An audit of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has revealed a deep rot, including financial mismanagement, referee bribery, poor human resource management and legal battles.
The federation's president Hussein Mohammed revealed the federation is knee-deep in debt, with a portfolio of almost Ksh 400million in outstanding liabilities.
"The financial situation of FKF is precarious with several alarming issues identified. The federation operates 16 bank accounts, with unclear purposes and a lack of transparency. As of December 31, 2024, FKF's outstanding payables amount to Kes 384 million. This includes debts with external agencies and service providers," Hussein said.
The report also pointed out unequal funding of women and youth football, compared to their male counterparts.
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"The committee recommends consolidating FKF's bank accounts, restructuring its debts, a thorough in-depth forensic audit and increasing funding for women's and youth football to ensure equitable development," the president said.
There was more stench when Hussein delved into matters officiating where the report unearthed systematic referee manipulation, bribery and hooliganism.
"Referees face significant challenges such as allegations of bribery, match-fixing and a lack of professionalism. This has severely tainted the image of the sport. A rise in incidents of violence and disruptive behaviour at matches has also raised concerns over the safety and integrity of the sport," he said.
His comments come amid increasing complaints over officiating standards at different tiers of the national leagues.
In some cases, tensions have boiled over, resulting in cases of hooliganism.
The president promised that they will formulate a multi-stakeholder and multi-pronged approach to stamp out the two vices.
This will be done in collaboration with law enforcement agencies to implement stiff penalties on culprits.
Concerning referees, Hussein has promised a merit-based process of promoting match officials.
Internally, the report reveals FKF is characterised by low employee morale due to poor HR policies and fraudulent contracts.
"One of the most critical findings concerns the HR processes within FKF. The assessment revealed significant gaps in the federation's human resources systems, including lack of HR policies, potential fraudulent contracts, and salary disparities," Hussein revealed.
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The president said, as per recommendations of the report, that they will overhaul FKF's HR policies, standardise the salary grading system and audit all employment contracts.
Equally causing an headache to the young regime at Kandanda House is legal tussles involving the federation, which has resulted in humongous legal fees.
"FKF is facing legal challenges with with 21 ongoing cases related to the federation's operations. These include disputes over the previous elections, unpaid legal fees and other contractual matters," Hussein said.
The audit was conducted by an ad hoc transition committee led by FKF vice president Macdonald Mariga.
Hussein promised to release a detailed report on the same after validation by the National Executive Committee (NEC).
He also expects investigating agencies, such as Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to swoop in and help resolve some of the issues identified in the report.
