McDonald Mariga claims he has been sidelined in Football Kenya Federation

Football Kenya Federation (FKF) vice-president McDonald Mariga says he is paying for his own travel and accommodation to support national teams amid a deepening rift with federation president Hussein Mohammed.

The former Harambee Stars midfielder says he has been forced to cover his expenses despite holding the second-highest position in Kenyan football administration, highlighting the growing divisions within the federation.

Mariga and Mohammed have been at odds for much of the year, with tensions escalating in April when Mariga and a group of National Executive Committee (NEC) members attempted to suspend the president.

The group levelled several accusations against Mohammed and acting chief executive Dennis Gicheru, but Fifa ruled the attempted suspension unprocedural and urged the rival factions to resolve their differences through dialogue.

Efforts to broker a truce have so far failed, with the two camps continuing to trade accusations over the management of the federation.

Speaking on Wednesday, Mariga said he had been left to fund his own trips to support Kenya’s national teams.

“Nowadays I pay for my tickets to go and support our teams,” he said.

“I pay for my tickets. I pay for my accommodation to support our teams because the federation does not want to pay for me the accommodation and air tickets.”

Mariga said his commitment to football had compelled him to continue supporting the national teams despite feeling excluded from the federation’s activities.

He cited trips to Dar es Salaam to support the under-23 team and to watch the under-17 side play Uganda as examples of his continued involvement.

“Because of passion and love for the game, I pay for myself and I go to support our teams. I was there [in Dar es Salaam] for the U23. I went to support the U17 when they played against Uganda and I was told; ‘if you want to stay in this hotel you have to pay for yourself’,” he added.

“I will continue paying for myself [and] supporting the teams even if I am sidelined because my passion is football.”

The former Inter Milan midfielder also clarified that he does not receive a salary from the federation, saying NEC members are unpaid.

“I don’t get a salary from the federation; the NEC members are not paid. We don’t get anything from the federation. I pay my money because of the passion we have,” he said.

Mohammed insists Kenyan football must move forward

Mariga’s comments came hours after Mohammed criticised the breakaway NEC faction, accusing its members of frustrating attempts to resolve the dispute.

The FKF president said he had initiated meetings to bring the rival sides together but had struggled to make progress because members of the opposing faction either failed to attend or introduced additional demands.

A meeting scheduled for Wednesday also failed to take place because of a lack of quorum.

Mohammed said he would no longer allow the internal dispute to hold back the development of football in Kenya.

“We cannot punish millions of Kenyans because of seven people. They cannot be allowed to determine the future of an entire football community,” he said.

“Football must and shall go on.”

He maintained that the federation would follow its constitution and regulations, insisting that the FKF Congress remained the supreme authority responsible for determining the direction of Kenyan football.

“We will adhere to our constitution, we will adhere to our rules and regulations, we will adhere to all the processes required,” Mohammed said.

“And we have a supreme body that governs us, which is congress, and congress ultimately will determine the future of Kenyan football and the direction that it shall take.”

Disagreement over outstanding issues

The latest exchange followed claims by the Mariga-led faction that it had attended a NEC meeting on Tuesday, during which it presented 13 issues it wanted resolved.

According to the group, only four of those issues had been addressed by the end of the day, with an agreement reportedly reached to discuss the remaining nine on Wednesday.

However, the faction claimed Mohammed subsequently called for a formal NEC meeting before the outstanding matters had been settled, prompting its members to withdraw from the process.

The dispute has raised further questions about unity and decision-making within the FKF leadership, with reports also suggesting that there have been moves to remove Mariga from his position.

For now, efforts to reconcile the rival factions remain unsuccessful, leaving the federation facing continued internal tensions as Mohammed insists that football activities will proceed and Mariga vows to keep supporting Kenya’s national teams.