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Fans rescue Gor Mahia captain from imminent eviction with Sh28k bailout

By NAHASHON MUSUNGU September 21st, 2018 2 min read

Gor Mahia fans have come to the rescue of their captain Harun Shakava by settling his rent arrears, after he was locked out of his house early this week.

Nairobi News understands the group of supporters raised about Sh42,000 for their star player whose rent is said to be Sh28,000 per month.

The club’s organizing secretary Judith Nyangi announced the fans’ act of goodwill on Friday via Facebook.

“Thanks so much Dandora sharp corner branch for paying rent for Harun Shakava,” she wrote.

Shakava’s plight was shared by Coach Dylan Kerr on Wednesday after the league match against Ulinzi Stars at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos.

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The English coach told the media that the former Kakamega Homeboyz central defender failed to play the match, which Gor Mahia lost 2-0, because his house in Nairobi had been locked for defaulting on rent payment.

PHOTO | COURTESY
PHOTO | COURTESY

 

“This morning we planned to leave at 9am but left an hour and a half later because my team manager was calling players to come for the game. My captain (Harun Shakava) has been locked out of his house while Kahata (Francis) said he is not in the right state of mind to play. But credit to the boys, they gave their all despite the circumstances,” a frustrated Kerr said then.

CASH-STRAPPED

Shakava’s plight could actually be one of many, as the Gor Mahia players are yet to receive their salaries for the month of August. The sudden financial crunch has led to a string of poor performances which has since attracted the attention of sponsors SportPesa.

The gaming firm has now pledged to come to the aid of the cash-strapped club which has lost their last four competitive matches.

“We haven’t gotten to the bottom of this crisis. We will be meeting the club leadership next week but we are giving them some of the sponsorship money in advance to take care of whatever issues they have for now,” SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri explained.

With his personal problems sorted, Shakava is now expected to lead the team out at Goodison Park when the Kenyan champions face English Premier League club Everton in a friendly on November 6.