Gary Kasparov Hands Chess Kenya Complex Chess Position

We all remembered our Gary Kasparov visit Nairobi sometime last year and whose visit was covered by this blog.


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The story does not just end there.   You will all recall that Gary tried very hard to unseat incumbent FIDE BigWig Kirsan  Ilyumzhinov during the just concluded 2014 Olympiad.  Gary was on the roll in Africa and Kenya decided to wholeheartedly support Gary's bid.

Of course we extracted something from Kasparov Chess Foundation.  We got a trip for George Githui to fly to China to attend a FIDE arbiter training course, Chairman Githinji was on the same trip.  George then flew again to Tromso to be part of his campaign team.

We got a 5,000 chess set donation from KCF.  Well that is the complex position that Chess Kenya is now facing.  The sets are stuck at the Kenya port of Mombasa awaiting clearance.  The duty/VAT payable is now close to KShs 1,000,000 or USD 12,000 and rising every day due to port charges.

Chess Kenya is hoping for the Ministry of Finance or Kenya Revenue Authority to waive the duties/VAT.  Well one can hope for this but it is not going to happen in this time and age.  Chess Kenya does not have the funds to clear the bill and hence the sets continue to sit in Mombasa.

Chess Kenya Chairman Githinji Hinga was informed by government officials that there would be no problem with duty/VAT and hence their decision to go ahead with the plan.

What will happen now?  My suspicion is that the goods will get auctioned after some time and that will be the end of it.

I guess I will eventually owe a set from KCF in the near future!!