Newly crowned SportPesa Premier League champions Gor Mahia players have downed their tools, owing to unpaid salaries and allowances.
The playing unit has given the training sessions a wide berth for the last four days hence disrupting their preparations for the next league match.
Gor Mahia were relying on the proceeds from sale of Ugandan defender Godfrey Walusimbi, whom they cashed to South African-based Kaizer Chiefs for a reported fee of Sh12m, to clear the players dues. However, the Kenyan champions are yet to receive the money from South Africa, forcing the players to desert duty as a way of tabling their grievances to their bosses.
According to a source, who sought anonymity, the players have not trained for the last four days in protest for unpaid salaries and allowances, an allegation which the first vice chairman, John Pesa, has differed with, saying the salaries had been cleared by the sponsors, SportPesa.
The source said: “It’s true we have not trained for the last four days because we have not received our salaries and allowances. We are yet to hear from the executive committee on the status of our dues.”
Pesa said their shirt sponsor SportPesa had cleared the salaries and were only expecting money from Kaizer to sort playing unit’s allowances. He said: “We are yet to receive money from the sale of Walusimbi and as soon as we receive, we will sort the players allowances. As far as I am concerned SportPesa have cleared the salaries and we will soon play our part.”
Gor, who have been declared champions with six matches to spare, are set to play Thika United this weekend as the league resumes after the Fifa international break.
