Fencing Federation Accused Of Nepotism Ahead Of Junior Champs

The KenyaFencing Federation (KFF) have been rocked by claims of nepotism ahead of this week’s Africa Junior Championships in Angola.

A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, says the team to the continental competition has been littered with sons and daughters of the federation officials.

“We have the secretary general…none of his children are involved in fencing. And then the treasurer, he has two daughters, one of them came back recently from South Africa with a fencing diploma, trained her other sister and now both of them are in the team. The president’s son, on the other hand, does not know anything about fencing,” the source says.

It added: “I’ve only heard of him (president’s son) this year and now he has been put into the team. Those of us who have been in this sport for long have been pushed to the side.”

The source also points a finger of accusation at Isaac Mburu, a professional fencing coach and national team player, for getting preferential treatment from the federation honchos.

“He is this guy that whenever there is anything fencing, he always comes first. When the ministry of Sports does not send enough funds and we need to trim the squad and drop others, he can never be dropped. The secretary general favours him,” the source further indicated.

In response, the federation’s secretary general Stephen Okalo denied claims of nepotism but said the team was selected by merit.

“We have our selection policy on how we select teams for international championships. This you can find on our website. So, if my son is a good fencer, I will put him in the team. All these other things are just hearsay that lacks no merit at all,” Okalo said.

The secretary general could not deny or confirm whether the team – consisting of eight players – is composed of sons and daughters of officials.

“The team is going to compete at the Africa Junior Championships and you will be able to see them. They are eight players but the information you have been fed with is not the correct one,” he insisted.

The accusations are the latest in a long line of controversies that have riddled the federation in recent years.

They have been embroiled in a back-and-forth with German-born fencer Alexandra Ndolo who has in the past accused them of lack of support in registering her for competitions and funding her preparations.