Two Kenyan athletics officials in court over Rio Games fiasco

NOC-K Secretary General Francis Kanyiri Paul (right) and General Team Manager Pius Ochieng at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi yesterday. The two officials were arrested on Friday night in connection with the Rio 2016 Olympics scandal. (PHOTO: DAVID NJAAGA/ STANDARD)

Two athletics officials have been arraigned even as plans to impeach Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario over the Rio fiasco gathered momentum.

And Kipchoge Keino, president of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K), which Dr Wario has blamed for mismanagement of the national team, declined to discuss the matter, saying “it is a matter in court”.

Dr Keino said he had not been approached by the police to record a statement but he would comply if required. In court yesterday, the prosecution signalled that the Nock boss was likely to be asked to record a statement.

This emerged as the two Nock officials were required to answer to claims of abuse of office and theft. General Team Manager Pius Ochieng and Secretary General Francis Kanyiri were each released on Sh200,000 cash bail.

Prosecutor Dancun Ondimu had applied to have the suspects detained, claiming they were a flight risk and would interfere with investigations.

“A number of Nock officials are not yet back in the country and these include the chairperson, Kipchoge Keino. There is need for him to shed light on what happened before, during and after the Rio 2016 Olympics,” said Mr Ondimu (see separate story).

Referring to sprint coach John Anzrah, who was sent home following allegations of impersonating athlete Ferguson Rotich, Keino said he knew Anzrah “very well”.

“I did not disown him. In fact, I was not in the Olympic Village when the Anzrah case happened. This is a coach I know very well,” said Keino.

In Parliament, a group of MPs led by Homa Bay’s Peter Kaluma and his Cherangany counterpart, Wesley Korir, have drafted a motion to send Wario home concerning the mess that saw athletes and coaches fail to get accreditation, training kits and proper accommodation.

 Plane tickets

Some officials and athletes also missed out on plane tickets in the confusion that began even before the team landed in Rio.

The MPs said they had collected 127 signatures in support of the impeachment motion, which requires 177 signatures to sail through. They want Wario out on grounds of incompetence and mismanagement of the country’s sports sector.

“All sports departments including volleyball, football, Athletics Kenya, Nock among others are under his charge,” said Mr Kaluma.

“Under his watch, he has allowed corrupt practices by Nock and multi-sectoral parties running sports. It is unethical and incompetence amounting to gross misconduct,” he added.

“I’m in full support of the motion,” said Mr Korir who captained the Kenyan team to the games, and who has been leading the onslaught against Wario.

But amid the unfolding plot, three MPs came to Wario’s defence claiming that he should not be blamed for the mess, and that officials in charge of the team should take responsibility.

The MPs argued that Nock and the chief de mission should explain to Kenyans what went wrong during the games.

“Areas such as the management and distribution of sports kits for the team are the key business of Nock. The key agent within Nock is normally the Chief de Mission,” the MPs said in a statement read by Mohammed Shidiye (Lagdera).