Nairobi City Stars chief executive officer, Patrick Korir, has acknowledged recording a statement regarding a case in which three people were arrested on suspicion of planning to manipulate a Kenyan Premier League match.
The three, who were apprehended by police in Roysambu on Friday, were arraigned at the Makadara Law Courts yesterday after being turned over to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
Korir, who helped lay the trap that flashed the suspects out of their hiding place, was accompanied to the DCI headquarters by Nairobi City Stars coordinator Samson Otieno.
Festo Omukoto, the ambassador for match-fixing for the Kenya Footballers Welfare Association, was also with them.“Sam, Festo, and I were at DCI offices at Kasarani Police Station for a better part of Sunday afternoon. The DCI, together with Interpol, sought an understanding of match-fixing and what transpired on Friday, which we explained in detail.
"We later each wrote elaborate statements. We left as a charge sheet was being drawn as per the applicable law of the Kenyan penal code. The bookies arrested are under the watch of the DCI and Interpol and will be arraigned in court on Monday 13 March,” Korir said.
The individuals are accused of plotting to sway a Kenyan Premier League game.In an earlier interview, Korir revealed how the suspects reportedly approached his players to influence the outcome of their league game.
City Stars and Sofapaka were due to square it off at Ruaraka Grounds in Nairobi on Saturday. If the arrangement went according to the script, the players would receive Sh1.8 million (US$14,000). But they were to first collect Sh30,000 each via Mpesa as part of the rule.
"They asked us to send players to see them so they could discuss fixing the match, and we agreed to do so. We concurred since we thought this would be the ideal time to set a trap," explained Korir.
"We sent seven players, including a goalkeeper, three defenders, two midfielders, and a striker. One of the officials also accompanied them."
Korir said that the suspects were all along using Omukoto as their contact person. "They approached him and asked if he could hook them up with City Stars because they wanted to influence the outcome of Saturday's match," Korir said.
The suspects allegedly told City Stars they were to let up a goal in the first ten minutes and make sure the score was still 1-0 at the break. Then, in stoppage time, City Stars would give up a second goal, and if they managed to score, Sofapaka would have to add another.
"What they didn't know is that Omukoto has always been eager to clear his name ever since he was implicated in a match-fixing scandal. When they approached him they didn't know he has since taken up the role of an ambassador at the Kenya Footballers Welfare Association (KEFWA) to fight the vice," Korir said.
