Gor Mahia has taken decisive action by instructing all stewards, branch representatives, and team security officials to stay away from stadium gates. This move is crucial to streamline operations within the club.
This directive, confirmed by Gor Mahia CEO Nick Arum on Friday, June 6, comes on the heels of serious concerns that some stewards accepted bribes during the recent home match against our arch-rivals, AFC Leopards. Such actions have directly led to disappointing ticket sales and matchday revenue.
Despite a packed crowd at the Raila Odinga Stadium in Homa Bay last Monday, Gor Mahia managed to collect a mere KSh 2,152,700 in gate revenue—an embarrassingly low figure according to our Vice Chairperson, Sally Bolo.
Bolo did not hold back in her social media post, where she criticized some fans for choosing to bribe their way into the stadium instead of purchasing tickets to support the club. “Some of our own (fans) would rather bribe stewards or police officers than buy valid tickets,” she stated on her Facebook page.
Her remarks have sparked rightful concern among the club’s leadership, which has enacted new measures to secure our home matches. “Effective immediately, during all home matches, gates will be free of stewards, branch representatives, and Gor Mahia security until further notice,” the management declared. Alternative security personnel will be deployed for our upcoming home match against Kenya Police.
Additionally, the club called upon its branches to take responsibility for their internal governance. Each branch was requested to affiliate with the club by contributing KSh20,000, an investment that aimed to further solidify the club’s unity and operational strength. The branches were also tasked with holding internal elections within 60 days to ensure they had a minimum of 50 active registered members and to nominate two stewards entrusted with the important role of field control during matches.
On the ticketing front, the implementation of e-ticketing added another layer of convenience, allowing fans to buy tickets through a simple online process, thus avoiding any potential chaos of cash payments on the day of the match. Gor Mahia urged fans to utilize the provided link for purchasing tickets and to avoid transactions with unauthorized individuals, who had previously caused confusion and complications.
Let it be clear: we categorically prohibit anyone from paying for unauthorized access to the match venue. Everyone, including club officials, is expected to purchase tickets to gain entry to all home matches.