KPL clubs to begin receiving sponsorship funds this week – FKF

The Kenyan Premier League (KPL) clubs will start receiving funds from the sponsorship deal recently announced by the Football Kenya Federation as soon as this week, president Nick Mwendwa has said.

Although the Sh1.2-billion deal will be effective starting next season, Mwendwa has told Citizen Digital that the first tranche of the funds will be released for the clubs now as gesture of commitment.

“This week the sponsor will release the sponsorship money in the deal we signed and we shall meet all the clubs chairmen and deposit Sh500,000 to every club account to show that the sponsor is very serious.

“In the previous sponsorship two years ago, the clubs were given Sh200,000 but we are crediting them with more than half of that as deposit. When the new season kicks off then they will receive another deposit,” Mwendwa said.

On July 16, FKF unveiled a Sh1.2 billion sponsorship deal with a Nigerian gaming firm that will go towards sponsoring the Kenyan Premier League and the Women League.

Upon the unveiling, it was announced that all the 18 clubs in the top-tier will receive Sh8 million per season from the windfall.

Mwendwa has made it clear that from next season the league managing body will be made by an in depended chairman, contrary to the current norm where the champion produces the chairman of the season.

“The current norm will not be tolerated from next season, things will be different. Currently we are having a certain company in mind to run the league but we will decide on that later on, however the rules will be clear that the someone cannot be the chairman of the club and the same time to manage the league, it may bring some favoritism in decision making.

Mwendwa also told off critics who are questioning the deal saying football fraternity should be grateful for the secured sponsorship after enduring two and a half seasons without season.

“I don’t understand what people need sometimes. If you do well they complain if you do bad they still complain. The former regime did not do enough to find sponsorship deals and I have struggled and secured more than a billion shillings; that’s a figure never heard before in the history of our game still I get criticized. It’s high time they stop that and be positive about building football game in our country.”