Use NOCK polls to start process of weeding out rotten apples

After months of resistance, the national Olympic governing body has finally adapted a reformist constitution  paving the way for internal changes within this organisation. The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) has been dogged by claims of corruption and malfeasance and little has been done to clean the rot despite a public outcry.

With a little nudging from the International Olympic Committee, NOCK’s President Kipchoge Keino has finally bowed to pressure and the organisation will now hold elections on May 5. With the introduction of new constitutional clauses to even the playing field during the polls, delegates must vote out the bad apples within NOCK and usher in an era of reforms.

For far too long, our sportsmen and women have been led by a bunch of self-serving volunteers who have used every opportunity to enrich themselves at the expense of the athletes. State authorities have appeared disinterested or unwilling to deal with these unworthy officials even when evidence has been adduced to demonstrate the level of sloth and corruption.

There have been very few prosecutions even after President Uhuru Kenyatta demanded that heads should roll. It is clear that the Director of Public Prosecutions has not moved fast enough to bring more culprits to book.

The forthcoming NOCK elections provide an opportunity to signal that change is coming. Because NOCK is the umbrella body of all national sports associations, reforms within it could be the catalyst for change that is needed to clean up other entities.

Our heroic sports men and women need people of integrity to manage their affairs so that they can concentrate on the task of competing and winning during competitions. Delegates in elections have the onus to weed out the bad apples within NOCK. They should not let us down.