Africa Games: PS Kaberia says cash delays will not be an issue again

Sports PS Kirimi Kaberia welcomes Team Kenya from the 2019 African Games at the Jomo Kenya International Airport on Tuesday, September 3, 2019 [Courtesy]

National teams across all sports disciplines heading to international assignments, starting with the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, this month will be paid allowances 14 days before leaving the country, Sports PS Kirimi Kaberia has announced.

In a revolutionary move aimed at ending the hue and cry before and after international tournaments, the PS Kaberia said tickets will be ready one week to date departure.

The PS was speaking at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport when he received the national team from African Games.

Kenya finished seventh with 11 gold, 10 silver and 10 bronze.

“We have come here to celebrate the achievement of our heroes for doing our country proud and above all make a commitment that never again will payment of allowances be an issue,” Kaberia said.

“For years now, the achievements of our athletes on the global stage have been overshadowed, and regrettably, by complaints of late or non-payment of such allowances. The IAAF World Championships in Doha will be our pilot project to ensure everything goes according to government policy which we have now put in place,” the PS said while revealing that Central Bank of Kenya had paid out the allowances except for players whose bank details did not match with what was provided.

He also called on federations to align their operations and naming of final teams to the policy.

Others to welcome back the team was Athletics Kenya and Boxing Federation of Kenya presidents Lt Gen (Rtd) Jackson Tuwei and Anthony ‘Jamal’ Ombok who praised the national teams' performances.

Athletics, as usual, provided most of the medals….

Kenya’s boxing team, the Hit Squad, posted an improved performance by ranking eighth having won five medals; one silver and four bronze medals.

BKF president Ombok said their focus was now on to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics African qualifiers in Dakar, Senegal in February next year.

As a result, BFK has appointed its Competitions Secretary John Waweru, who is a qualified AIBA Level Three tactician to be one of the three coaches who will handle ‘The Hit Squad’ on the road to Tokyo Olympics.

“We have to admit that we have a lot of work to do. Fortunately, and going by the results in Morocco, the players and the technical bench have showed they are ready to work hard. As BFK, we will work with the coaches to realise this dream,” Ombok, popularly called Jamal, said.

Head coach Musa Benjamin said boxing is rapidly changing especially in the manner of scoring points.

“It is generally back to the basics for us to teach our boxers how to combine hard and soft punches so as to score points. We noticed also that our boxers were slow off the mark picking up in the second and third rounds, a time when their opponents had already outscored them. We will work on it,” Benjamin said.