Jackson Owusu detained in hotel over unpaid bills
Gor Mahia’s newly signed Ghanaian midfield ace Jackson Owusu is being held in a Nairobi hotel over an outstanding bill and also claims he hardly has anything to eat.
Additional reporting from the Nation
Imagine you are in a foreign land where there is no activity relating to your profession and your freedom is severely limited.
This is the situation Gor Mahia’s Ghanaian import Jackson Owusu has found himself in. He is trapped in a hotel in Nairobi and his unpaid bills have sky rocketed to Sh600,000. The cancellation of the Kenyan Premier League because of the coronavirus outbreak has aggravated his situation.
The versatile midfielder has been staying at Jimlizer Hotel in Buru Buru. Gor Mahia’s Organising Secretary Judith Anyango ‘Nyangi” confirmed that K’Ogalo owes the hotel over Sh600,000 due to earlier and current pending bills.
Owusu narrated to Nation Sport how he is dead broke and how his pleas to the club management to pay the bills have fallen on deaf ears. He said the club has not responded as fast as he expected.
The Ghanaian import, who joined Gor Mahia during the January transfer window, was able to earn a starting berth under coach Steven Polack. He even featured in the last “Mashemeji” derby against arch-rivals AFC Leopards in February.
Polack and Owusu had earlier worked together when the coach handled Ghanaian giants Asante Kotoko during the 2018 season. Polack is revered by the Ghanaian giant’s fans for leading them to the group stages of the Caf Confederation Cup.
Also Read
“Gor Chairman Ambrose Rachier has been promising to come and assist me but he has not been here. I am not allowed to leave with anything out of the hotel until their is a commitment from the club that the money would be paid. As at now, I don’t know when this will happen,” Owusu said.
He said the issue has annoyed his parents in Ghana who are worried about his plight in a foreign land.
“My parents are poor and fully depend on me. They live in Kumasi, many kilometres away from Accra. Circumstances have forced me to reach out to them for help. Because of my condition, my parents travel to town from Kumasi to send me something little to survive on. We have not been paid by the club, therefore, I cannot help them,” Owusu said.
“Sometimes, I only eat one meal a day. I only get the food if the attendant at the hotel is instructed by the manager. Some fans brought me food on Wednesday and I am really grateful for their kind gesture.”
However, a source at Gor Mahia said it is unclear clear how Owusu was still staying in the hotel yet fellow foreign players David Mapigano and Juma Balinya had rented apartments.
“Usually when a foreign player joins Gor, they familiarise themselves with the environment for even a month then after getting their salary they rent houses,” a source who sought anonymity said.
Though I think that 600k looks high, exaggerated possibly to fleece the club, it’s still sad that a foreign player was contracted when the office knows they can’t afford to pay him.
If his accomodation is that high can you imagine his monthly “salary”.
Gor Mahia office is beyond salvage and it’s advisable for fans to ignore Ngala’s Notice and not pay a single cent to PB 350100 for membership.
Instead register as a member via your branch or initiatives like Augmentin.
These branches / funds can then forward the money (and list of names) to the club by paying specific expenses e.g players salaries (start a salary fund) etc instead of money just disappearing into the bottomless pit that is PB 350100.
Some branches /funds have strong transparency and accountability structures e.g publishing monthly accounts and bank statements. It’s also easier to hold your branch/funds officials accountable.
Ignore 350100!
You can still register as a member through your branch/ funds e.g Augmentin which are accountable and transparent.
Unity (branches/funds) is strength.
Divided (individual membership Ngala’s preferance) GMFC will continue to fall.
Rachier is really embarassing the club. Even all the scandals that have enveloped the club during the Covid 19 break are not motivating him to bring about reforms. Kogalo officials are real charlatans. And some of the people who used to challenge Rachier to be better are now singing his praises.
Gor Mahia players are suffering yet Augmentin officials refuse to release 200k + (and branches retain 122k for bus repair) that was contributed by fans because they claimed that they were raising money for players and TB welfare.
