Samwel Mushai crosses the line, Paralympics legend with three good medals to his chest.
One wouldn’t be mistaken to think that there’s no Paralympics games going on in Brazil now. With a cold media coverage and lip seal service by majority of social media users in Kenya, everything surrounding the competition has been swept under the drains.
The competition is barely days to closure and its not getting any serious headlines and social media buzz as that of the Stellar athletes whose trip was filled with fiasco stench. Does this cold treatment expose the societal double standards, isn’t it telling how we look down upon the physically challenged in the society? Isn’t it telling of inner disgusting assumption amongst other people that they’re lesser of human? Why can’t we see the athletes winning gold on front pages, why can’t we see those congratulatory messages from the President and other dignitaries flowing as they were on the Stellar athletes?
Isn’t Paralympics medals a shame or a pride to us as a nation? We must treat each other equally that sense of inclusion boosts patriotism morale. We need to motivate these athletes.
Mark you it’s the same scandalous NOCK that took the athletes to the Paralympics let’s not start imagining the obvious atrocities they’ve been subjected to and looting with zero media coverage and no one to voice for the athletes, the forest with different monkeys must be pretty on fire. Talking of Nock, it’s emerging the dirty body allocated Sh18M for Nike lots for athletes while Nike the official kits sponsor gave them out for free. Nock booked a cruise ship and hotel for President Uhuru which he didn’t attend, needless to say it’s only the Presidential Unit who arranges all the Presidents visits and not NOCK. Do I need to add that the officials behind the NOCK mismanagement are free?
So far Kenya’s Samwel Mushai Kimani has added T11 1500m gold to his 5000m title, clocking 4:03.25 for victory. Mushai is becoming a legend in the Paralympics. He has three GOLDS. Samuel and Wilson Bii had opened Kenya’s medal haul winning gold and bronze respectively in the 5,000m final last Thursday. With four medals won, Kenya sits at position 42 out of 70 nations that have so far claimed medals.
Kenya Insights celebrates these unappreciated heroes and praises them for continuing to fly the Kenyan flags high. Continue with the good work and spirit, Kenyans of great morals are with you.
Face of Noc-K incompetence. Kipchoge missed out on his bottle at the dehydration point. No Kenyan official was there to hand him his bottle while other athletes were given theirs. He went ahead and won gold.
The end to the unending fiasco, dramas of the Olympic organising body Noc-K is far from being over. The Athletes Village in Rio has been officially closed forcing the Kenyan athletes who are still in Brazil to seek accommodation in other elsewhere.
Kenya which had the most medals in the Olympics amongst African Countries and second Worldwide, instead of being treated to royal amenities, were scrolled out by the corrupt Noc-K to some downtown Hotel that even a rag sack prostitute wouldn’t roam to spend the remainder of their days in Brazil.
Wesley Kipkorir the MP also Rio athlete highlighted the issue on his Twitter page
We learn the athletes refused to disembark from the Bus having seen the pathetic conditions of the hotel. How could the committee decide on taking the precious athletes to such a dark place while the Government released Sh.600M for the athletes but was unfortunately squandered by Joyriders? These MPs and rest of Joyriders at the expense of the athletes enjoyed top of the world treatment, spending their days in top class hotels while doing nothing, and now the same Noc-K couldn’t organise for the deserving athletes to be treated in the same or even higher class hotels.
Why is Noc-K trying so hard to kill the spirits of the athletes and eventually Sports as a whole, they’re going further to expose these champions to Zuka Virus in the heavily mosquito infested hotels like the frustrations they’ve been subjected to ain’t enough. Noc-K is a sham of a body that has brought shame to this Country and must be dealt with at the infant stage. People have to pack their bags and move out, preferably, to jail.
The Kenyan athletes representing the country has in the entire competition been faced with endless problems and avoidable mishaps courtesy of incompetency with NOC-K who have been blamed for the predicaments.
The team has faced travel and accreditation challenges among other problems as it emerged that some Senators are wallowing in luxury in posh hotels in Brazil at the expense of the Kenyan tax payer. As the athletes strain themselves, legislators including 21 MPs are blowing a cool Sh.3.2M each as an allowance for the 21 days during the Olympics, and that’s Sh.50,000 daily. That’s away from the travel expenses.
