A private supplier contracted by the Ministry of Sports has lifted the lid on an ongoing looting racket targeting the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund (SASDF) coffers.
Unearthing the details via an e-mail anonymously forwarded to cnyakundi.com, a source disclosed that greedy senior officials within the ministry headed by Cabinet Secretary (CS) Amina Mohamed have converted the fund into a cash cow at the expense of workers and contractors who are decrying delayed payments.
For the past year, none of them has received their dues despite supplying items as agreed.
This has left many of them suffering at the hands of merciless banks where they secured loans with the hopes of paying back with the proceeds from the signed deal.
On the other hand, senior executives at SASDF continue to live posh lives with most said to be running multiple personal construction projects with the reportedly missing cash.
But why hasn’t the Kenyan media highlighted this?
Well, according to our trusted insider, most mainstream journalists and editors have been compromised by brown envelopes and flimsy appointments into various committees at the Sports Ministry.
Ever since they were awarded these favours, all scandals relating to the ministry have been swept under the carpet.
The disgruntled suppliers have now threatened to take it upon themselves and expose the deeply entrenched rot at the fund if Chief Executive Officer Mark Wambugu does not immediately release their money.
For instance, it has been claimed that the daughter of the topmost official in the ministry was conspicuously awarded the tender to supply the Ceremonial Uniform for the Kenya team that represented us in Tokyo Olympics last year.
“Hi, Nyakundi,
I have been supplying sporting equipment to various sports federations, through the Sports Fund.
For over one year, I have not been paid my dues on equipment I have supplied the fund with.
Today, the bank is on my doorstep for the loan I took so that I could earn a living just like any other Kenyan.
At the fund, the acting CEO Mr Wambugu has for a second time taken the Fund and Ministry of Sports to court.
As we speak right now, the Fund does not have a functional board as the 3-year term of its members has expired.
It is sad to see us as suppliers not being paid our money and yet the fund is now a cash cow for some senior officials within the Ministry, who pocket a slot of funds and are now building houses and drinking expensive drinks courtesy of our payments.
We want EACC and the President to step in and arrest the sad situation at the Sports Fund and also the Sports Ministry.
Mainstream media will never cover this as all the editors have been compromised and that is why they are being appointed to various committees within the Sports Ministry.
We want our payments paid to us, otherwise each week we shall start highlighting areas where money is being stolen and public misuse of office by people who have been trusted to run the offices.
For a start, CS Amina should tell Kenyans why her daughter was paid money for the Ceremonial Uniform for the Kenya team to the Tokyo Olympics last year.
All these small skeletons will not go away but we shall pursue them when a new Government comes into office.
Pay us now and stop mistreating us, suppliers,” the source writes.
In October 2021, CS Amina Mohamed has revealed that the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund has collected Sh30.3 billion since it was operationalised in February 2019,.
The fund, whose main source of revenue is proceeds from betting, gaming and lotteries, was established to offer support to sports federations, training and technical, collected Sh8.1 billion between February and June 2019, a figure that rose to Sh10 billion in the 2019/20 financial year but dipped to Sh6.8 billion in the 2020/21 financial year.
According to the data provided last year, the fund’s oversight Board has so far approved the disbursement of up to Sh23.5 billion to sports governing bodies.
The construction of Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Kisumu, Wanguru Stadium in Kirinyaga, Posta Jamhuri Sports Ground, Nairobi and Kirigiti Stadium, Kiambu were all funded by proceeds from the kitty.
