On Tuesday night, athletics and volleyball teams for African Games were bundled out of the Luke Hotel, Nairobi, over unpaid bills.
The teams were residing in the city hotel as they prepare for the continental games slated for August 19 to 31 in Morocco.
The fiasco occurred after the athletes checked in following their evening training sessions on Tuesday. They were instructed to leave the hotel rooms with their luggage at 6 pm.
Prolific javelin thrower, Julius Yego, slammed the ministry for frustrating athletes to a point that they considered quitting.
"Sometimes we get mad at representing our beloved country Kenya! What really went wrong with the management of sports! Lack of morals," Yego angrily wrote on his Facebook page.
However, there was a new twist to the saga after Sports Principal Secretary (PS), Kirimi Kaberia, accused Athletics Kenya (AK) of blackmail.
According to Kaberia, AK had been instructed to ensure the athletes put up at either of four hotels that are government facilities. Utalii Hotel, Kenyatta University, Kenya School of Monetary Studies and Stadio Hotel.
“These are hotels where the government can easily audit and settle bills easily. Athletics Kenya and their volleyball counterparts didn’t consult or seek approval from the ministry before booking at teams at Luke Hotel,” Kaberia slammed.
The PS further ranted on how the federations were hypocritical.
“It is unfortunate for the federations to use the athletes to further their business ventures. Some officials are into business with the hotel. These people are being malicious since it’s just coming a few hours after we met their managers,” he blasted.
A ministry official, who Kaberia dispatched to resolve the impulse, apologised to the athletes for the unfortunate turn of events.
