In-fighting, declining interest in the game weighs down troubled Prisons

Kenya Prisons players during their game against El Shams of Egypt in the Women’s Africa Club Volleyball Championship in Cairo on March 20, 2019. Prisons were unceremoniously recalled home a day later. PHOTO | CAVB |

What you need to know:

  • Team quietly flew back home on early Friday morning to no fanfare
  • Was the team cleared to fly to Cairo for African tourney or not? Conflicting information shows yes they were, and no they were not
  • With five continental titles to their name, Prisons are one of the most successful volleyball clubs on the continent.

At the beginning of last month, the Kenya Prisons women’s and men’s volleyball teams started residential training for the new season.

The women’s team, captained by veteran blocker Brackides Agala and inspired by one of the continent’s best attacking line up in the frame of Mercy Moim and Everlyne Makuto, were looking to retain the national league title, and also improve on their semi-final finish attained at the Women’s Club Africa Championship’ in Egypt last year.

Preparations went on smoothly until the eve of the women’s team’s departure to Cairo for the continental tournament, when it emerged the travel plans had hit a snag reportedly over financial challenges. Moim and veteran setter Jane Wacu had earlier left the country for professional stints.

The team would eventually fly out to Cairo, in two batches, with the second lot arriving in Cairo minutes to their opening game.

Four days later, and having won in two of their four fixtures at the tournament which had attracted 17 clubs, and with two games remaining, the Ministry of Interior suddenly realised the team had sneaked out of the country and immediately recalled it.

At that time the team had been detained at their Cairo hotel over unpaid bills.

“The State Department for Correctional Department neither cleared nor financed the team’s travel to Cairo and was surprised to learn of its presence outside the country,” Correctional Services PS Zeinab Hussein said in a statement. “Given the beach of control and contravention of rules regarding public servants travel overseas, the government has immediately ordered for their repatriation tonight.”

Sunday Nation understands this embarrassing scenario was caused by lack of funds to finance the teams coming in the wake of a Sh4.8 billion corruption scandal in the prison’s department.

Strained relations between senior officials in the Ministry of Interior and Kenya Prisons Department and a worrying decline in interest in sports activities by a number of state parastatal officials also played a huge part in the fiasco.

“The uncertainties surrounding the team’s stay affected our performance and results in Cairo,” said Prisons team manager David Kilundo, who is also a Senior Assistant Commissioner of Prisons. “We left in batches, arrived in Cairo on the day of the tournament and had to take to the courts with fatigue. At some point we were not sure where the next meal will come from,” said Prisons coach Josp Baraza.

Documentation in Sunday Nation Sport possession indicate the team was cleared for travel by all levels at the Prisons department.

“We processed the Visas, paid participation fees and even had monies to pay for some of the expenses,” said Kilundo.

The funds to take care of the remaining expenditure including hotel bills and player allowances was to be wired to Cairo. But that didn’t happen, as PS Hussein reportedly stood her ground despite several attempts to persuade her otherwise. “This development (withdrawal of the team) is very unfortunate and embarrassing,” said Kenya Volleyball Federation president Waithaka Kioni.

“I am doing a letter to the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) president Amr El Wani to plead with him so that both club and the federation are not sanctioned,” added Kioni, who doubles up as CAVB vice-president.

The Kenya Prisons team jetted back into the country early on Friday morning to a low key reception.

Baraza said: “It was a good tournament and we played well despite failing to qualify for the quarter-finals."

“The build-up was good because we were training in Ruiru and Kasarani. There was however a problem when it came to booking the tickets which was done late. That is where our problems started. Only five players travelled in the first batch and the rest of the team arrived on the day of the tournament. In fact, they arrived and walked straight into the game yet they were quite tired,” said Baraza.

With five continental titles to their name, Prisons are one of the most successful volleyball clubs on the continent.