Below is a list Kenya Insights has obtained of the NOCK officials sent to the games. Note that there are those in the trip at taxpayers expense but have not been included in the list. Includes officials kids and clandestine. STEERING COMMITTEE NAME ORGANIZATION ROLL
1 Amb Richard Ekai Principal Secretary Sports
2 Joseph Okundo Principle Secretary Culture
3 Kipchoge Keino Chairman NOCK
4 Francis K Paul Secretary General NOCK
5 James Waweru Chairman ADAK
6 Japhter Rugut CEO ADAK
7 Jackson Tuwei President AK
8 Nderitu Gikaria Chairman KNSC
9 Fred Muteti Chairman Sports Kenya
10 Samuel Njonde Chairman Sports Fund
11 Gordon Olouch Ag. Director General Sports Kenya
12 Jaxon Indakwa Ag. Director General Sports Fund
13 James S Kinyanjui Legal Officer
14 Sharad Rao Legal Officer TREASURY
15 Francis Anyona Oino Controller of Budgets
16 Peter Muhia Wanjiku Desk officer MOSCA CHEF DE MISSION
17 Stephen Arap Soi NOCK CENTRAL MANAGEMENT
18 Bernard Ekumbo Deputy CDM (NOCK)
19 James Chacha Executive Officer (NOCK)
20 Fridah Shiroya Finance Officer (NOCK)
21 Pius Ochieng General Team Manager (NOCK)
22 Julius Ogeto Chief Medical Officer
23 Patrick Nkabu Finance Officer (Ministry)
24 Cathrine Ndereba Deputy GTM (NOCK)
25 Resham Bains NOCK
26 Anna Njambi Documentation Officer (NOCK)
27 Peter Angwenyi Media Liasion officer (NOCK)
28 Christopher Lorot
29 Joseph Kiget
30 William Yiampoy
31 Lydia Kamau
32 Maurine Mutuku
33 Dorothy Otieno
34 Peter Ekai
35 Wesly Maritim
36 Lamech Oriku
37 Abdullahi Omar
Senators
Stewart Madzayo (Taita Taveta)
Martha Wangari (nominated)
Godfrey Kariuki (Nakuru),
Karue Muraguri (Nyandarua)
Joy Gwendo (nominated)
Mvita Kisasa Mshenga (nominated)
Abdirahman Ali (Wajir)
John Munyes (Turkana)
Halima Abdille (nominated).
We’re yet to get the list of the MPs but will update as soon as we get it. One is left wondering what was the urgency that Kenya had to fly out almost entire parliament to Rio. What values would they be adding to the players if not milking their kitty? The millions used in accommodating the joyriders doing nothing meaningful but random escapades could’ve been used to add more monetary value to the medals won by athletes.
Treasury gave Sh.600M to NOCK for the competition and from the looks nearly three-quarters has been spent on the joyriders, squandered with players getting a struggling quarter of their allocations. This trend of scavenging and eating off other’s sweat is not only sickening but puts Kenya in the books of shame for mistreating their players, and you wonder why athletes are not taking a second thought in auctioning their citizenship to countries like Bahrain who treat them better.
If it were so important for Parliament to witness and make a report out of the competition then why not send a handful even one MP instead of the bunch sent. This is an open misuse of public funds, the extravagance adding to the already heavy debt burden to the taxpayer must be discouraged. Sports CS owes Kenyans answers and the values added by spending millions on the undeserving joy riders
Scandals continue to rock the athletics team sent to represent Kenya in the Rio Olympics. The few days that the team has been in Brazil, three officials have been sent home laced with mild allegations. The first to be kicked out of the camp was Michael Rotich who was linked to a doping cartel by agreeing to a bribe for alerting athletes on eminent drug tests. Rotich was arrested upon arrival in Kenya from Brazil and arraigned in court where he was charged and released on bond.
Next in line was the sprint’s coach John Anzrah who according to reports impersonated an athlete at the Rio’s athletes village and even gave urine samples for doping tests. It emerged the coach was using the athlete’s accreditation to access free food in the village since him, and many others lacked the vital document. As it turns out, a bunch of coaches have been locked out of the athletes’ village for the lack of proper accreditation which is NOCK’s sole duty to ensure and secure.
Its such a degradation that a good number of the athlete’s coaches are forced to cohabit and squeeze themselves in downtown hotels because incompetent and greedy NOCK and sports ministry officials didn’t prioritise and failed to secure accommodation and accreditation of these key role players in the competition.
