Take All Africa Games probe deeper

By Omulo Okoth

It would be interesting for the Committee to know why a senior official who led the team to the Algeria Games returned home only to sneak his resignation to the KNSC

The Parliamentary Departmental Committee on Labour and Social Welfare report on the scandals that rocked the 11th All Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique, in 2011 is out.

It has indicted officials who subjected Kenya to embarrassment in the continental state.

The Sophia A Noor-led committee has made recommendations that some of them should not hold public office again, while others should step down.

The leadership of Charles Nyaberi, who led the Kenyan contingent to Maputo, has been found wanting and blamed for logistical hitches that led to the problems the team faced in Maputo, among them, taking a netball team there yet the sport was not featured.

Nyaberi is the Kenya National Sports Council (KNSC) Treasurer and vice-chairman of Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF). He has chosen to remain mum since.

African Games have, for inexplicable reasons, been treated as cash cow by our officials, who often behave badly and somehow get away with them.

Some of these officials are recycled in the Management Committees that handle other Games.

I recall the events that took place prior, during and after the 10th Africa Games in Algeria in 2007. The then Minister for Sport, Prof Hellen Sambili declined the report.

I urge the Committee to investigate the issues around the Games in Algeria as well.

Relief was palpable all over Africa when it was announced that the Maputo Games were the last to be managed by the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa and that, henceforth, Association of National Olympic Committees in Africa (Anoca) would run future games.

The former was only dealing with governments and not the Olympic Committees. This caused a vicious fight between NOCs and Sports Councils.

In Kenya, the KNSC locked out NOC-K from preparations for the Games, even though the latter were to provide kit and logistical aid for training and performance.

Pre-Games meetings were dominated by two subjects -- how to block the Department of Sport and the National Olympic Committee from playing any significant roles in the African Games.

Some officials still holding senior positions should answer a few questions about Algeria 2010.

People with no roles to play in the management had a good time in Algeria. The conspiracy among officials is so garguantan that sportsmen and women only watch  as they go for shopping sprees.

It would be interesting to know why a senior official who led the team to the Algeria Games returned home only to sneak his resignation to the KNSC.

The then KNSC chairman, Joshua Okuthe, only came to find the resignation letter on his desk without any explanation.

Did he clear with the Council in a manner expected of a senior person? Were procedures followed. Workers are only expected to go after satisfying employers that they have no liabilities.

And why did the Minister decline the report? Was it finally received and audited?

As I said earlier, officials whose roles have been found wanting, often find their ways back in a manner that is only uniquely Kenyan.

The Parliamentary Department Committee might also have an interest in the African Senior Championships that were held in Nairobi in 2010.

The Committee indicted tae kwon do officials for human trafficking.  Many claims have been made before about people who use trips to smuggle friends and relatives abroad. Some federation officials are paid, while others are not.

This is a serious crime, yet very common among Kenyan sports federations. Security apparatus and the Ministry of Sport should take this matter a notch higher.

 

— The writer is The Standard Sports Editor [email protected]