Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has seemingly issued a stern warning to the new Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Hussein Mohammed regarding the future of Harambee Stars coach Engin Firat.Murkomen stated that if FKF decides to retain Firat, they will have to pay his salary independently, as the government will no longer bear the cost.##NAJAVA_MECA_8555165##Firat’s position has been under scrutiny since Kenya failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) last month.It had been speculated that Firat would be dismissed regardless of whether former FKF President Nick Mwendwa returned to a leadership role.In the recent FKF elections, the Mwendwa-led faction was defeated by Team Fresh’s Hussein Mohammed.Speaking on Monday night, Murkomen revisited the issue, asserting that Firat should step down as Harambee Stars coach since he did not meet the contractual requirement of qualifying for AFCON.He warned FKF that should they retain Firat, the government would not pay his salary through taxpayers’ money.”I’ve seen the contract of the Harambee Stars coach—it clearly states that if he doesn’t qualify for AFCON, he should exit. Since he failed to meet the contract’s conditions, if FKF wants to keep him, they must cover his salary with their own resources,” Murkomen said during an interview with NTV.Matano laments being overlooked in appointment of Harambee Stars coachesMurkomen also criticized the decision to hire Firat, pointing out that the former Moldova national team coach had no significant record of success.Firat has managed only three competitive victories during his three-year tenure with Harambee Stars.”I don’t know what criteria Nick Mwendwa used to hire him. He didn’t have a noteworthy track record. What’s more surprising is that his salary is paid by the taxpayer, which is unusual because no other coach is paid by the government,” added Murkomen.Previously, Murkomen had acknowledged that the government cannot directly fire Firat, as the hiring and firing of the coach is solely FKF’s responsibility.”There have been many calls for Firat’s dismissal, but FKF has the exclusive authority to make that decision. We cannot interfere,” he noted.The new FKF leadership under Mohammed will have to carefully navigate this situation to avoid repeating the mistakes of 2016, when Nick Mwendwa’s regime dismissed coach Adel Amrouche, only for FIFA’s Disputes Resolution Chamber to award the tactician millions in compensation for wrongful termination.Nicholas Muyoti identifies two key areas ailing Nairobi City Stars
