Harambee Stars
Claim demands unpaid allowances and work permits for coach McCarthy ten months before polls
By Martin Weche
Football fan Brian Ngula yesterday asked the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT) to compel the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) and the Ministry of Sports to pay Harambee Stars’ outstanding allowances and secure work permits for head coach Benni McCarthy and his foreign technical staff.
In his statement of claim, Ngula wants the tribunal to order both bodies to file a verified schedule of all allowances owed to players and technical staff, with a timetable for settlement within a period the panel sets. He also seeks an order requiring them to give the squad “timely and transparent information” on money due for national team duty.
The claim also targets the immigration status of the technical bench. Ngula asks that the respondents take all necessary steps within their mandates to obtain lawful work authorisation for McCarthy and every foreign member of his staff.
The SDT has set Tuesday, October 6 for a hearing on Microsoft Teams. FKF and the ministry must file responses by noon on Friday, October 2, after which Ngula may submit a further affidavit. The tribunal noted “the exigency of the matter” and allowed oral representations. Luke Wamugunda chairs the panel, assisted by Allan Mola and Victor Omwebu. The tribunal has not yet ruled, and the respondents have not yet filed their replies.
The filing follows a disrupted week for the national team. Players boycotted training for several days over allowances they said were outstanding from previous assignments, with reports putting the demand at KSh80,000 each for the matches against Senegal and Lesotho. McCarthy then disclosed he has worked without a permit since his appointment in March 2025, leaving Kenya after each camp.
FKF said the ministry had confirmed clearing one outstanding payment, while other allowances were “at different stages of processing.” On the permits, the federation described the matter as administrative and being handled with the relevant authorities. Striker Ryan Ogam confirmed that players had received part of the money, although concerns remained over whether the amount was sufficient.
McCarthy has backed his players. “These players do not earn what Manchester United players earn,” he said, adding that allowances matter to them. He has said he and members of his staff went about one-and-a-half years without permits, and that his wish to see the national team better run is one reason he has not walked away.
In Saturday’s opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at Nyayo National Stadium, Kenya trailed to a 36th-minute goal from Eritrea’s Nahom Girmai before Ogam levelled in the 87th minute for a 1–1 draw. McCarthy said the off-field disruption had cost his side. Kenya are third in Group D on one point, behind South Africa on three, ahead of Thursday’s trip to Guinea.
The dispute will unfold against an election calendar that is now fixed. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has gazetted Tuesday, August 10, 2027 as polling day, with public officers seeking elective office required to resign by Tuesday, February 9, and campaigns running from Saturday, May 29 to Saturday, August 7. Political parties must submit membership lists by Tuesday, March 16, and complete primaries by Sunday, May 9, leaving a defined window in which every public institution’s record will be weighed. The IEBC estimates it will need KSh67.07B to run the polls.
The hearing falls about ten months before voting, in a season when the government will face voters and be judged on delivery. Any payment made after the filing may be read by some as routine compliance and by others as electoral positioning, a distinction the ministry can narrow only by publishing what it owes and when it will pay.
The sporting stakes are equally concrete. Kenya has qualified for next year’s finals as hosts, which makes the national team one of the most visible public undertakings of an election year. How promptly the state pays those who wear the shirt will be noticed.
Ngula’s prayers centre on information, deadlines and lawful documents, the administrative basics any national programme requires. That a supporter, rather than a player, brought the claim underlines how publicly the dispute has unfolded.
The October 6 hearing will be the first test of whether the state can settle its ledger before the campaign begins.
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