Philemon Otieno of Kenya during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Finals.Backpagepix.

Philemon Otieno: FKF too broke to treat Harambee Stars defender – Barry Otieno

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) have stated they don’t have money to treat Gor Mahia defender Philemon Otieno.

Otieno was injured while playing for the Harambee Stars during the African Nations Championship (Chan) qualifier against Tanzania.

Despite the FKF promising they will pay for the player to undergo the operation in France, the federation's acting CEO Barry Otieno has now confirmed to Goal they don’t have money to oversee the exercise.

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“We don’t have money to help Philemon [Otieno] to undergo a knee operation,” Otieno told Goal.

“You know very well Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) just re-opened our bank accounts the other day and it is now we want to make the accounts full operational and get our activities going.

“Nobody has refused to help the player, only that we don’t have the money to help him out.”

Gor Mahia CEO Omondi Aduda has told Goal it is the responsibility of the federation to treat the player since he sustained the injury while turning out for Harambee Stars.

“The rules are very clear on what the federation is supposed to do. Otieno got injured while playing for the national team so he should be treated by the federation, not Gor Mahia,” Aduda told Goal.

“I even wrote to them [FKF] and requested they foot the bill for the player to go for the operation and repair the knee. In any case, the national team should have insurance covers for the players, not Otieno alone.”

But a close source in FKF has told Goal, the federation are reluctant to help the player because he was already injured when he arrived at the national team camp.

“[Otieno] reported to camp with the injury and it is, therefore, not the work of FKF to help him to treat the same,” the source told Goal.

“He should ask his club to help him out and furthermore if the player loves his career, he received Sh2million as bonuses from FKF during the Afcon period, why can’t he use Sh300, 000 from the amount to go for operation?”

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