MPs dare colleague, defend Wario over Rio Olympics mess

Members of the National Assembly from north eastern have dared their Cherangany counterpart Wesley Korir to bring up an impeachment motion against Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario, saying they were ready to shoot it down.

The MPs also took issue with political leaders calling for the resignation of Mr Wario, including Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba, saying the leaders were suffering from their waning political fortunes and are desperate.

Led by Moyale MP Roba Duba, the legislators said those calling for the resignation or impeachment of Mr Wario over the Rio fiasco should first gather information about the whole mess.

“The Ministry did its job and it has achieved a lot over the last three and half years. The information we have gathered is that the agencies failed and this is where the investigation energies should be directed,” Mr Duba said on Monday at Parliament buildings.

He said the choice of Stephen Soi to lead the team to Rio as the Chef de Mission was a blunder, as he had been blacklisted by a parliamentary Committee for messing up the London 2012 Olympics.

“The spotlight should be focused on National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOCK) for choosing Mr Soi who we believe is responsible for the logistical nightmares experienced during the Olympics in Brazil,” he said.

Wajir East MP Mohammed Abbas said Mr Wario had achieved a lot since 2013, including the formation of Sports Kenya, Kenya Academy of Sports, Sports Dispute Tribunal, The Registrar of Sports and the National Sports Fund.

The legislators say Wario is a star performer arguing that the mishaps were occasioned by logistics that include distribution of training and sporting kits, accreditation and discrepancies in allowances.