Athletes lament lack of accommodation, judokas confident

Amos Abuga and Charles Thuku

Kenya’s athletics team to the African Games has cited lack of enough accommodation as one of the challenges they are currently experiencing ahead of the August 19-31 event in Morocco.

Athletics has the biggest contingent of close to 90 athletes and had their team at a hotel along Thika Superhighway but it is emerging the space at the facility cannot cater for the entire group.

“Remember, we have not been paid our allowances and it doesn’t make sense that we are told to try and get alternative accommodation on our own budget. 

Some us are not from Nairobi to start with,” said an athlete, who spoke to People Sport on condition of anonymity.

The athletics contingent is due to leave the country on August 23 with their calendar running from August 26-28 in Rabat.

However, Team Kenya Chief Executive Officer to the games Charles Nyaberi dismissed claims that the athletes lacked accommodation, saying :

“The teams we are taking to Morocco have been in camp for the past two weeks and we have no problems because the government has catered for everything.” 

Meanwhile, national men’s judo team is keen to open a new chapter during the African Games.

Coach Joseph Mburu said if the judokas apply what they have learned in residential training at Kasarani Stadium, nothing will stop them from making a breakthrough in the games.

“There has been tremendous progress since the team assembled for training at Kenyatta University before relocating to Kasarani. 

We anticipate a huge challenge from judo powerhouses like Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco but they are beatable,” said Mburu.

The tactician’s sentiments is cemented by the fact that the team has depth in form of experienced players like Carlos Ochieng’ (60kg) who clinched bronze in the East Africa Junior Championship held in Zanzibar in 2016.