Wazito FC’s change of ownership and subsequent relocation to Kisumu is a highlight of what is a growing trend of abuse of club licensing rules and in the process bringing what is already an ailing game into further disrepute.Swedish tycoon Ricardo Badoer recently sold the club to a Kisumu based businessman, Joel Odongo and even so, the ownership of the club remains unclear with sources indicating that there could be more than meets the eye.##NAJAVA_MECA_6724944##The team is now based in Muhoroni and according to the fixtures that had earlier been released by the departing FKF Transition Committee, the team will host their matches at the Muhoroni Stadium which is also National Super League side, Muhoroni Youth FC’s home-ground.Rule 8.1.8. of Kenyan football on Club Licensing, Name and Ownership reads in part; ‘It must be noted that a club’s entitlement to participate in a league will depend principally on sporting Merit’Reports from the club players is that the team is run by Muhoroni Youth chairman Moses Adagala an indication that the alleged buyer could have been a proxy to the long-serving football administrator.”He is in charge of the team, he basically runs everything in the club. Before we left he was the one promising to pay us never fulfilled his promise. We don’t even know the other guy (Odongo),” one of the players who left the club two weeks ago told Mozzart Sport.Rule 8.1.5. reads ‘No individual or group of individuals or legal person (s) shall have control in more than one club’. If Adagala is found to be directly to be the owner of the FKF Premier League side then there could be repercussion. The football administrator has however denied ownership of the team despite the fact that all technical bench members from Muhoroni Youth FC were moved to Wazito FC.A good number of senior Wazito FC players have reportedly left the club following an ownership change that has thrown its future into uncertainty. Swedish businessman Ricardo Badoer, who has owned the club since 2018, sold it earlier this month with its base now being Kisumu. pic.twitter.com/bMblPEtPR0— Geoffrey Mwamburi (BEKI) (@bekimwamburi) September 21, 2022 8.1.7. reads: ‘In the event of a club being sold or relocating, it will be relegated to its current county or FKF Branch League’. This raises questions as to whether the former moneybags should be allowed to grace the top tier next season from their new base under new ownership.The situation is not limited to Wazito FC. Before the start of last season Muhoroni Youth FC, somehow found themselves in the second tier despite not earning promotion from the FKF División One league. The team had finished fourth in the FKF División One Zone B during the 2020/21 season but an alleged merger between the team and Western Stima who had been relegated to the second tier resulted in the former FKF PL side featuring in the National Super League, another clear breach of the rules . Despite complaints from some clubs, the FKF Transition Committee, the body that was in charge of football then did not stop the team from playing in the second tier.FKF Division One side, Gogo Boys is another team featuring in a league that they probably shouldn’t be. Just like Muhoroni Youth, the team allegedly merged with Nairobi Stima and in the process acquired the slot vacated by the former NSL side. There is clear change of ownership and name and if the rules were followed to the later, the Kibera based side would have been relegated to the lower leagues.Another Division One side, Nairobi United is another team that changed name and ownership. Previously known as Balaji EPZ, the team was acquired by a Nairobi businessman who has since renamed it United with little or no regard of the laws governing the gameOther teams that have breached these rules without consequences include; Sony Sugar who were renamed Gusii United and relocated from Awendo to Kisumu, Kisumu Hotstars who took up Chemelil Sugar’s slot. Coastal Heroes and Mombasa Elite previously Coast Stima and Modern Coast Rangers respectively.Out of favor Gor Mahia forward Samuel Onyango waves club farewell
