The Government declined to facilitate Kenya’s special Olympics team to travel to Abu Dhabi.
Nairobi Journal has learnt that efforts to raise funds for the team from the sports ministry which is headed by CS Amina Mohamed hit a snag.
We can exclusively reveal that after the ministry rubbished the event, organizers approached the first lady Margaret Kenyatta’s office, but here too they did not get any help.
“The Government did not fund the team. We had to find other sponsors to enable them compete. It is disgraceful especially when you know there are special needs team, what kind of sports are they sponsoring if they are discriminating our team,” paused an organizer.
In an unfortunate event which depicts Jubilee administration as uncaring, each member had to individually sort out their own transport, to and from the airport.
Sports CS however showed up to see off the team and even posed a photo with them despite knowing that her ministry had shut its doors on them.
Were it not for Safaricom and Coca Cola, the team which bagged 25 medals would not have left the country.
But the team’s problem did not end up there. It emerged that the organizers approached media houses seeking coverage but they were given a black out.
One of sports editor at a TV station asked for ‘facilitation fees’ to have the team’s come back featured in the news.
“ It is very disheartening to first be sidelined by a Government that says it cares, then we have a black out because we did not pay the media. We had no money to cater for facilitation fees but I am sure runners like David Rudisha do not give anything to be covered,” he continued.
It emerged that Onesmus Munyao set a world record in the half marathon with a time of 1hr 11mins, but he was not featured anywhere or even feted.
