NAIROBI: Kenya has dropped ten players from their squad for the IRB world series opening tournament in Australia in a dispute with the national board over pay and contracts.

The players, including wingers Collins Injera and Horace Otieno and back-rower Biko Adema, were reportedly unhappy that the board had agreed to draw up performance-driven contracts without consulting them.

Money troubles: the Kenyan sevens team. Credit:Getty Images

They also demanded to be paid appearance fees and bonuses before taking part in the annual Safaricom tournament which gets underway at the Kasarani stadium in Kenya on Friday.

"We have been accused in the past of running a team that is not competition hungry and that some of the players were underperforming at the top level," Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) chairman Mwangi Muthee said.