CHAN scandal: Hussein pushed out of Kandanda House after Sh42 million expose

After a hard-hitting investigative story published by The Standard, the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) National Executive Committee has forced beleaguered president Hussein Mohammed to step aside.

The story published exclusively by this paper and aired on our sister channel KTN exposed how the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN), co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, was staged without valid insurance cover, and the money meant for insurance was allegedly wired to Hussein’s account.

Yesterday evening, NEC convened virtually, and a resolution was passed. Three senior officials, namely FKF president Hussein Rashid Mohammed, nominated NEC member Abdullahi Yussuf Ibrahim, and acting General Secretary Dennis Gicheru, would step aside to clear the way for investigators.

“It has come to the attention of the NEC and the country that serious breaches of the FKF constitution and the Laws of the Republic of Kenya including financial impropriety, misappropriation of public funds, including alleged theft of approximately Kshs 42,000,000/= from CHAN bank accounts, serious breaches of the Public Procurement and Assets Disposal Act 2015 and Public Finance Management Act including noncompetitive procurement of goods and services,” reads part of the resolution.

The committee decided that to “urgently restore public confidence in the institution of FKF and the beloved game of football and the greater need to preserve evidence, avoid interference with investigations and for the greater public good, with immediate effect, Mr Hussein Rashid Mohammed do step aside from his role and position as President of Football Kenya Federation, Mr Abdullahi Yussuf Ibrahim do step aside from his role as nominated member of Football Kenya Federation National Executive Member and Mr Dennis Gicheru to step aside from his position and role as the Acting General Secretary of FKF to allow for investigations.”

The document, signed by nine of the 12 committee members, detailed systematic financial impropriety, non‑competitive procurement, and conflict of interest.

Deputy president Macdonald Mariga Wanyama, a former international footballer, was handed the acting presidency. The resolution also demanded a forensic audit by independent bodies, a review of all existing contracts, and the preservation of evidence before any could be tampered with.

“Pending any other directive and or resolution from Football Kenya Federation National Executive Committee, all bank accounts belonging to FKF, whether in the name of FKF or otherwise, or where Mr. Hussein Rashid Mohammed is a signatory in his fiduciary capacity as an agent and delegate of Football Kenya Federation, be frozen with immediate effect,” reads the resolution.

That is the explosive allegation now lodged before the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), supported by bank documents, a damning letter from the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), and a procurement trail that points to a transaction under Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President Hussein Mohammed, in which brokerage fees worth $328,735 (approximately Sh42.4 million) were wired to a company with no licence to operate.

A payment advice obtained by The Standard, dated August 4, 2025, and stamped by Ecobank, shows the exact moment public money moved. The document, generated at 3:08:02 PM, states: “This is confirmation of a payment made on your behalf.” It then lists the payment amount as “USD 328,735.00”, the payment date as “04 AUG 2025”, and the payment reference as “RTGS Fund Transfer High Limit”.

The beneficiary is named as “Riskwell Insurance Brokers Ltd”, with the beneficiary bank identified as “First Community Bank Limited” and the account number “0018946902”. Critically, the payment advice is addressed to Football Kenya Federation and carries the email address “HUSSEIN@FOOTBALLKENYA.ORG” as the account holder’s contact.

The date is not incidental. August 4, 2025, was the opening day of the CHAN 2024 tournament, with Kenya hosting the Democratic Republic of Congo before a sold-out crowd in Nairobi. While players took to the pitch, Sh42 million exited the federation’s account to a company that, according to official records, did not exist as a licensed insurance broker.

IRA’s Deputy Director for Licensing and Enforcement, Wilson Wachira, stated: “Please note that we have checked our records on any information regarding Riskwell Insurance Brokers, and we confirm that we have not licensed the broker for the year 2025 and prior years.”

Riskwell Insurance Brokers Ltd was incorporated on June 25, 2025, and received the Sh42 million payment on August 4, 2025, yet it was never licensed to operate as an insurance broker in Kenya. Under the Insurance Act, conducting insurance broking without a licence is a criminal offence, and paying a broker known to be unlicensed may constitute abetting that offence.

A copy of the CAF Host Agreement for CHAN, also obtained by The Standard, spells out the insurance obligations in black and white. Clause 15 of the agreement states: “Each Association shall take out, at its own expense, a minimum recognised general civil liability insurance of USD 30,000,000, offering it the best cover for cases of personal injury and property and financial damage caused by the Association, its managers, employees, directors or any third party acting on its behalf.”

Documents seen by The Standard indicate that, before the Riskwell payment, then FKF Chief Executive Officer Harold Ndege had, in a letter dated July 17, 2025, outlined that quotations had been obtained from three established insurers, which were Takaful Insurance, Old Mutual, and Britam.

Britam offered the lowest bid at $226,013 (about Sh29.1 million), lower than the $328,735 eventually paid to Riskwell. Riskwell didn’t bid for the job in the first place. When contacted for comment, Ndege refused to answer questions posed to him by The Standard saying he is not authorised to speak on behalf of the football body.

Data from more than 2100 insurance premiums purchased over that period, obtained by The Standard, shows that Riskwell didn’t broker any insurance deal between Britam, Takaful, or Old Mutual, the three companies that had bid for the issuance of insurance, raising questions if indeed CHAN was hosted without any insurance.

According to evidence obtained by The Standard, there was no tax (VAT) obligation for Riskwell between the period June 25th, 2025, and January 1st, 2026.

The Standard also verified that Riskwell’s KRA PIN neither filed returns for that period nor made any purchases or sales for that period.

Riskwell was just 40 days old when it got the tender to offer insurance.

Of the three directors, Mohamud Yarrow Ibrahim holds 300 ordinary shares. Abdullahi Mohamud Sheikh, the majority shareholder, holds 400 shares.