Without the Gor Mahia angle they would not have collected even a single shilling. However it’s not surprising since most of these branches/ initiatives are controlled by Gor Mahia officials.
https://www.goal.com › news
How Nyangi wanted to smuggle Gor Mahia’s Owusu out of ‘detention’ | Goal.com
Owusu has only been at the hotel since January 2020. It seems club officials also incur bills at the hotel and poor Owusu is now being held hostage for their indulgence. I doubt if Owusu’s portion is even 10% of the 600k.
This is a perfect example why the current office cannot be trusted.
Augmentin officials why the silence as Gor players suffer like this.
Why did you form this initiative and incorporate the Gor Mahia name, if not to cater for their main team’s welfare instead of the amorphous and 40 members “Gor Youth Team” scam.
@Charles, I am not an official of Augmentin but a member, the written agreement Augmentin has which was signed by the Chairman of Gor Mahia is that they will pay players and technical bench winning bonuses. Why are you dragging Augmentin in paying a players accommodation fee in a hotel? Do you know the meaning of a written agreement? Augmentin has to strictly operate as per written agreement. The agreement did not include paying players accommodation in hotels. Understand the meaning of an agreement Bro.
Moving forward, the club should rent apartments for foreign players in a secure estate. Renting an apartment is cheaper than staying in a hotel.
But the last payment for some 36 players and TB members of the main team plus an additional payment to a 40 member Gor Youth team were certainly outside the scope of the “strict written agreement” to pay “winning bonuses”.
Payments to 76 individuals of a single broke club.
Which match has the so called youth team won?
A first 11 player is stranded, due the club’s fault, and there is no money to assist him but there is money to pay fringe and youth team players?
Augmentin has also refused to release 200k+ it would never have collected if it didn’t use (exploit) the Gor Mahia brand name.
Augmentin’s brand ambassador Jaro Soja, does the same, exploits the Gor Mahia image for personal gain.
All these were information given by Augmentin in press releases in mid April2020 to Nairobi News I believe.
Wasn’t Augmentin to be a fully open, member driven and player centred initiative?
The independent game changer/ solution to Gor Mahia’s mismanagement e.g exaggerated or at least unsustainable players/TB lists of 76 persons.
Iyi lit gi gir wadu. That is our main undoing. Even where we should outrightly appreciate Augmentin, you are busy fighting it. We ought to learn to appreciate other people’s innovative. Create your own and we will support you. Kudos Augmentin for your down to earth accountability as the wicked ones only begrudgingly” keko” like hens.
Gik wadu!!! EXACTLY not gik Gor.
That’s the point these initiatives pretend to serve players and TB but are actually seem to be fronts for persuing personal interests.
They are exploiting the GMFC brand to attract contributions that they don’t pass on to players/TB or club.
That does not mean they can’t be refocused to achieve the stated goal.
Problem is you don’t use common sense.
What is important?
Welfare of these first team players e.g Owusu, Batambuze, Wellington etc or funding an amorphous youth team?
Where/how are the 40+ youth team players ever going to be assimilated into the senior team first eleven?
If that’s improbable then why spend money on such an unreasonable number?
Is it the youth team that wins the league or participates in CAF?
If GMFC membership is thru PB 350100 why swallow lies that members contributions will be turned into GMFC shares? HOW?
Do you have any answers to these questions?
If you are raising money for Gor Mahia, using Gor Mahia’s name, THEN GIVE THE MONEY TO GOR MAHIA.
Has Augmentin used the money in Ingwe or Ulinxi players? Kindly start your initiative and we will support you. Don’t pull other people’s initiative down. Augmentin has been VERY accountable. Very.
@T,Opiyo one of your statement should have been the headliner. Gor Mahia office is Beyond Repair.Like fatalists we should resign to fate.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://nairobinews.nation.co.ke/amp/sports/opinion-divided-as-gor-mahia-fans-raise-sh187k-for-renovation-of-team-bus&ved=2ahUKEwiy2JfDhMLpAhVL0uAKHf3RBvYQ0PADMAF6BAgFEAo&usg=AOvVaw1XS6-EjEpfXBuabIzXtm3Q&cf=1
nairobinews.nation.co.ke/amp/sports/opinion-divided-as-gor-mahia-fans-raise-sh187k-for-renovation-of-team-bus