Three people that were arrested and charged in court for trying to fix the Nairobi City Stars vs Sofapaka game in March and later charged in court have been released after paying fines. The three, Russian national Akhiad Kubiev, Ugandan Berbard Navendi and Kenyan Martin Munga Mutua were nabbed on 10 March after they tried to bribe City Stars players to fix their game against Sofapaka in a dragnet laid by the club.##NAJAVA_MECA_7234442##Two days later, the trio was arraigned in court and charged with conspiracy to commit a felony contrary to section 393 of the penal code, and cheating contrary to section 315 of the penal code. They were released on a bond of Ksh 300,000 and required to provide two sureties each pending the hearing and determination of the matter.On 24 April, the trio’s lawyer Apollo Mboya wrote to apply for the change of plea. He appeared in person at Makadara Court on 25 Apr and was given a hearing date of 28 Apr where there was an admission of the charges.Each count came with a fine of Ksh 100,000 each or a jail term of one-and-a-half years each. The amounts were paid three days later and the case has since been closed.Football Kenya’s statement on three individuals arrested on Saturday morning in Nairobi on suspicion of match-fixing. It is reported by @MozzartSportKe that they were planning to “fix” the Nairobi City Stars game versus Sofapaka set for Saturday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/AuH80xEClU— Eric Njiru (@EricNjiiru) March 11, 2023 On Monday 8 May, City Stars appeared before the court preparing to testify as witnesses only to be informed that the case has since been closed.This comes at a time when Kenyan football is grappling with serious match-fixing cases that has since resulted in players, referees and coaches getting different bans from the federation.A fortnight ago, FKF President Nick Mwendwa appeared before the parliamentary committee on Sports and Culture and urged them to criminalise the vice.“When football is manipulated it ruins the authenticity of the game which drives fans away. If you look at it this way, it’s clear that match-fixing is a massive threat to football as a sport and an industry. We need to have people arrested and punished so we can end this vice. Today if we take a match-fixer to the police station, there is no law to charge these individuals. We are asking you to help us close this gap,” he said.Olunga on the cusp of history in Qatar
