- Former captain Kenneth Muguna opens up on 1.6 million CAF fine at Gor Mahia.
- The player was also handed a four-game suspension during the 2019 CAF Club competitions while playing for Gor Mahia following an incident in Zambia.
Former Gor Mahia captain Kenneth Muguna has shed light on the controversial four-match suspension and hefty fine imposed on him by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 2021, following an incident during a CAF Confederation Cup playoff match.
The incident occurred during the second leg of the CAF Confederation Cup playoff round against Zambian side NAPSA Stars.
Gor Mahia was leading 2-1 for much of the game, a scoreline that would have seen them advance on the away goals rule. However, a controversial late penalty awarded to NAPSA Stars saw them equalize, resulting in a 2-2 draw and a 3-2 aggregate win for the Zambian side.
Following the final whistle, Muguna, along with former K’Ogalo goalkeeper Boniface Oluoch, confronted referee Lebalang Mokete, a confrontation that proved costly.
“We were leading 2-1 then the referee gave a last-minute penalty to the hosts,” Muguna recounted in an interview with Sporty FM.
“They had signaled four minutes of additional time but we played up to the ninety-ninth minute.”
Muguna admitted that the highly emotional nature of the game, coupled with promises made to the players, likely contributed to their reaction.
The CAF Disciplinary Committee subsequently found both players guilty of assaulting the referee.
“CAF suspends both players, namely Boniface Oluoch and Kenneth Muguna for their next four Caf inter-club matches and imposes upon each player a financial sanction of $15,000 (Sh1.6 million) for their regrettable aggressive behaviour against the referees.”
Muguna claimed that the confrontation was initially intended to be peaceful but escalated due to the actions of the venue’s security personnel.
“For us, we had just approached the referee with good intentions, but the security detail started beating some of our players.
Then there was some fracas, and the referee was in between all this melee. I was the captain, so I was responsible for my side.
The security personnel there blew things out of proportion. I think they had not been trained enough to handle such situations.”
Kenneth Muguna opens up on 1.6 million CAF fine at Gor Mahia
In a surprising revelation, Muguna confirmed that he personally paid the entire KSh 1.6 million fine.
“The club did not pay. I had to take some of my money I got from Azam FC, that’s how I managed to pay off the amount.”
Muguna left Gor Mahia later in 2021 to join Tanzanian club Azam FC on a two-year contract, where he served the four-match CAF ban.
He later returned to Kenya, joining Kenya Police FC. His time at the law enforcers was marked by success where he helped the South C based club to secure victory in the 2024 FKF Cup, sealing a historic maiden qualification for the club into the CAF Confederation Cup.
The following season, he bagged the league title before departing the club.
The 2016 Kenya’s top flight league MVP is currently based in Botswana, playing for Township Rollers FC.
