Following a 10-hour undercover operation by Citizen TV in collaboration with the police, a Russian national, a Ugandan, and a Kenyan were apprehended at an apartment in Zimmerman, Nairobi on suspicion of match-fixing.
The trio was suspected of attempting to bribe Nairobi City Stars players to lose to Sofapaka during a Kenya Premier League match at Ruraka Grounds.
The operation began with a whistleblower informing the Nairobi City Stars CEO, Patrick Korir, of the demands made by the suspects.
After hours of communication between the CEO and the suspected match-fixers, the police, and Citizen TV crew were notified.
In a trap set up for the suspects, the players and team manager were wired and arrived at the apartment where they were informed to concede goals during the first ten and final fifteen minutes of the game.
The trio promised the players Ksh1.8 million for every instruction that was followed, with Ksh30,000 to be paid through mobile money transactions for transport to the match venue.
After the police raided the apartment, the players and team manager were taken into custody but later released for assisting the detectives.
According to Korir, exposing such deals will help curb match-fixing in local leagues.
