A Russian national, a Ugandan and a Kenyan were arrested at an apartment in Zimmerman, Nairobi in a suspected match-fixing incident following a 10-hour undercover operation by Citizen TV in collaboration with police officers.
Reports indicated that the trio was suspected of trying to pay off players from Nairobi City Stars to lose to Sofapaka during a Kenya Premier League match at Ruraka Grounds.
The operation began with a phone call to Nairobi City Stars CEO Patrick Korir whereby a whistleblower informed him of the demands by the suspects.
"For this deal to go through, he wanted seven players and he was very specific. He wanted the goalkeeper, three defenders, two midfielders and a striker," Korir stated.
The communication between Korir and the suspected match fixers lasted for over four hours. Seeking to lay a trap for the suspects, the CEO notified the police and the Citizen TV crew led by sports anchor Mike Okinyi.
For the media to gain video and audio coverage, the team manager was wired as he alongside the players arrived at the apartment.
The suspects informed the players to only concede goals during the first ten and final fifteen minutes of the game.
According to the trio, the players would pocket Ksh1.8 million for every instruction that was followed. As part of the deal, the players were to receive Ksh30,000 each through mobile money transactions as transport to the match venue.
The suspects informed the players that they would be undercover inside the stadium to give the signals during the game.
Afterward, the police swung into action and invaded the apartment while nabbing the suspects in the process.
The players and team manager were also taken into Kasarani police station but were released later for assisting the detectives to nab the trio.
According to Korir, exposing such deals would go a long way in curbing the vice in the local leagues.
"The three ways we can kill the vice is record, name, and shame and then legislate," Korir stated.
