On Monday, three officials, including Team Kenya’s head of delegation Stephen arap Soi, National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) secretary-general Francis Paul Kanyili and Team Kenya general manager Pius Ochieng’ were released on a cash bail of Sh200,000 each pending the conclusion of investigations.
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Two out of three top Kenyan Olympic Committee members arrested at the weekend for alleged mismanagement of the country’s team at the Rio games were on Monday granted bail by a court in Nairobi.
Athletes who compete in the Olympic Games deserve better than this.
Meanwhile, NOCK chairman Kipchoge Keino has warned of Wario’s move to disband the Committee, saying Kenya stands risk of being banned from taking part in future International Olympic games.
Despite the problems, Kenya enjoyed its most successful Olympics in Rio, winning six gold medals, six silvers and one bronze.
But secretary-general Paul, who is now in custody, claimed that Wario did not have the legal competence to disband the Nock, which is overseen by the International Olympic Committee, not the Kenyan government.
On Thursday, Sports Minister Hassan Wario said he had disbanded NOC-K and set up a committee to probe mismanagement.
Wario himself has faced calls for his resignation, and on Wednesday he too was questioned in connection with the probe.
Police allege Hickey is implicated in a scam involving Ireland’s official Games ticket reseller, Dublin-based PRO10 Sports Management, and an worldwide sports hospitality company, THG Sports.
Mr Were said Nock officials had blamed Nike, the U.S. sportswear company, for the delay in delivering the kits for Team Kenya, forcing the athletes to wear mismatched uniforms during the opening ceremony.
Kenyans on social media have called for the sacking of Mr Wario over the scandal, which included theft of athletes’ uniforms, lack of air tickets for several athletes and coaches, and alleged travel of joyriders and officials’ mistresses. “If you are the head of an organization and you do not even know what is going on, my friend you are supposed to go home”.
After the Olympic Village had closed down, the Kenyan Olympic team was forced to acquire cheap accommodations while it waited for cheaper flights to become available following the 2016 Rio Olympics.
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“There is no longer the necessity to keep them here”, the source said.
