ON YOUR MARKS, SET, GO...TO POLICE: Olympics boss Keino wanted and Tergat, Ndereba to follow for grilling over Rio mess
Athletics
By
CYRUS OMBATI
| Aug 31, 2016
National Olympics Committee of Kenya (Nock) chairman Kipchoge Keino has up to this evening to report to the police to shed light on the Rio Olympics debacle.
Keino was yesterday summoned by a team investigating the matter and asked to report to the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) headquarters by last evening or today.
Officials aware of the probe said the entire Nock board is expected to record statements concerning the probe into missing uniforms and allowances meant for athletes.
“We are waiting for Keino and the other board members who have not recorded their statements. They will come as soon as possible,” said an investigator aware of the progress. Long distance greats Paul Tergat and Catherine Ndereba are the other high profile former athletes expected to record statements.
Ndereba is one of the coaches said to have been kept out of the Athletes Village alongside javelin coach Joseph Mosonik, John Anzrah (sprints) and Mark Barathon (race walking) among others.
The summoning of Keino increases the number of those so far grilled over the matter. They include Pius Ochieng, the Nock general team manager, and Resham Bains, a committee member. Others are James Chacha, Stephen Soi, the head of Team Kenya to the Rio Olympics, and FK Paul, who is the Nock secretary general.
Ochieng and Paul have so far been released by the court on a Sh200,000 bond and ordered to report to DCI twice a week.
Sports Principal Secretary Richard Ekai was also grilled on Saturday.
Director of Criminal Investigations Ndegwa Muhoro said they were investigating the issue of missing uniforms and allowances due to athletes who participated in the Rio Olympics. Chacha is said to have told the investigators that roles were divided in the preparations for the Olympics. For instance, he said, ticketing was left to him and Anne Njambi, uniforms to Ochieng’ and FK Paul, local allowances to Nock Treasurer Fridah Shiroya, and medical issues to Dr Julius Ogeto. This was all supervised by the steering committee.
Sports CS Hassan Wario disbanded Nock following athletes’ complaints of mistreatment. He has since appointed a team to investigate the matter.