NOC-K officials will fight back

What you need to know:

  • Unless resolved fast, Kenya’s athletics programme for next year’s IAAF World Cross, World Youth and Senior Championships in Kampala, Nairobi and London will be interfered with
  • The Rio Olympic fiasco was a straight forward case of fraud, best handled by the police because it involved misuse of public funds, failure in national duty and gross inefficiencies.

The Rio Olympic circus took a turn for the worse yesterday after Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan suspended the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) and ordered a probe of its activities in the aftermath of the Rio Olympics debacle.

The Rio Olympic fiasco was a straight forward case of fraud, best handled by the police because it involved misuse of public funds, failure in national duty and gross inefficiencies.

Instead, Wario’s decision has handed the NOC-K officials a lifeline and strength to engage him in vicious match of ping pong of which the government will come out bruised, humbled and embarrassed as those responsible for this deliver yet another punch of impunity.

Those before him, including the no-nonsense Maina Kamanda, failed to seek wise counsel and were all forced to eat humble pie after failing to effect changes in football, athletics and cricket.

Wario joined the minefield called sports and its unending political manoeuvre's as a greenhorn. Those who were supposed to guide him to Damascus have been laughing at him and comprehensively shepherding him to hell.

The man who heartily applauded Wario’s latest blunder was NOC-K secretary-general F.K Paul, who reportedly met the minister before the press conference. He should have briefed him comprehensively and cautioned him against this hurried decision.

The repercussion of his decision will have far reaching ramifications, certainly interfering with all sports programmes and giving the International Olympic Committee (IOC) the excuse to impute Rules 27.9 and 59.1.4 (a) of the Olympic Charter to sanction Kenya from competing in international competition to protest against government interference.

Unless resolved fast, Kenya’s athletics programme for next year’s IAAF World Cross, World Youth and Senior Championships in Kampala, Nairobi and London will be interfered with. Should this tussle become fully blown, then Kenya’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics participation will be in jeopardy.

Kenya is bound to suffer the same indignity handed to Kuwait by the IOC prior to Rio Olympics which provisionally suspended the local Olympic Committee and threatened to marshal other international federations to isolate the Middle East nation after the government forced the local body subscribe to national sports laws. As usual the culprits cited this draconian law without giving the IOC the real picture.

The consequences of going against this rule is to immediately suspend Nock from any activity connected with the Olympic Movement or exercise any right conferred upon it by the Olympic Charter or the IOC. This includes, any activity organised by associated federations affiliated to NOC-K.

Mexico was threatened with similar consequences last year but the government refused to barge. “What are at stake are not the Olympics but rather the future of sports in the country,” said Castillo, who was appointed earlier this year by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

With this, Wario should play hard ball without blinking and punch hard by exploiting existing bad blood between 15 of the 27 Nock affiliated bodies by inviting then to his side with him playing a peripheral role. These federations have accused Wario of failing to engage them since he took over office.

The NOC-K executive Committee is like an absolute monarchy which has continued to abuse a rule which gives the 10 incumbents voting rights and therefore looking for only four votes to continue with their legacy . Some members like F. K Paul have been in NOC-K for close to 30 years.

These people hardly struggle to campaign and work because they also assured votes from their sponsoring bodies. And with protection from the IOC, they operate as if Kenya is a military junta they control.

Wario should instead prompt the affiliates to call for a NOC-K Special General Meeting to call for a comprehensive constitutional review to remove this clause of double voting, increase the number of the electoral college from the current 27 to at least 81 for competition and democracy sake. Sports insiders have also poked holes in Wario’s Probe Committee.

First, Charles Nyaberi, the 2011 Chef de Mission in Maputo African Games, was accused of a series of omissions and commissions in Mozambique.

This was followed by a parliamentary probe committee which ruled him unfit to hold a public office after a series of blunders including failing to secure proper accommodation in Maputo.

The other member, Moses Mbuthia who lost in the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) elections was also accused being a joy rider in the same games.
Nyaberi, according to insiders, might also not be partial in his position over Rio after failing last to win a post in the NOC-K elections last year.

They have asked Wario consult far and wide and stop relying on his own officers, who are hell bent to make him fail in every turn he takes like those before him since they eat with some sports officials like in Rio regarding air tickets and allowances.

The Maputo Games report should have been the item in his in-tray when he joined government in 2013. As to whether he was given the copy is not known.

Thirdly, the minister should not look far to establish where the Rio Olympics problems started. In every Games involving the government, NOC-K invites high ranking government officers to form the Steering Committee which is the supreme organ which directs the Management Committee on all matters regarding the games.

The Management Committee, which the Chef de Mission Stephen arap Soi, the other person the Maputo Parliamentary Probe Committee ruled unfit to hold public office, brought together all NOC-K officials, literally all of them with over 20 years experience in organising the Olympics.