While Coaches are squeezed to the edges of living cockroaches life, MPs, ministry officials including their kids and concubines a whole package of joyriders and unnecessary baggage are having top of life treatment inRio at the expense of the athletes. While the athletes are allocated mere $250 daily allowance, the politicians and joyriders growing bellies and getting massaged by the swollen number of prostitutes in the Rio beaches are earning, wait for it, $500/daily allowance, to do nothing.
Kenyan athletes at the 201 6Olympics opening-ceremony
It’s a shame and mockery to the hardworking athletes that their coaches are forced to live outside while NOCK under CS Wario’s watch ensured all politicians and their concubines and families acquired full accreditation to the athletes’ villages. How do these athletes gain maximum fitness without their coaches’ guidance, does NOCK understand the importance of having a coach or they think its joy riding? NOCK should be disbanded as soon as the selfish officials touchdown for cruel treatment of the people who matter most in this competition.
A scandal has cropped that NIKE, Kenya’s official jersey sponsor, gave out 8 Tshirts to each athlete only for the athletes to receive one t-shirt which they have to repeat throughout the competition. Said NOCK officials retain and sell out at high prices. Nike also gave out sandals and sunglasses both have disappeared. NOCK is placed to suck on the athletes to the bone marrow what a hoax of a body.
A group of 12 MPs including members of staff of both the Senate and the National Assembly are on the for all-expenses-paid trip to Rio Olympics in Brazil
They will each earn Ksh 50,000 per day in allowances which are a total of KSh8.4 million during their three weeks stay in Brazil. The group will cost the tax payer a whopping Sh8.4 million for the stipend for the three weeks they will be attending the games, Apart from the hefty per diem, the tax -payer will have to pay for the delegation’s air- fare which will total to at least KSh 3.1 million. These are the official figures but these people have travelled with their kids and concubines at the expense of taxpayers and while hide this under mysterious particulars.
The legislators who’ve travelled to Rio include; Matungu MP David Were, Senator Martha Wangari, Senator Isaac Melly, Stewart Madzayo, Muriuki Karue, Joy Gwendo Senator Muriuki Karue. While these are living as the royal family in Rio, these coaches are living like beggars and at the mercies. The Deputy President is also in Rio with an obese delegation so you can do the math, all on the taxpayer’s bill.
Kenya Olympics Athletic team manager Michael Rotich arrives at a Milimani court
The government released up to Sh.583M for athletes’ allowances, but things don’t seem to be adding up well as the trickle down effect on the players can barely shake a leaf casting doubts into the expenditures and truth in it.
With such a hefty allocation, it’s disturbing that Kenya’s physiotherapists and team doctors be treated are given a paperweight daily allowance of Sh10,000 instead of the proposed Sh100,000 when they are out of the country.
The athletes were entitled to Sh2,000 per athlete per day in local training camp and $250 while in Rio.
The Uasin Gishu county government had footed allowances for the 56 field and track athletes camping at the Kipchoge Keino High-Performance Training Centre at Sh60,000 per athlete and the marathoners who were based at the Naiberi camp site.
The Nandi county government, on the other hand, donated Sh1 million to cater for allowances for the rugby team which was camping at the Nandi Bears Club. With all these reprieves to the budget, you get the actual picture that NOCK was saved on expenses but knowing Kenya and Kenyans this money will be hiding in some undeserving pockets.
It was humiliating during the opening ceremony when Team Kenya was paraded without formal clothes, with some wearing tracksuits while others were in T-shirts and kitenge tops. NOCK with all the millions I am funding couldn’t organise and ensure uniformity in parade clothes.
While we applaud the real Kenyan spirits on our athletes as they put aside the ogre characters and animalistic treatment they’re forced to and put through by the cannibalising NOCK and sports ministry officials to give a spirited fight, we must in all venomous tone disparage the incompetent NOCK.
Whatever has happened inRio should be the last of many, we must restructure the system and have a body that puts the priorities of the team ahead of everybody and anything else. Every cent must be accounted for when the bell finally goes off and the finishing line crossed.
As the general public in Kenya and International friendly countries take pride in our victorious athletes, some fictitious characters are not reciprocating the appreciation. More than ever in History, the Kenta’s team to Rio has been rocked with chaos and sportsmen slammed with unsettled state of mind and all these thanks to the disorganised Olympic’s committee and the unconcerned Sports ministry.
