FKF asks DCI to unlock bank accounts

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has asked the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to unfreeze its bank accounts so as to allow for the smooth roll-out of its activities in the country.

ViA a correspondence to the DCI dated November 30, 2022, Barry Otieno, FKF's General Secretary, pleaded for the re-opening of the federation's accounts at both the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) and NCBA bank.

Otieno argued that the case involving the misappropriation of funds that led to the freezing of the said accounts had since been dropped.

The football official further explained that the reinstatement of the National Executive Committee (NEC) by Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba and the lifting of indefinite suspension imposed on Kenya by Fifa was enough testimony that the federation was now in good books with its major financiers.

"FKF wishes to request your good office to inform KCB and NCBA to operationalize the said FKF accounts domiciled in their respective banks to allow for the smooth rollout of football activities in the country," the letter reads in part seen by Nation Sport.

Otieno's request comes at a time Fifa is expected to remit up to Sh800 million in grants to FKF for development projects and the running of its secretariat.

FKF operations were interrupted following the arrest and arraignment of president Nick Mwendwa for economic crimes in November 2021.

This followed a recommendation by an oversight committee probing the federation's books. Then Sports CS Amina Mohamed disbanded FKF as a result.

A Sh38 million fraud case against Mwendwa is yet to be determined. He is out on a Sh5 million cash bail even as his lawyers led by Eric Mutua and Charles Njenga battle to have the case quashed claiming his constitutional and fundamental rights were violated through what they say is his illegal arrest and prosecution.

Nation Sport is yet to confirm whether Otieno's request to unfreeze the accounts has been granted.