The Football Kenya Federation’s First Instance Body (FIB) has granted licenses to all FKF Premier League clubs ahead of the 2024/25 season. However, two clubs—Mara Sugar, and Bandari—have been issued licenses with sanctions due to various regulatory breaches.

Sofapaka

Sofapaka FC has been granted its license conditionally, owing to overdue payables owed to former employees Collins Wakhungu and Paul Kiongera. The club acknowledged these debts and committed to settling them. In accordance with Article 61 of the FKF Men’s Club Licensing Regulations, the FIB granted Sofapaka their license on the condition that they submit either proof of payment or a payment plan, duly signed by both parties, before September 30, 2024.

The club has been granted a three-month grace period since the start of the club licensing process. Failure to comply with this requirement within the stipulated timeline will result in the revocation of Sofapaka’s license. Additionally, Sofapaka has overdue payables to three more international players, but these occurred after March 31st and will be carried forward to the next season. As a result, FIFA has barred them from registering new players for their team up until they clear the payment.

Mara Sugar

Mara Sugar FC were granted their license but with sanctions. The club failed to submit amended contracts for key staff positions, including the Head Coach, Assistant Coach, Fitness Coach, Goalkeeper Coach, and Team Manager. The FIB decided to grant the club its license with sanctions for the failure to submit the required documents.

Consequently, Mara Sugar FC faces a sanction of USD 100 for each outstanding contract, totaling USD 500 per day, effective from August 23, 2024, until the club submits the required contracts.

Bandari

Bandari FC was found to have outstanding payables to four former employees: Wilson Oduor Obungu, Daniel Mnyaro Mshamba, Kenneth Onyach Othieno, and David Kingatua Njuguini. The club had initially failed to declare this information, which is a breach of the Club Licensing regulations.

Upon reviewing the submitted documents and the court judgment related to these former employees, the FIB granted Bandari FC their license for the 2024/25 season, albeit with sanctions for non-compliance with Article 61 of the FKF Men’s Club Licensing Regulations.

The FIB determined that Bandari’s submission of a declaration stating no overdue payables, despite being aware of the outstanding amounts, constituted the submission of falsified documentation. As a result, the FIB imposed a sanction of USD 15,000 on Bandari FC.

Additionally, the club is required to settle both the outstanding amounts owed to the former employees and the imposed sanction within three months. Alternatively, Bandari FC may submit a comprehensive payment plan, duly signed by the club and the affected parties, detailing the terms for resolving these financial obligations within the stipulated period.

 

Key to Note

The ongoing primary registration and transfer window have allowed the teams a grace period of 10 days after the window closes to submit several critical documents. That is:-

  1. The final team list of player registrations on the club letter head signed by either the club chairman or CEO
  2. A letter from the club’s medical insurer confirming that all listed players are covered under their medical scheme

 

The First Instance Body’s (FIB) decisions underscore the importance of adherence to the Club Licensing process, which is a cornerstone of professional football management. All FKF Premier League clubs must submit requisite applications each season and undergo mandatory spot checks during the season to ensure compliance. The FIB has also requested the Club Licensing management to conduct spot checks to verify that clubs are adhering to the National Club Licensing regulations.

This is as per article 16 of the CAF Club Licensing Regulations that mandates the licensor to continuously monitor adherence to these regulations and to take necessary measures, including revoking a club’s license, should they fail to meet the set standards.

The Club Licensing process is vital in promoting the professionalization of football globally, using principles-based criteria and setting minimum standards that clubs must meet to participate in FKF and CAF competitions.

Also read: FKF Premier League 2024/25: Kick-off Date and Season Preview