Officials of the disbanded Football Kenya Federation (FKF), including president Nick Mwendwa and Chief Executive Barry Otieno, are staring at fresh scrutiny amid claims of delayed payments to employees and service providers of the 2021 Cecafa Women Championship 2021.

The eight-team regional championship, which was fully funded by football's world governing body Fifa and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), was staged in Nairobi between August 7-21. 

Hosts Vihiga Queens defeated the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia 2-1 in an exciting finale at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, in a match graced by, among others, Fifa secretary general Fatma Samoura.

But that's where the niceties end.

A number of employees who spoke to Swala Nyeti confirmed that even though Fifa and Caf wired funds to the tune of $600,000 (about Sh62 million) directly to FKF's accounts to fund this event, none of the about a dozen employees have been paid their allowances totalling about $1600 (about Sh180,000) for services rendered. 

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"We are a worried lot," an employee who spoke off the record explained.

"There are always money issues when competitions are hosted in Nairobi. How is it that we have been paid our dues for working at the U20 Women Championship in Jinja, Uganda, and yet the tournament was held after the Nairobi one?" he posed.

"And now that we are reading FKF officials have been kicked out of office, we are pleading to CAF and Fifa to help us get our monies."

Also owed are employees of the regional football body who work around the clock to arrange the logistics and plan for the tournament.

Besides these financial challenges, FKF is on the spot for failing to pay $40,000 (About Sh4 million) as participation fees after the Kenya national teams competed at Cecafa tournaments in Ethiopia and Uganda in the past year.

These delays in payments come two weeks after embattled Mwendwa was arrested on two separate occasions and charged at a Nairobi court with four counts of fraud and conspiracy to defraud a total of Sh38 million. 

He has denied the charges and is out on an Sh10 million cash bail pending hearing and determination of the case.

In a related development, Kenya's Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed recently disbanded FKF after a report she commissioned implicated its officials in the misappropriation of public funds. 

Amina also barred Mwendwa and Otieno from accessing the FKF offices in Kasarani, Nairobi, and has since ignored requests by Fifa to reinstate officials and staff, including Mwendwa, FKF Chief Executive Barry Otieno, and the National Executive Committee members.

Our efforts to get Mwendwa and Cecafa secretary general Auka Gacheo for comment were not successful.