Kenya’s National Assembly was yesterday urged to quickly enact a law that would criminalise match-fixing in the country given its rise in recent years.
During a parliamentary sitting of the Committee on Sports and Culture held yesterday at the Continental House in Nairobi, Football Kenya Federation (FKF) president Nick Mwendwa explained the frustrations they face in dealing with culprits of the vice since there were no laws to facilitate the process.
The Committee chaired by Webuye East lawmaker Dan Wanyama were told of the complexities involved in dealing with the issue and as such urged Parliament to expedite on laws that will protect the game from more damage by agents of match-fixing.
“When football is manipulated it ruins the authenticity of the game which drives fans away. If you look at it this way, it’s clear that match-fixing is a massive threat to football as a sport and an industry,” said the FKF supremo who was flanked by CEO Barry Otieno. Mwendwa added that their hands were tied when it came to dealing with the problem and only Parliament could be their saving face.
“We need to have people arrested and punished so we can end this vice. Today if we take a match-fixer to the police station, there is no law to charge these individuals. We are asking you to help us close this gap,” he said.
Football Kenya Federation is suggesting that most of these syndicates are run from Asia and some approach players or officials to manipulate games. The Federation has suspended 25 individuals comprising 7 match officials and eighteen players.
This comes in the back drop of an incident where a Russian citizen was busted trying to manipulate a league match between Nairobi City Stars and Sofapaka and he was later released without any charges, because there are no laws against match fixing in the country.
“The vice took root in our leagues between November 2021 and October 2022 when FKF was suspended. Match fixers took advantage of the fact that there was no regulator with the expertise to detect and track what was happening. Wanyama promised to fast track legislation on the same given the severity witnessed in recent times. “We have heard you, we will help put in place legislation to criminalise match-fixing,” he said.
