We're loading the full news article for you. This includes the article content, images, author information, and related articles.
AFC Leopards missed out on a potential fortune from Collins Sichenje’s 290 million shilling transfer to Charlton Athletic due to a failure to negotiate a sell-on clause.

While Collins Sichenje’s multi-million shilling move to England is a triumph for the player, it is a damning indictment of the financial illiteracy plaguing Kenyan football management.
The Harambee Stars defender has completed a sensational transfer to Charlton Athletic, a deal worth a reported 290 million Kenyan shillings. Yet, AFC Leopards, the club that gave him his platform, will watch this windfall bypass their bank accounts entirely. This is not just bad luck; it is a structural failure in how Kenyan clubs conduct the business of football.
The devil is in the details, or in this case, the missing details. When AFC Leopards sold Sichenje to Swedish side AIK in 2022, they accepted a modest fee of approximately 5 million Kenyan shillings. Crucially, they failed to insert a sell-on clause—a standard contractual stipulation that entitles the selling club to a percentage of future transfer fees. It is a rookie error in the global transfer market, one that separates the feeder clubs that thrive from those that merely survive.
Contrast this with FK Vojvodina, the Serbian club that just sold him to Charlton. They reportedly negotiated a 20 percent sell-on clause. This means if Sichenje moves again to a Premier League giant, the Serbians will cash in once more without lifting a finger. Kenyan clubs, meanwhile, are left fighting for scraps, relying on complex "solidarity payments" that are often difficult to enforce and amount to a pittance compared to transfer percentages.
Sichenje’s trajectory—from Kakamega to Nairobi, Sweden, Finland, Serbia, and now London—is the dream path for every Kenyan footballer. But for the clubs, it should be a lesson in economics. The current model, where players leave for free or for nominal fees without future protections, is unsustainable. It turns Kenyan clubs into charitable nurseries for European profiteers.
AFC Leopards management must now answer difficult questions from their membership. How did a talent of this magnitude slip through their fingers with no long-term financial interest attached? As Sichenje dons the Charlton jersey, the celebration in Nairobi is muted by the realization of what could have been—a transformative injection of capital that was signed away years ago.
Keep the conversation in one place—threads here stay linked to the story and in the forums.
Sign in to start a discussion
Start a conversation about this story and keep it linked here.
Other hot threads
E-sports and Gaming Community in Kenya
Active 9 months ago
The Role of Technology in Modern Agriculture (AgriTech)
Active 9 months ago
Popular Recreational Activities Across Counties
Active 9 months ago
Investing in Youth Sports Development Programs
Active 9 months ago