Kirimi Kaberia: Can pay, will pay

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta (left) and Sports Principal Secretary Kirimi Kaberia (right) witness as IAAF World Under 18 Championships Local Organising Committee chief executive officer Mwangi Muthee displays the key to Kenyatta University's Nyayo Hostels when they toured the facility on July 4, 2017. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |

What you need to know:

  • The PS spoke amid ascending disquiet over the delay in payments that stretches back to July.
  • Nairobi hosted the largely successful championships from July 12 to 16 at the Moi International Sports Centre.
  • Sports Kenya director general Saima Ondimu also assured that the payments were being processed.

Sports Principal Secretary Kirimi Kaberia on Tuesday assured that payments owed to July’s IAAF World Under-18 Championships’ committee members and suppliers will be settled “as soon as possible.”

The PS spoke amid ascending disquiet over the delay in payments that stretches back to July.

Nairobi hosted the largely successful championships from July 12 to 16 at the Moi International Sports Centre.

Several committee members have said they would not hand in their post-championships reports, as required by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), until they are paid their outstanding dues.

These include members of the medical, transport, media, accommodation and hospitality committees.

Sports Kenya director general Saima Ondimu also assured that the payments were being processed.

With the championships’ Local Organising Committee (LOC) not having an independent bank account, funds for the championships were channelled from the sports ministry to the LOC through Sports Kenya, an affiliate parastatal of the ministry.

“The allowances were wired by the ministry yesterday (and) we shall start paying tomorrow when it reflects in the bank,” Ondimu said.

LOC chief executive Mwangi Muthee said it was unfortunate that payments are only made available after a public outcry.

“It is unfortunate that people who are owed their dues have to complain publicly for action to be taken,” Muthee said.

“The programme for such championships starts when you win the bid and continues until after you hand in reports and bring everything to closure.”

Kaberia said his ministry had completed all documentation and was only awaiting the exchequer’s release of funds.

“I have been having regular meetings with members of the LOC, updating them on the progress and making all necessary arrangements for these payments to be concluded,” Kaberia said.

“This is a matter I have taken up personally and I accepted to take full responsibility if it is not concluded. Everyone knows how government works, and we were only waiting for Treasury to release the amounts due from October 1 — and we are barely two days into the month of October.”