•At the time when local sporting action remains suspended, Uhuru opted to boost the entertainers attracting the attention of footballers who say they deserve a share by virtue of representing the country at the global stage.
•The recent pay cuts effected by clubs coupled by lack of allowances is another reason the players felt were not turned a blind eye on.
The recent directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta to the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage to release a whooping Sh 100 million to cushion actors and artists has not augured well with Kenyan footballers.
At the time when local sporting action remains suspended, Uhuru opted to boost the entertainers attracting, the attention of footballers who say they deserve a share by virtue of representing the country at the global stage.
While it was argued that players are bound to receive their monthly salaries as stipulated in their contracts, the sorry state of the Kenyan Premier League, National Super League and the Women's Premier League was cited as a reason to convince the Head of State to consider them.
The recent pay cuts effected by clubs coupled with lack of allowances is another reason the players felt they should not be ignored.
Gor Mahia and Harambee Stars'midfielder Kenneth Muguna believes that not only footballers but all local sportsmen deserved a share from the Ministry.
"Sportsmen have represented the country at international events before and they deserved to be boosted. We have made the country proud and it is the government's turn to be there for us. An artist can still record his music but sporting activities have been grounded to discourage gatherings. I feel this would have been considered too," said the former KPL's Most Valuable Player
Similarly, Chemelil Sugar's midfielder John Ochieng was not pleased with the criteria used in picking entertainers ahead of sportsmen.
"We are grateful that the Sports Fund is being put into use but I think the footballers and other sportsmen deserved a share. Probably that is in the pipeline but time is ripe for the ministry to bail us out. We no longer enjoy allowances as we used to do when the league was on and I believe sportsmen in other disciplines are also experiencing the same, " said the former Tusker man.
Kariobangi Sharks' chairman Robert Maoga challenged the government to stretch their helping hand to sportsmen too.
"Football and sports bring people together and we too should have been given our share. The sportsmen are known and can be counted hence the government's financial intervention at this time would go a long way in ensuring that they do not suffer," said the KPL's Ex-Co member
Kefwa's Secretary-General and a retired Kenyan international Jerry Santo said the body was contemplating on doing a research on the impact of the pandemic before requesting for funds from the government to cushion players.
"This pandemic should be a wake-up call for players to look beyond football as a source of income. It should send a signal to players that there is life after football. We may do research on how it has affected the well-being of our members and see how much we can request from the government. At the moment, we can not criticise the government as the Ministry of Sports is wide," said the former Posta Rangers midfielder.