Former coach of Kenya’ national team, Jacob ‘Ghost’ Mulee has unearthed the ghost that has haunted the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) for nearly two decades.
Mulee, remembered as the man who led Harambee Stars to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2004, continues to deal with an issue that has plagued the federation: unpaid wages.
Mulee, who guided Kenya to its last AFCON appearance 20 years ago, is still owed significant sums of money by the FKF.
“FKF still owes me money as of today; I was claiming Ksh 2.8 million. Recently, they gave me Ksh 250,000, so there’s still around one point something million shillings remaining,” said Mulee in an interview with Radio Jambo.
Mulee’s comments resonate with the ongoing challenges faced by Engin Firat, the current coach of the national team, who is also battling delayed payments.
Firat has gone unpaid for nine months a situation Mulee relates to, given his own experience stretching back almost two decades.
“I don’t need to go to FIFA because they have already shown a commitment to paying me. They have paid some of the money. They paid me Ksh 250,000, I believe, but they haven’t been consistent. So, I don’t know when the next payment will come,” he said.
For Mulee, the issue transcends just unpaid wages—it symbolizes a deeper systemic problem within Kenyan football.
Mulee recalls the unpaid wages during his first tenure as national team coach, particularly during the 2004 AFCON qualification campaign.
“When I qualified for the Harambee Stars in the 2004 Cup of Nations, I hadn’t been paid for eight months. We still qualified, but faced more issues. Now, 20 years later, we still have the same problem. Where is our football heading? A coach should be paid promptly,” he lamented.
The delay in payment extends back to the days of the previous FKF administration, led by Sam Nyamweya, Mulee clarified.
“By the way, this isn’t Nick Mwendwa’s era debt; it goes back to Nyamweya’s term. This is a matter from a while ago. Nick Mwendwa has tried—they’ve paid Ksh 250,000. I hope they will settle the remaining amount.”
The former Harambee Stars coach, who also doubles as a radio presenter returned for a second spell as national team coach in October 2020, replacing Francis Kimanzi. However, his tenure ended a year later in October 2021.
Despite his successes including leading the team to the 2004 AFCON finals in Tunisia where Kenya secured a historic 3-0 victory over Burkina Faso Mulee’s stint with the national team has been marked by ongoing financial challenges.
