‘Do not lie, Kenya’s football pays’ – Former Gor Mahia forward Okoth

Former Gor Mahia and KCB forward Ronald Okoth has dismissed the notion that Kenyan football does not pay.

There have been reports that Premier League and National Super League (NSL) clubs have not been paying players, but Okoth says football pays even though there have been times the teams have struggled to survive financially.

"Having played football for 13 good years before I hanged my boots, I’ve seen teammates pocket Ksh200,000 as monthly salaries, Ksh1 million as down-payment paid fully in installments," Okoth explained while engaging football fans on his social media pages.

"At some point, our match allowances were Ksh20,000 per game. Let no one lie to you that football in Kenya does not pay.

"The bottom line is football pays on a good day; we might be going through a tough transition moment with no sponsors, but I believe tough times will not last."

Looking back, the former Sofapaka ace pointed out how sponsors played crucial roles in supporting the team resource-wise.

"SuperSport TV played a huge role in making our clubs financially stable," he added. "Clubs were guaranteed a certain figure every month, which would go towards salaries, match day expenses, and signing players. I was lucky to play during this era for the majority of my career.

"We have huge potential. Unfortunately, many clubs are struggling at the moment, and we hope the sponsors can come back. Meanwhile, we have a duty to sell them our product. Clubs pay well and consistently when the money is there. I witnessed this firsthand."

Players have complained at times that clubs do not usually pay them on time, especially sign-on fees. On the other hand, clubs, especially Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards, have had to deal with fines and transfer bans from FIFA when they fail to settle financial dues owed to players.

Okoth advises footballers to enter into realistic agreements with clubs on how financial obligations can be settled.

"You can have an agreement or payment plan with the club," he continued. "If you negotiate a sign-on fee of maybe Ksh900,000 and the club is not able to pay it fully on the spot, you both agree on maybe Ksh300,00 payable in three months or maybe Ksh450,000 in two months.

"The first payment is always on the spot when you pay."

Financial literacy is a factor that will help players plan well for their lives after retirement from soccer, Okoth opines.

"Financial literacy and planning are important," the former Western Stima forward added.

"Football is a very short career; you can be on top for a couple of seasons, but once you start losing form, things can easily go south. That is where depression kicks in. You get released, no regular income, age catching up."