Revealed: How Peter Kenneth bailed out Gor Mahia
Gor Mahia’s trip to Madagascar to honour a continental assignment on Sunday only became a reality after former presidential aspirant Peter Kenneth came to the club’s rescue, Nairobi News can reveal.
The cash strapped league champions’ 28-man traveling party left the country for Antananarivo on Saturday morning, ahead of the second leg of the Africa Champions League’s preliminary phase tie against hosts Caisse Nationale de Prevoyance Sociale Sport (CNaPS).
But perhaps unknown to a majority aboard the flight, desperate Gor Mahia officials had to hammer a deal with Kenneth for a Sh2 million grant to purchase return air tickets for the continental assignment.
A well-placed source within the club revealed this development to Nairobi News saying:
“He (Kenneth) bailed us with Sh2 million to pay for the tickets because we couldn’t raise money to get tickets for the match in Madagascar,” said the source.
Kenneth is a former Chairman of the defunct Kenya Football Federation (KFF) which was the forerunner to Football Kenya Federation (FKF).
FINANCIAL CHALLENGES
Frank Nuttal’s team will progress to the next phase of this competition if they avoid defeat against the Malagasy champions, in a match that is set for Stade Municipal de Toamasina Miarinarivo on Sunday evening.
Gor Mahia has over the past year been dogged by a myriad of financial challenges, ever since the withdrawal of a multi-million shillings shirt sponsorship deal with the leading milk processing company in the region.
Since then, the club has been forced to solely rely on gate collections, sale of merchandise and handouts from prominent persons – including President Uhuru Kenyatta – and grants from club Chairman Ambrose Rachier for survival.
These financial challenges are however not a preserve for Gor Mahia in the Kenyan Premier League.
A majority of clubs in the top flight league – including Sofapaka, AFC Leopards, Nakuru All Stars and Nairobi City Stars and even the national football teams – have all been experiencing financial shortcomings in recent times.