Lilumbi cries foul over govt move to overlook broke Leopards in cash token

AFC Leopards former organizing secretary Timothy Lilumbi has questioned the government’s decision to donate Sh8 million to champions Gor Mahia while ‘ignoring’ AFC Leopards who are equally undergoing tough financial times.

According to Lilumbi, he’s taken aback by the developments as the big cats are walking a tight financial rope with salary arrears owed to players and technical bench members.

“We (Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards) are the senior community clubs in the country. How can you help our friends Gor Mahia to ease their problems yet you overlook AFC (Leopards) yet we had also approached the government through the then sports cabinet secretary Echesa (Rashid) and PS  Kirimi Kaberia when we were in office?he posed.

“At the end of the day it will appear very unfair. Our club is going through very hard times at the moment, the club is really struggling to pay salaries, allowances…,” he protested.

Lilumbi has at the same time asked Luhya leaders from across the political divide to move with haste to prevent the club from sinking further.

“I would like to ask our able leaders from western region to hurriedly come to the rescue of Leopards which is the pride of Luhyia community.

Regardless of your parties or where you come from, someone like Oparanya (Kakamega county governor) is in a better position to network and find a way to solve AFC financial woes,” he reckoned.

Both clubs have witnessed exit of foreign players citing lack of salary payment with Leopards perhaps the hardest hit.

Their head coach Rwandan Casa Mbungo early last week wrote to the club executive giving them a 15-day notice to settle his salary arrears  failure to which he quit.

Ingwe and K’Ogalo were enjoying a lucrative sponsorship from a gaming firm but the rosy spell ended when the firm halted its operations in the country following along-drawn battle with the government over taxation laws.