Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League champions Gor Mahia Football Club have received a demand notice regarding a transfer deal worth $40,000 (approximately Ksh5.1 million).
In a notice dated January 29, 2025, Tanzanian side Singida Black Stars FC gave Gor Mahia a 14-day ultimatum to refund the $40,000 following the failed transfer of right-back Rooney Onyango to Tanzania.
According to Singida Black Stars, the club wrote a transfer request letter to Gor dated November 12, 2024, where it expressed its interest in signing Rooney Onyango.
This was before the Kenyan giants replied to the request, confirming its acceptance of the offer, and agreed to the $40,000 offered as the transfer fees for the said player.
Singida added that the amount was transferred but the transfer did not materialize.
“On 15.11.2024, our club transferred the agreed amount to your club through the account you provided to us for the transactions. However, the said transfer after back and forth did not materialize after your club received the said amount from our club,” Singida said.
Singida FC hands Gor Mahia 14-day ultimatum
Following the failed deal which Singida blamed Gor, the Tanzanian side wrote to the Kenyan giants on January 1 requesting a refund of the said amount.
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Singida has expressed concern saying that to date, the club has not received any response from Gor to its letter, or a refund.
The Tanzanian club has warned of potential FIFA action if the outstanding balance is not reimbursed.
“In the same context, your club is given 14 days within which to pay all the outstanding balance of 40,000 USD. Failure to do so our club will refer the matter to FIFA for breach our agreement,” the notice adds.
Rooney Onyango was set to make the switch to Tanzania after an impressive run for Gor Mahia and Harambee Stars.
The defender, born in 2001, grew up in a middle-income family in Thika’s Makongeni and later Mathare slums in Nairobi.
His father, a football fan and staunch fan of English Premier League side Manchester United named him Rooney after the legendary English player Wayne Rooney, not knowing that his son would later come to be a football sensation.
His football journey dates back to his childhood days in Makongeni and Mathare slums.
Rooney Onyango’s rise to the top
Upon completion of his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE), Rooney Onyango’s prospects in football came in handy after a sponsor volunteered to cater for his school fees.
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The young Rooney subsequently enrolled at Passenga High School in Nyandarua County which was at the time among the best performing in terms of football.
After impressing in the secondary school’s competitions in 2016 and 2017, scouts from local football clubs identified him and ushered him into the world of club football.
He first signed for Thika United before playing for several clubs in the National Super League (NSL), Kenya’s second-tier league, including Shabana and Gusii FC, both dominant sides in the Nyanza region.
In 2021, Wazito FC- which was then known for breaking banks in snatching top talents in Kenya’s football space came calling.
He joined the side, now known as Muhoroni Youth, in 2021 to hand him an introduction into Kenya’s topflight football again.
After a three-year spell at the club, Rooney signed for Gor Mahia in 2023 despite the competition for the right back position posed by experienced Philemon Otieno who was also the club’s captain.
His performances at Gor were, however, hard not to notice, and he eventually cemented a starting position in the squad and got called up to the Kenya National Men’s football team, the Harambee Stars.
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