Ruto rewards Harambee Stars with Sh5m, but warns players not to use it on Shisha
Deputy President William Ruto on Tuesday handed out a handsome reward of Sh5 million to Harambee Stars for their victory at the just concluded Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup.
The DP’s generous gift however came with a strict caveat; the cash shouldn’t be wasted on shisha and alcohol.
“You have done a very good job and I’m very proud of you. Please use this money to celebrate Christmas with your family. Don’t use it on shisha and alcohol, just drink tea,” the DP told the excited players when he hosted them for breakfast at his Karen residence.
The DP also promised to support the team in its bid to qualify for the 2019 Africa Nations Cup final in Cameroon.
“I also wish to assure you the government will award you Sh50 million if you qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (in Cameroon) and much more if you go ahead and win the tournament. I will be travelling with you to Cameroon if you qualify,” he said.
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Triumphant Harambee Stars reap big cash reward
The cash reward was handed to captain Musa Mohammed who led the team to a hard-earned victory over Zanzibar in post-match penalties during the final of the regional tournament on Sunday.
The DP also delivered a pledge of Sh10 million from President Uhuru Kenyatta, which Sports PS Kirimi Kaberia said will be disbursed before Friday.
And that wasn’t all in the DP’s bag of goodies.
Following a request from Mohammed, the DP made a promise for the procurement of a state-of-the-art team bus for Harambee Stars.
Football Kenya Federation president, Nick Mwendwa, revealed that the custom-made bus will be acquired from Germany and will be used to ferry the players and technical bench while on assignment locally.
Stars, who have been pooled alongside Ghana, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone in their qualification group for the 2019 Africa Nations Cup, are seeking one of the two available slots for the biennial continental showpiece.