Cash strapped Kisumu All Stars set to dish out walkover against Kibera Black Stars

Kisumu All Stars have failed to travel to Nairobi for their National Super League  (NSL) match against Kibera Black Stars that is slated for Sunday 19 March.

The Kisumu County-sponsored team was due to travel on Saturday for the 15th round of the NSL where they were slated to face Black Stars but the trip has been canceled owing to logistical issues.

In a short statement released, Kisumu All Stars categorically stated that they would not be able to honor the away match due to their inability to foot traveling costs.

“We regret to announce that we will not be able to honor our match against Kibera Black Stars tomorrow due to financial constraints,” reads the statement.

Last month, Kisumu All Stars CEO Nicholas Ochieng revealed that he has not received any financial support since September.

The County Government of Kisumu supports the team with Ksh5 million per season, but the funds have not been forthcoming since the NSL season began.

In January, the county’s Executive Committee Member in charge of Sports, Beatrice Odongo, was quoted by Kenya News Agency saying that the delay in channeling the money to the team was due to the National Treasury.

However, Pulse Sports understands that there are efforts by club fans to raise money so that the team can be able to honor the fixture.

If All Stars travel on Saturday night, they will arrive in Nairobi on Sunday morning and have only a few hours to rest and recover from the long journey before facing the on-form Black Stars.

Kisumu All Stars was revived in December 2017 by the County Government of Kisumu to replace the defunct Palos FC, who withdrew from the second-tier league citing financial challenges.

The side currently sits in ninth position on the National Super League standings with 18 points  while Kibera Black Stars are in fourth place with 25 points.