KBF withdraw teams from All Africa Games qualifiers

By Oscar Pilipili

Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) have withdrawn national teams from ongoing All Africa Games (AAG) Qualifiers in Rwanda and slapped indefinite ban on two senior players on allegations of incitement.

The federation took the tough action after both men’s and women’s teams boycotted training on several occasions over allowances in Kigali.

KBF chairman Paul Otula said by deciding to stage the sit-ins, the players had blackmailed the Government that financed their participation in the Qualifiers and the federation on the other hand.

KBF officials on ground in Kigali have reportedly been pleading with players to honour matches.

And Otula now strongly feels enough is enough and the chicken should come home to roost.

The chairman revealed he had advised Secretary General Vitalis Gode to write a withdrawal note to organisers of the Qualifiers with immediate effect.

He said: "Incitement directly lowers performance, it will not be easy for the team to pick up. We’ve immediately banned Anjeline (Luchivya) and Ben Oluoch from national teams and all basketball activities for inciting players to reject Government allowance."

"While still in Kenya the players and coaches knew what had been approved by the Government and I wonder why they didn’t reject then," added Otula.

"Why embarrass the Government in Rwanda? This sabotage is totally unacceptable,"

an evidently angry Otula told FeverPitch on telephone yesterday.

Each member of the team was entitled to Sh5,000 as daily allowance but it is not yet clear what amount the players were demanding for.

Betraying country

Otula maintained that inciters must be banned and "if the team is sympathetic it should be disbanded for betraying their country."

According to Otula, Kenyans refused to attend training yesterday morning to further press for their agenda. Without naming names, he reckoned that some people in the federation were using the national teams to settle personal scores.

"Nobody should use Kenya to settle personal scores and this should never happen," reiterated Otula. The chairman pointed that most of the senior players in the teams had used basketball to better their lives and should not therefore deny youngsters opportunity to similarly achieve their goals.

When reached for comment, Sports Commissioner Gordon Oluoch felt that loyalty to the country should come before everything else.

He said: "Money is good and important but I’m still a subscriber to the old feeling that loyalist to the country is paramount."

The Commissioner opined that players should have honoured fixtures and then raise the issue of allowances at another forum.

"Our teams are doing very well in Rwanda and have good chances of qualifying for All Africa Games," said Oluoch.

Kenyan men defeated Tanzania 61-56 in a match they reluctantly accepted to play after staging a boycott last Wednesday.

The men’s team was seeking its first appearance in the multi-disciplined All Africa Games since their last appearance in Cairo, Egypt 20 years ago. KBF decision to withdraw the teams means the men have to wait a little bit longer to play in the event.