Usual suspects tipped to retain top seats

For close to two decades, there has been little in change of tenants at the National Olympic Committee of Kenya.

Insignificant alteration in office bearers has been provoked either through natural attrition or loss of faith by the global International Olympic Committee (IOC).

And when the Nock elections are held on Friday in Nairobi, little will change at the committee, primarily, charged with preparing national teams for the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, All Africa Games besides training coaches and deserving athletes under the IOC’s Olympic Solidarity programme.

This has been happening not due to lack of aspirants, good governance record of incumbent officials or lack of information on Olympic ideals.

Rather, the decision by interested candidates to stay away is due to the intrigues and power games at play at the Nock headquarters.

Athletics Kenya chairman, Isaiah Kiplagat, can attest to this fact after he was muscled out of the race for a place in the Nock executive just before the nominations deadline, last Friday.

“I presented my candidature for the second vice-chairman’s slot. But then, the Nock chairman, Kipchoge Keino, convinced me to drop it. He wanted the status quo to remain and instead assured me that the vice-chairman, Peter Nderitu, will be retiring after six months then I would take the position,” said Kiplagat.

But, as Kiplagat found out, this was just a gentleman’s agreement which rarely works in politics. Instead, assistant minister Alfred Khangati - in whose camp Kiplagat was seeking to pursue his Nock interest - will challenge Nderitu for the first vice-chairman’s post.

Kiplagat was then to fill in the void left by the second vice chairman’s slot currently held by Khangati.

But having been prevailed upon to withdraw his candidature, the road is now interestingly clear for his secretary general at AK, David Okeyo, to assume office unopposed!

National kit project

Keino, however, sympathised with Kiplagat, saying: “It is true I went and talked to Kiplagat to withdraw from the elections. I wanted to appoint him as my second vice chairman in charge of technical and preparations for Olympics and Commonwealth Games. But I never knew that other officials in Nock were plotting to sneak in Okeyo.”

When contacted on Monday last week, Okeyo, said: “I am relaxed. You wait for Friday (May 15) to know exactly which seat I will vie for. There is no cause for alarm, certainly I will remain in Nock at whatever capacity,” said Okeyo.

A lucrative national kit project by the American sports manufacturing giant, Nike, might be the bait Nock officials used to lock out Kiplagat.

The AK chairman successfully swayed Nike to have kit for track and field competitors delivered directly to Athletics Kenya.

However, Nock, who receive the Nike kit on behalf of other disciplines, want to continue enjoying the monopoly of handling such consignments.

The Nike deal comes along with an unconfirmed monetary grant meant to lock out competitors of the US firm.

Kiplagat said the entire Nock polls is a huge conspiracy that only favours candidates known to dance to the tune of the incumbents.

“I was betrayed and they know my withdrawal was not my desire. But Nock officials want to paint themselves as saints,” he said.

Nock secretary general, Francis K. Paul, who is coming in unopposed to fill up the big chair left by the late Tom O’omuombo, however, challenged Kiplagat to focus on track and field and not drag Nock into his predicaments.

“Is AK sacred? We all have our weak points, but he should be bold enough to face us and give his story,” said Paul.

The rift has left AK secretariat in confusion. Kiplagat can no longer trust his secretary general, an incumbent at Nock, whom he believes went behind the curtains to deny him a shot at the big office.

Paul confirmed that Okeyo did not get his nomination papers endorsed by AK, but went to Kenya Basketball Federation for clearance.

For AK to sanction his candidature, Okeyo’s nomination papers, which were handed in minutes before the deadline when it was evident the second vice chairman’s slot was empty, needed Kiplagat’s signature.

Nock will hold polls on Friday and officials at the Upper Hill secretariat are involved in intense lobbying to convince delegates from the 19 affiliate bodies to keep faith in them.

Disbursement of grants, sports scholarships through the Olympic Solidarit, training kit and other logistic assistance are the baits used to woo delegates.

It is on record that some of the kit supplied by Nike ends up in local sports shops.

All the Nock officials have affiliations to national sports federations although chairman Keino, a legendary Olympic middle distance superstar, does not belong to any association. He, however, has great interest in athletics.

Big head start

Vice-chairman Nderitu is from shooting, while Khangati is affiliated to volleyball, Paul is the chairman of handball and Okeyo an official at AK.

Others in the executive are James Chacha (tae kwon do), Fridah Shiroya (softball), Stephen arap Soi (Judo), John Roberts (boxing) and Catherine Ndereba (women’ representative).

No one expects delegates from their respective federations to vote against them, giving them a big head start as of the 29 votes cast at the elections, they will already have their 10 as executives and at least eight from their respective federations.

Under the current voting system, it’s virtually impossible to unseat the incumbents, mathematically speaking.