Netball officials under fire over state of sport

Trouble is brewing at the Kenya Netball Federation (KNF), with a section of administrators accusing the General Secretary Lilian Anupi of running the federation single-handedly, a move they say has seen the sport deteriorate in the recent years.

Led by Makueni County Netball Umpires’ Association chairperson Joseph Makau, umpires, players, coaches and the Kenya University players’ associations met on Saturday at Kaloleni Social Hall, Nairobi, to deliberate on steps towards reviving the sport in the country.

“We are appealing to the Registrar of Sports federations to guide us on how to get the General Secretary Anupi to call for an Annual General Meeting which has never been convened since the officials took office,” said Makau.

“As it is, the Constitution has been flouted and we believe the Registrar can advise us. For instance, KNF elections are due in February, yet no communication or arrangemnets are in place.

“What is hurting the sport more is that in this day and age the national federation is not even recognised by the continental body, let alone the international one,” Makau said.

“National teams missing out on the international stage since 2011 is not a laughing matter. We have no physical office, the national league has only three active teams.”

Anupi, however, denied running the federation alone adding saying she had done everything in her power to grow the sport.

“Those are mere allegations. They are saying that I have squandered money, does the federation have sponsors for people to say I have misappropriated it. The people who are complaining don’t even contribute anything in the growth of the sport. Why can’t the players complain? When we have courses, the same people who met at Kaloleni don’t pay when they take part,” she said. [Rebecca Jebet]