The issue of match-fixing remains an unresolved one. Despite the enormous efforts that have been expended, by different sports regulatory bodies, across the globe to destroy the illegal practice, a proper solution to the problem, is yet to be found. China, for example, has been battling the crisis for decades now with little to no success, as it keeps drowning the country’s football. Earlier this year, it launched an intense campaign against match-fixing and related sports crimes, arresting some of its top sports officials in the process. It was such an unbelievable scandal that left the online sports betting community, deeply concerned.
Unfortunately, China is not the only victim. It would seem that in Kenya the situation is even worse.
A match-fixing syndicate
Football Kenya Association (FKF) is the predominant regulatory body in a country whose efforts in controlling the beast, have proven quite futile. The Kenyan government is yet to officially formulate some sort of a regulation on the subject. It is primarily the responsibility of the FKF to deal with it at the moment.
Back in January, the FKF released the following statement via its website. “Football Kenya Federation has received confidential reports alleging the involvement of various players and officials in match-fixing activities. In an effort to protect the integrity of the league … the federation has with immediate effect provisionally suspended these individuals pending the investigations of the matter by the FIFA and FKF integrity department.”
14 players and two coaches were suspended in relation to the investigation. Among them were 6 players from Zoo Kericho FC, who had earlier been suspended from the Kenyan Premier League by FIFA, back in 2021 for the same reason. Another 4 players had been banned in 2020, while another one has been completely expelled for life. As it seems these measures have had no effect.
In March, the Kenyan police arrested three suspects (a Kenyan, a Russian, and a Ugandan) on charges that they have been on a match-fixing mission. According to the FKF, “they (the suspects) wanted to manipulate the match between City Stars and Sofapaka which is set to be played today. They had indicated that they would pay 1.4 million shillings to be shared among City Stars players.”
The government must act
Given that the federation can only take actions against its own members, as stated by its president Nick Mwendwa, the government is the one that must come up with the solutions urgently. Speaking earlier this week to MPs, Mwendwa said they “have cases where individuals suspected of match-fixing are arrested and presented in a court of law, only for the cases to be dismissed for lack of legislative provisions to deal with the problem. We need to have people arrested and punished so we can end this vice.”
FKF’s President believes match-fixing cases skyrocketed in Kenya between November 2021 and October 2022, when the FKF was under suspension for alleged financial fraud. It was during this period that seeing the lack of regulators in place, criminals infested the system, targeting especially struggling clubs. The operations are carried out by syndicates from Asia.
In response to the FKF’s plea, MP Dan Wanyama assured FKF that they “will help put in place legislation to criminalize match-fixing so that those who engage in this vice can be charged and arrested in a court of law.”
When people register for an account at the best betting platform, they expect that when they place their bets, every match will be played on equal terms and in good faith. If their outcomes have already been predetermined, then it will undermine the trust that is so crucial in the world of sports betting.
