The Kenyan Sevens Rugby team (Shujaa) players have been forced to fundraise for themselves after going for three months without pay ahead of the Dubai and Cape Town Sevens next month.
In an online appeal, senior players Billy Odhiambo and Willy Ambaka have gone on Twitter and expressed frustration on how it has been tough on them and their families going without salaries and pay for the last three months.
Ambaka said: "As some of you may have heard, we are now in our third month without pay. Our lives have been greatly strained despite our persistent effort to give you the desired outcomes on the pitch.”
Ambaka explained that as they continue to train hard, they have had to deal with the daily life challenges of bills by digging through their savings and the efforts of a few local and international well-wishers.
“Our desperate situation has now forced us to turn to you, our global community, to help us in raising funds,” Ambaka appealed to Kenyans and other well-wishers, adding that money raised will be split among the players to help settle some of their pending bills. “We need your assistance.”
The players appealed to the sporting fraternity to forward their contributions to M-Pesa Paybill number 891300, account number 60365.
Head coach Damian McGrath admitted that off-field issues have plagued the side for the last three months. "It's not easy and it is proving to be difficult for the players to keep their focus on playing."
The squad is expected to leave the country tonight for Dubai. Early this year, the Kenya Simbas also had to fundraise for their World Cup qualifiers in France after a lack of support from the union and government.
Shujaa had a dismal campaign in the opening leg early this month in Hong Kong, losing all five matches and picking up a solitary point. They face Australia, South Africa and Great Britain in Dubai Sevens later this week.
List of Areas that will go without power today, Thursday