The National Olympic Council of Kenya through its Secretary General, Francis Mutuku explained that the ceremonial kit for athletes was unveiled before the completion of the production process.
Speaking in an interview with NTV, NOCK explained that the kit which gained the heat online, was unveiled before it was ready due to time constraints.
According to NOCK, although the production process began in February at the slated time, the kits' production was delayed due to several mishaps.
“The kit was unveiled before the production process was complete, we started the process well in advance, the process started in February but because of delays, what could have been done better was not done,” stated Mutuku.
NOCK further explained that delays in the decision-making and consequently production delays for the kits led to the athletes being forced to don the controversial outfit while receiving the flag before departure.
However, Mutuku stated that the new complete ceremonial kit will be unveiled later this week.
Further, he explained that the athletes had three kits with a new one being introduced for Kenyan cheerleaders.
According to NOCK, this year the Council will be unveiling a Merchandise Kit which will be sold to cheerleaders and Kenyans interested in representing the country.
NOCK elaborated that the merchandise kit has been in the offing for years and was eventually being released this year.
Meanwhile, NOCK maintained that the process of deciding on the ceremonial kit was transparent and rigorous.
The same sentiments were made through the communications department of the Ministry of Sports where the Head of Communications, Pauline Sheghu detailed the selection process.
Sheghu while speaking to Kenyans.co.ke explained that the kits were selected after a thorough and fair process conducted by the Ministry. Over 120 designs were submitted for review.
The media practitioner also revealed that Kenya's top designers also judged the designs submitted before a decision was made.
