How KPA paid ‘fans’ Sh17 million to cheer Bandari FC
The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) management is on the spot for reportedly paying Sh17 million to its staff to attend Bandari FC matches as a cheering squad.
As per a report tabled by the Auditor General Nancy Gathungu in Parliament, the Authority paid millions as imprest despite the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League side being an independent entity.
KPA is the official sponsor of Bandari Football club and is always allocated its separate budget to the reported tune of Sh100 million each year.
The Sh17 million is part of Sh96 million unsupported sports expenditure that Gathungu has questioned in the report that was tabled by Majority leader Amos Kimunya in the August House.
“The expenditure includes Sh17 million paid to staff to attend football matched of Bandari Football club.
However, it was not clear how and why the authority issued imprest to staff in the football cheering team given that the club is an independent entity with its own budget,” read part of the report.
The Auditor-General also revealed that salaries and allowances were paid to non-employed players who were selected to join Bandari FC to represent it in various tournaments.
“The management did not provide details on how the team management units employees and non-employees players were selected to participate in various tournaments and subsistence allowance paid,” Gathungu added in her report.
The report comes at a time the Coastal side has been registering mixed results in the top-flight league.
Since the restart of the premier league in May 2021, having been suspended in March due to rising cases of Covid-19 infections, Bandari has only managed one win in the six games they have played since the resumption.
They currently lie in the sixth position on the 17-team standings.