Five more athletes to arrive from India

Five Kenyan athletes, who were held up in India due to Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, are due in the country Tuesday afternoon.

Athletics Kenya (AK) president, Jack Tuwei disclosed Monday that his federation and the ministry of sports have facilitated the return of long distance runners Gedion Kipkurui, Alexander Ngéno, Isaac Mburugu, Dalmas Kiprono and Isaac Kihara from Mumbai.

Tuwei said that athletes will arrive at 12.45pm aboard a Kenya Airways plane, but will be taken over by the ministry of health officials for quarantine before being released to go home.

The cost of ferrying the athletes back to the country from Mumbai is Sh387,000 with each athlete costing Sh77,400.

This brings to 12 the number of athletes AK and the government have either assisted in returning to the country or paid for their quarantine expenses after being stranded outside owing to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

AK helped repatriate four athletes, Michael Biwott, Millicent Gathoni, Benjamin Kipkasi and Isaac Kipkemoi from Bengaluru, India on June 5, having worked closely with the Kenyan Embassy in Delhi.

AK spent Sh 87,000 to cater for each of the athlete’s cost of connecting flights between Bengaluru to Nairobi via Mumbai.

“The four have already completed their quarantine period and are back home,” said Tuwei, adding that they expect to assist more athletes, who are stranded in India, China and Spain back home. 

“We still have a few who are still outside and need help. We are in touch with the Kenyan Embassies in these countries to help,” said Tuwei.