Ugandan man arrested for trying to fix a KPL match for Sh550,000

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 24 – Detectives in Kisumu are holding a Ugandan man arrested on Saturday afternoon for allegedly trying to fix a Kenyan Premier League match involving Western Stima and KCB scheduled for Sunday afternoon at the Afraha Stadium in Nakuru.

According to a Police report filed at the Kisumu Central Police Station, the Ugandan, Niwagira Ronald Mwine Fred, whose immigration status in the country had expired, had met Stima chair Laban Jobita at a Kisumu hotel and informed him that he wanted his team to lose the game.

His aim was to ask Jobita to work with him and some players to influence the result of the game.

He had allegedly promised to pay off 5,000 USD, an equivalent of Sh550,000 by today’s exchange rates, if indeed the game flew to his favor.

“The said manager informed the accused that he needed to discuss the matter with his players but proceeded to report the matter at the station,” the report from the Police stated.

It added; “Police officers disguised themselves as players and accompanied the reportee and several players to the hotel where they informed the suspect that they had agreed to fix the match. The suspect gave out Sh10,000 purportedly being lunch pending payment of USD5,000 upon successfully losing the game.”

After his confessions, the cops pounced and arrested him, with a further Sh61,600 in cash found in his possession. He is set to face immigration and corruption charges.

The match fixing menace has been rife in Kenya with multiple reports of games being manipulated. Just recently, world soccer governing body FIFA banned Kakamega Homeboyz players Moses Chikati, Festo Omukoto, Festus Okiring and George Mandela for matxh fixing.

While Omukoto, Okiring and Chikati were banned for four years, Mandela was given a life ban by the world governing body.

More prominently, former Harambee Stars defender George ‘Wise’ Owino was handed a 10-year ban from all football activities for match fixing allegations that stem from almost 10 years back.