Aston Lukoye
- Mara Sugar director Boniface Ambani has criticized Sports Minister Kipchumba Murkomen for awarding the Rising Stars U20 team 1.8 million shillings.
- Ambani argued that the amount is too small when divided among the players and technical bench, with each getting less than 40,000 shillings.
- The coach called for better recognition of the players’ efforts, especially after spending two weeks representing Kenya in Tanzania.
Mara Sugar football club’s director, Boniface Ambani, has openly criticized the decision by Sports Minister Kipchumba Murkomen to reward the Kenyan national U20 boys’ team, the Rising Stars, with a sum of 1.8 million shillings. The team had recently qualified for the AFCON 2025 tournament, which will be held in South Africa.
Ambani expressed his disappointment on social media, pointing out that when the 1.8 million shillings are divided among the players and the technical team, each person would receive less than 40,000 shillings. He emphasized that after the boys spent two weeks abroad representing the country, they deserved more substantial recognition.
“If they share those shillings with the technical bench, that is less than 40K… this government can do better than this,” Ambani wrote on his social page.
As a former player of the Kenyan national team, Harambee Stars, Ambani was especially disheartened by the reward amount, highlighting the need for the government to do more for the young athletes. He urged the Ministry of Sports to offer better rewards and stop what he described as a “joke” in their treatment of the Rising Stars.
Ambani’s criticism sheds light on the ongoing debate over how the Kenyan government rewards its athletes. He called for more significant recognition for the Rising Stars, stating that both the players and the technical bench deserve better compensation for their efforts on the international stage.