The National Olympic Committee of Kenya(NOC-K) has been a pain in the ankles of many athletes who’ve been forced and reduced to hopeless and insignificant persons in the international competitions, yet they’re the main characters in these games. The gaffes at NOC-K started even before the athletes flew out and Julius Yego called them out pointing at the incompetence and sheer negligence by the officials.
Later on, as the athletes were flying out, drama ensued when Yego one of the most valued athletes in the team could not travel since he had a ticket hitch which is upon the NOC-K to process for all athletes, someone was trying to pull strings, bad way. A standoff was planted at JKIA and athletes refused to fly out until Yego’s issue was resolved, and it was. More disturbing, Yego’s coach was not booked to travel with him for proper preparations and scheduled for Rio a day to Yego’s performance in the field.
This was happening when Sports Ministry officials led by CS Wario in what Kenya Insights learns who are even more than the athlete’s numbers had already been flown ahead of athletes and booked into luxurious hotels for the rest of the Olympics period while back home athletes and coaches had hopes hanging on a cliff what a joke.
Still, on NOC-K’s ineptitude, a Kenyan sprinter Boniface Mweresa named for men’s 4x400m relay team was dropped just a week to the competition, the news was delivered to him while in the training camp with rest of Kenya team. Another Sprinter, a Kenyan-US based Carvin Nkanata was barred from competing in the games following Passport hitch.
Carvin has dual citizenship and had his US passport with him, turned away, he had the option to appeal the decision so the NOC-K could facilitate to have his Kenyan passport and have him back in the competition, the committee refused to appeal in his favour as similar cases get appeals in other teams. Carvin was forced to travel back to the US as pot bellied officials opted to ride on his bills.
President Uhuru and the Rio Team when he flagged them off at Statehouse
Another coach John Anzrah adds to the humiliation of Kenya’s team after NOC-K official Michael Rotich was sent home for his doping cartel involvement. Anzarah was also sent packing after he posed as an athlete for doping test by giving his urine samples. In a twist, the concerned athlete claims Anzrah used his accreditation purely to obtain free meals from the athlete’s village. This means NOC-K officials couldn’t secure accreditation for the coaches so they have to rely on the athlete’s IDs and shadow to survive such a mess.
As Coaches survive on pathetic and desperate lines, Sports officials who even took their kids and concubines with them are enjoying the moments of their lives in the luxury hotels outside, an MP Wamalwa was caught on camera drinking heavy and enjoying the tourism commodities(prostitutes) in Rio.
One wonders who should’ve been the key priority for the committee and the officials. Wario as the responsible CS must take responsibility and roast in the heat. Players and coaches should’ve been the top priority and not lazy staff members who are not adding any value to the team and to anyone other than overburdening the taxpayer. These frustrations on athletes would dampen their moods and affect their performances. To sound like a prophet of doom, Kenya might just witness the worst performance ever. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen and if it does look for Wario and his incompetent bandwagon.
With all these psychological torture and belittling phase the athletes are forced by the carnivorous, prejudiced and inefficient officials, killing the patriotism spirit of the team. Don’t be surprised if some athletes belt out and agree to be bought by other countries who will appreciate and give them the respect and royal treatment that they deserve. Athletics is one of the basics that makes Kenya standout and put us on the tourism destination maps, and we must not gamble with it. We must say shame on NOC-K and CS Wario for overseeing the athlete’s torture.
In a despairing and futile move to block the cries of Kenya’s athletes from being highlighted, CS Hassan Wario has ordered that international press locked out of Kenya’s camp claiming that they’re blackmailing and sourcing for maligning stories, Hassan just because you have a wound doesn’t mean you chop off your leg, put the house in order. Corruption is not new in your docket, you’ve been tainted with numerous scandals in your tenure. Athletes have also been banned from talking to journalists a tactical gag order to keep them suffering beneath zones. We will continue to highlight plights as they arise and not hide behind patriotism at the expense of our respect deserving athletes.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, in yellow jacket, with the Kenyan athletics team, including Olympic 800m champion David Rudisha, circled left, and manager Michael Rotich, circled right
The fate of Kenyan athletes representing the country in the Rio Olympics is once again hanging on the strings following fresh developments by an international publication claiming their independent and undercover investigations found officials of Kenyan athletes as being part of the doping cartel.
Since 2012, Kenya has become under close scrutiny on doping suspicions, with about 40 athletes having failed doping tests. Including Former Chicago and Boston winner and celebrated athlete Rita Jeptoo and Emily Chebet, a WorldCross Country Champion being amongst them.
