Controversy Surrounds Sh583M From The Goverment Meant For Allowances To Kenyan Athletes As Politicians And Joyriders Enjoys More

NOCK chairman Kipchoge Keino

Scandals continue to rock the athletics team sent to represent Kenya in the Rio Olympics. The few days that the team has been in Brazil, three officials have been sent home laced with mild allegations. The first to be kicked out of the camp was Michael Rotich who was linked to a doping cartel by agreeing to a bribe for alerting athletes on eminent drug tests. Rotich was arrested upon arrival in Kenya from Brazil and arraigned in court where he was charged and released on bond.

Next in line was the sprint’s coach John Anzrah who according to reports impersonated an athlete at the Rio’s athletes village and even gave urine samples for doping tests. It emerged the coach was using the athlete’s accreditation to access free food in the village since him, and many others lacked the vital document. As it turns out, a bunch of coaches have been locked out of the athletes’ village for the lack of proper accreditation which is NOCK’s sole duty to ensure and secure.

Its such a degradation that a good number of the athlete’s coaches are forced to cohabit and squeeze themselves in downtown hotels because incompetent and greedy NOCK and sports ministry officials didn’t prioritise and failed to secure accommodation and accreditation of these key role players in the competition.

While Coaches are squeezed to the edges of living cockroaches life, MPs, ministry officials including their kids and concubines a whole package of joyriders and unnecessary baggage are having top of life treatment inRio at the expense of the athletes. While the athletes are allocated mere $250 daily allowance, the politicians and joyriders growing bellies and getting massaged by the swollen number of prostitutes in the Rio beaches are earning, wait for it, $500/daily allowance, to do nothing.

Kenyan athletes at the 201 6Olympics opening-ceremony

It’s a shame and mockery to the hardworking athletes that their coaches are forced to live outside while NOCK under CS Wario’s watch ensured all politicians and their concubines and families acquired full accreditation to the athletes’ villages. How do these athletes gain maximum fitness without their coaches’ guidance, does NOCK understand the importance of having a coach or they think its joy riding? NOCK should be disbanded as soon as the selfish officials touchdown for cruel treatment of the people who matter most in this competition.

A scandal has cropped that NIKE, Kenya’s official jersey sponsor, gave out 8 Tshirts to each athlete only for the athletes to receive one t-shirt which they have to repeat throughout the competition. Said NOCK officials retain and sell out at high prices. Nike also gave out sandals and sunglasses both have disappeared. NOCK is placed to suck on the athletes to the bone marrow what a hoax of a body.

A group of 12 MPs including members of staff of both the Senate and the National Assembly are on the for all-expenses-paid trip to Rio Olympics in Brazil

They will each earn Ksh 50,000 per day in allowances which are a total of KSh8.4 million during their three weeks stay in Brazil. The group will cost the tax payer a whopping Sh8.4 million for the stipend for the three weeks they will be attending the games, Apart from the hefty per diem, the tax -payer will have to pay for the delegation’s air- fare which will total to at least KSh 3.1 million. These are the official figures but these people have travelled with their kids and concubines at the expense of taxpayers and while hide this under mysterious particulars.

The legislators who’ve travelled to Rio include; Matungu MP David Were, Senator Martha Wangari, Senator Isaac Melly, Stewart Madzayo, Muriuki Karue, Joy Gwendo Senator Muriuki Karue. While these are living as the royal family in Rio, these coaches are living like beggars and at the mercies. The Deputy President is also in Rio with an obese delegation so you can do the math, all on the taxpayer’s bill.

Kenya Olympics Athletic team manager Michael Rotich arrives at a Milimani court

The government released up to Sh.583M for athletes’ allowances, but things don’t seem to be adding up well as the trickle down effect on the players can barely shake a leaf casting doubts into the expenditures and truth in it.

With such a hefty allocation, it’s disturbing that Kenya’s physiotherapists and team doctors be treated are given a paperweight daily allowance of Sh10,000 instead of the proposed Sh100,000 when they are out of the country.

The athletes were entitled to Sh2,000 per athlete per day in local training camp and $250 while in Rio.

The Uasin Gishu county government had footed allowances for the 56 field and track athletes camping at the Kipchoge Keino High-Performance Training Centre at Sh60,000 per athlete and the marathoners who were based at the Naiberi camp site.

The Nandi county government, on the other hand, donated Sh1 million to cater for allowances for the rugby team which was camping at the Nandi Bears Club. With all these reprieves to the budget, you get the actual picture that NOCK was saved on expenses but knowing Kenya and Kenyans this money will be hiding in some undeserving pockets.

It was humiliating during the opening ceremony when Team Kenya was paraded without formal clothes, with some wearing tracksuits while others were in T-shirts and kitenge tops. NOCK with all the millions I am funding couldn’t organise and ensure uniformity in parade clothes.

While we applaud the real Kenyan spirits on our athletes as they put aside the ogre characters and animalistic treatment they’re forced to and put through by the cannibalising NOCK and sports ministry officials to give a spirited fight, we must in all venomous tone disparage the incompetent NOCK.

Whatever has happened inRio should be the last of many, we must restructure the system and have a body that puts the priorities of the team ahead of everybody and anything else. Every cent must be accounted for when the bell finally goes off and the finishing line crossed.