusively reported the Kenyan champions will benefit from a Sh10 million payment from the Sports Ministry, after the club wrote seeking financial help following the withdrawal of SportPesa as their title sponsors.

Gor Mahia are set to receive the money sometime this week and will help them to pay players and technical bench members’ salaries, among other pressing issues.

Shimanyula has faulted the Sports Ministry for only assisting Gor Mahia while many other teams are currently struggling in the Kenyan Premier League (KPL).

“If the government wants to help Kenyan football, they should sponsor the KPL because they are the ones who chased away the betting firms which were sponsoring teams and the league,” Shimanyula told Goal.

“There is no need to help one club [Gor Mahia] because many other teams are struggling financially, they should have also helped even Sony Sugar who have since been relegated.

“I don’t support the move by the government because several teams are in ICU even Gor Mahia rivals AFC Leopards are down financially, what the Ministry should have done is to inject a good amount of money to Kenyan football so all the 17 teams in the league could benefit from it.”

Shimanyula also wondered what the Sh10million will help Gor Mahia with since they have a million and one things to sort out.

“Sh10m is very little money, very little because, for Gor Mahia, they have already pending bills including salaries for the players and the technical bench which must be sorted out,” Shimanyula continued.

“The best way to do such things is by getting the teams a permanent sponsor because where will Go Mahia run to again when the Sh10m is finished?”

Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards have struggled to pay players in the league which saw Sony Sugar relegated while Chemelil Sugar could follow suit since they have already failed to honour two matches.

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