The UK’s Sunday Times, claim in an undercover investigation held back in January caught Kenya’s athletics team manager, Major Rt. Michael Rotich on camera asking for up to Sh.1.3M bribe from the doping cartel as a token to give tips to the athletes to clean their system on a scheduled drug test.
Sunday Times say they planted decoys who acted as coaches of British athletes and a one Doctor Joseph Mwangi who introduced him to the Britons. Mwangi has since been arrested, charged and free on bond following footage aired on a German Television that asserted Kenyan and British athletes were using banned energy boosters, EPO. Mwangi is a suspected doping agent and part of the cartel.
According to the report, Rotich agreed to a deal of Sh.1.3M in return he would be alerting the British Coaches on pending drug tests on their athletes. He alluded he had inside info and in connections with the testing body so in that case, he would be giving them the intel prior for the athletes to clean their blood and manage the tests without drugs detection.
The timing of this new revelation is rather suspect, one wonders why the Sunday Times had to wait all this time to release the report when the games have already kicked off. It also comes only hours after the World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, gave Kenya a clean bill of health having complied with their standards on enacting the Anti-Doping Bill in parliament.
In a sharp turn, Rotich has come out to refute the claims saying he was playing along with the investigators and was si mply employing his military intelligence collection skills to trap into the doping cartel. He agrees having met the Brits and agreeing on the said bribe but only because he was playing into their hands to unearth the cartel that is destroying the reputation of the country and careers of the athletes.
The timing of this release is suspicious given Kenya’s known track record of winning, the scanty information would be used to descredit the perfomances and put into jeopardy the medals won. If there were any of the Kenyan athletes on doping, WADA wouldn’t have cleared the 40 representing Kenya. Athletics is a core economic element to Kenya that we shouldn’t allow dubious and gutted journalism to imperil and dent it.
George Arbuthnott, the journalist behind this latest report Kenya Insights learn is also said to have employed same tactic of acting as a doping agent on Mustafa Mohamed another Swedish athlete where he was staying in Portugal. He wanted Mustafa to to recruit atheletes for a running camp in Kenya. Sensing the dishonesty, the athelte called off the meeting alerting the security who later revealed his true identity, having used a pseudonym on introducing himself to Mustafa. Comments around accuse George of being a Kenyan hater and a racist claims which cant be ascertained.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A general view of the Olympic and Paralympic Village for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Barra da Tijuca. The Village will host up to 17,200 people amongst athletes and team officials during the Games and up to 6,000 during the Paralympic Games on July 22, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Getty Images)
Despite the damning doping claims that threatened the chances of Kenyan athletes participating in the Rio games, the country eventually escaped the ban and sent its team of athletes. While we anticipate trophies from the countrymen, they should as well expect a welcome with a record number of condoms allocated and air-conditioners in every bedroom, Rio’s athletes’ village starts welcoming Olympians on Sunday.
The new apartment towers built to house 11,000 athletes and 6,000 coaches during Rio’s Games are being called basic, even austere.
But when you step out on the balcony of one of the 3,604 apartments, the complex — with its swimming pools, tennis courts and bike lanes — looks downright five-star.
The rooms are furnished with single beds and wardrobes made of recycled materials, as well as air-conditioning units to allay fears over the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
Inside of the rooms where the athletes will be sleeping
Organisers describe the 31 17-story towers as a “city within a city” complete with a 24-hour cafeteria, beauty salon and florist.
The rooms themselves are furnished with the basics: metal beds, bedside tables and disposable wardrobes made with recycled fabric.
Ramler said the idea was to make the furniture sustainable but also inexpensive in keeping with Rio’s bid to provide low-budget Games. The complex was built with private money, and the developers are already looking for buyers post-Olympics.
The main entrance is heavily guarded and equipped with metal detectors. Unlike in recent Games, there are no TVs in the apartments. Organisers did finally agree to install air conditioners in the bedrooms to allay fears over the mosquito-borne Zika virus, despite the expected cool temperatures during the games, which fall during Rio’s winter. The opening ceremony is scheduled for August 5.
The apartments are equipped with 13,000 toilet seats, 275,000 clothes hangers and 18,500 beds that can be extended in length for taller athletes. The spartan bathrooms sport plastic shower curtains and a single oval mirror, but no drawers or cupboards to store the 450,000 condoms that will be distributed to athletes — equivalent to 42 per person.
