Tikolo’s resignation welcome, but more needs to be done

Reports that Cricket Kenya (CK) Chief Executive Officer Tom Tikolo has quit office are surprising, but welcome to the local cricket fraternity, given the circumstaces of his exit.

Tikolo, a former International Cricket Council (ICC) development officer and Kenyan international, became CK’s chief executive officer in 2005 and went on to build reputation as one of Africa’s most trusted cricket administrators.

But Tikolo’s woes begun when it was recently discovered he had not accounted for Sh750,000 he claimed in May last year while in an Under-15 youth tournament in West Indies.

Revelations about financial impropriety at CK are likely to dent the organisation’s image, given that it has been struggling to distance itself from cases of financial misappropriation that dogged its forerunner, Kenya Cricket Association.

For a country that is struggling to make cricket popular among the masses following the national team’s surprise semi-final feat at the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, mismanagement of resources is the last thing that should emerge. While Tikolo’s resignation paves way for investigation into the matter, and given that he has reportedly offered to pay back the money, his accomplices should also own up to their mess and face the law.

Officials of other sports federations who have been caught up in financial impropriety should do the honourable thing and resign. Local sports administrators should get away from the culture of sticking in office, even when they are caught in the middle of huge financial scandals as is the case with football officials or the Ministry of Education officials and the mysterious disappearance of money meant for buying pencils. This culture of impropriety will scare away sponsors from sports.