Vihiga United head coach Sammy Okoth is worried that financial constraints at the club will hurt their fight for a return to the Kenyan Premier League.
Vihiga were relegated to the National Super League after finishing second from bottom last and were expected to make a quick return to the top flight.
Vihiga started impressively in the second tier but the Vihiga County government-sponsored team is slowly running out of gas, dropping to fifth on the standings with 36 points, 16 behind leaders Nairobi City Stars and nine shy of second-placed Bidco United.
Okoth insists this lack of form is due to their lack of resources.
Last weekend, they were on the verge of dishing a walkover to league leaders City Stars despite being the hosts at the Mumias Sports Complex.
Vihiga arrived almost thirty minutes past kick-off thanks to late disbursement of finances to cater for logistics. However, the visitors sympathised with their opponents and agreed to earn their points on the pitch, which they did through David Agesa’s lone goal.
“We were certain of returning to the league at the start of the season but lack of finances is hurting our plan. Over the weekend, we had to plead with City Stars to wait for us since money was availed late," said Okoth.
"Players have not been paid for the last three months and it's tough to demand one hundred per cent from them on match-days. They have lost focus and their concentration levels have significantly dropped.”
Okoth also revealed that the financial situation also meant they could not boost the squad during the ongoing transfer window.
“I had plans to revamp the squad but at the moment, it is not possible. The well-being of the available players should be taken care of before signing new ones. It's unfortunate that we have to drop some of our plans. We are also dropping points we should have won easily.”
