Right of Reply: Bolo hits back at Gor Mahia's Odhiambo over wage bill issues

Former Gor Mahia treasurer Sally Bolo has questioned the club's recorded debt, which is said to have hit Ksh200 million.

In a recent interview, the current treasurer Dolfina Odhiambo said she has invented ways to reduce the debts from Ksh200 million. Odhiambo claimed she received the huge debt which was accrued during Bolo's tenure but the former official has raised questions over the amount.

"That these are debts that the club, Gor Mahia have incurred over the years but I don't know the exact figures are at the moment. If it is true that the debt is at Ksh200 we should ask ourselves how come the club has accrued such an amount," Bolo told Goal.

"My understanding is that the wage bill alone has only been contributed to a minimum amount of the given debt if we have to take a straw of the current treasurer Odhiambo's announcement that she only owes players and technical bench two months' salary.

"Two months' salary at the current wage bill is only Ksh9 million; what are these other debts accruing to Ksh200 million?

"But the long and short of it is the fact that if there are any authentic debts owed then it is the institution called Gor Mahia Football Club, not Bolo the treasurer or Odhiambo."

Bolo further claimed the officials are not in office legally since they were elected during a polling process.

"We had expected that the current illegal officials - since they are not recognised by the Registrar of Sports and the Ministry of Sports - would better the success they had inherited from us - the bonafide club officials, but it seems we were wrong because going on the performance of the club, I can say that they are clueless," she added.

When Odhiambo was pressed to explain why Gor Mahia are in a rather tough financial situation, she stated the following.

"Most people don't know that my predecessors left a huge bill behind," Odhiambo said. "I have invented methods of trying to clear the bill to get the club back to its feet. No one should blame me for past mistakes.

"I reduced the wage bill immediately I took over as one of the measures to rescue the club from collapsing."

The players had recently gone on strike as they push for the settlement of their wages accrued from February.