Kenya Sevens sponsors Brand Kenya on Saturday confirmed that Team Shujaa will be paid their allowances by Monday.
The firm’s board said it had released the sponsorship funds to the Kenya Rugby Union in line with their contractual terms.
“The board confirms payment of the agreed partnership funds to Kenya Rugby Union in accordance with the contract and remains committed to supporting the team that is now the official global ambassadors for the entire country,” Brand Kenya said in a statement.
“Kenya Rugby Union is working round the clock to ensure each player gets paid by Monday,” it added.
Brand Kenya took over the sponsorship of Kenya Sevens Team after main sponsors .
The statement came moments after Shujaa overcame the
5-24 loss in their
opening Pool A match against New Zealand to beat Fiji 22-19 in the Paris 7s World Rugby Series.
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The win ended Fiji's 22-game unbeaten run in the HSBC series.
Shujaas went on to beat Samoa 24-10 on Saturday night to qualify for the Challenge Trophy
quarters against Argentina on Sunday.
A row over the payments led to players blanking out Brand Kenya's sponsorship logo on their shirts using duct tape in protest.
Brand Kenya's confirmation of the payments appeared to have come following government's intervention.
The Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita said in a tweet he had reached out to Sports CS Rashid Achesa over the delays.
"I have been assured that the Sports Ministry through @PsSportsKenya will engage @OfficialKRU as to why the Union has failed to release payments to the National 7’s squad," Nzioka tweeted.
KRU was apparently paid the funds by Brand Kenya while Team Kenya was en-route to Paris.
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A section of Kenyans on Twitter wondered why the team was yet to be paid even after putting up a beautiful display in Paris.
Veteran sports reporter Mike Okinyi rallied users to use the hash tag #ifikieRais to raise the concerns.
"My Rugby peeps, can we tweet #IfikieRais till @KenyaSevens get what they deserve? @BrandKenya MUST step up!!!" he said.
"Hallo Bwana Waita. Kindly help find out what’s going on between @BrandKenya and @OfficialKRU. See @MikeOkinyi’s timeline," Moibi Mironga (@kevinmironga) added.
"Bwana CS I hear the players are begging over there in France? I hear they are suffering, let us not sell our pride for a song. #ShujaaPride," a user called @Kenfish tweeted.
"I said let us be kind to sport as they have proved time and again that they are the true ambassadors of Kenya. They sell us internationally," he added.
In an earlier tweet which he later deleted, Nzioka said: "@OfficialKRU should notice that there is a new law in place now regulating sports federations. We can't allow this sort of embarrassment at the international stage.
"They can't let down our boys when they continue to promote our country so well."
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