Keino should not think of heading National Olympic Committee of Kenya family again

Dr.Kipchoge Keino

Mid-last week, sports writers were stunned when a Twitter user posted that National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) Deputy Treasurer Stephen Soi had been appointed the Chef de Mission for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Gold Coast, Australia, in April.

Ideally, such an appointment should not raise eyebrows as it would demonstrate that Nock is on top of affairs, but the problem is that Soi is facing corruption and abuse of office charges emanating from last year’s fiasco at the Rio Olympic Games, where he held a similar post.

He had been barred from travelling out of Kenya as a condition for his bail but was cleared by a court to travel to Gold Coast as Africa Commonwealth Games Federations’ co-ordinator. He had not been appointed as the Chef de Mission, at least according to Nock.

News about Soi’s new “appointment” capped months of Nock being in the news for all the wrong reasons. On Tuesday, this paper’s Gilbert Wandera wrote that “the game of musical chairs at Nock appears to be far from over” as the committee considers selling its unfinished 16-storey headquarters to pay debts, a consideration that has been criticised by some of its affiliates.

The construction of Nock’s Olympic Plaza in Nairobi’s Upper Hill began in 2012 and was scheduled for completion two years ago, but work stalled and Nock now owes financiers and contractors Sh300 millio. That is why the unfinished piece of brick and mortar is to be sold.

Before dust could settle on Nock’s debt chronicles, we were told that disagreements have emerged among committee members over the process of the long over-due elections. Some of its affiliates have accused officials of plotting to run the elections scheduled for September 29.

The squabbles came as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which had frozen funding to Nock (a factor that added to the financial mess till it puts its house, unfinished or not, in order), had called for independence of the electoral board that will oversee the elections.

It can be argued that the push and pull around Nock’s constitution and elections are the cause of its numerous problems, but those are the end results of a deeper rot occasioned by officials who do not realise that running a sports body in the 21st century needs more grit and tact than just the ability to win a medal in the 1968 Olympics.

The buck must stop somewhere, and Nock President Kipchoge Keino cannot run away, even literally considering his age, from the irresponsibility that has pushed, and continues to push Nock into a financial and management quagmire.

It is painful to imagine that despite the imbroglio Nock is in, some of the current officials, including Kipchoge, still want to be at the helm for another term. In fact, Nock needs more than just a new set of officials, which is why Kipchoge and those who served under him should not even think of holding office again.

The writer is an editor with The Standard, Weekend Editions.