Kenya 7s Women team. [Photo/Kenyanvibe]
The Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) has expressed its disappointment after Sportpesa canceled all sponsorship for Kenyan sports teams.
The gaming firm announced on Tuesday that the move was aimed at staying afloat after the government imposed 35 percent tax on betting firms.
In a statement, KRU noted that it will have to re-examine its structures at every level.
Here is the Union's statement in full:"The KRU has received with great dismay the cancellation of its partnership with SportPesa.SportPesa has been a key partner in our planning and growth and has supported our sport at every level.The cancellation of this contract forces us to completely re-examine our structures and we immediately call upon the government to step into the breach and provide the necessary support as guided by the Sports Act.Our 2018 calendar includes the Rugby Africa Championships for our U20s in April, Lionesses participation at the HSBC Women’s Sevens World Series qualifiers in Hong Kong and as well as the Commonwealth Games, and the Women’s Africa Cup 7s in September.Simba, our National 15s team will play in the Africa Gold Cup which in 2018 will serve as the African qualifiers for the 2019 Rugby World Cup with Rugby World Cup qualification this year while Shujaa, the National 7s team takes part in the World Series between now and May, participates in the Commonwealth Games in Australia in April as well as the Rugby 7s World Cup in San Francisco in July.We need huge support to manage all this and will immediately seek an audience with the Cabinet Secretary of Sports to pursue this further."