Uasin Gishu woman representative and Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei has accused Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba of running down the ministry and misusing resources while putting athletes through misery.
Barely one week after National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah made a scathing attack on the Sports Cabinet Secretary, Shollei on Tuesday claimed that Kenyan athletes have been wearing fake uniforms including counterfeit Adidas shoes procured by the ministry.
Shollei, who appeared on Citizen TV, alleged that the Ministry of Sports was being mismanaged by the Sports Cabinet Secretary, who was not keen on fulfilling the promises made to the youth.
"Our team that went to Tunisia for the games were wearing fake Adidas sports shoes from River Road in Nairobi. The team that went to Tobago was also wearing fake uniforms.
"By the time a country reaches a point where our athletes are wearing fake uniforms, it means that there is something wrong with the management of sports," Shollei, who also serves as the Deputy Speaker at the National Assembly, lamented.
While supporting Ichung'wah's sentiments against CS Ababu, Shollei claimed that the Ministry of Sports has, on a number of occasions, abandoned Kenyan athletes at the airport, sometimes forcing her to intervene monetarily.
She warned the Cabinet Secretary that he risks being labelled as an incapable manager, especially due to the numerous complaints raised over the management of the Ministry.
"I was forced to host our athletes at my home in Kitusuru because the Cabinet Secretary for Sports was not there to receive them as expected of him," the Uasin Gishu Woman Representative confirmed.
Shollei also claimed that Kenyan athletes have been travelling under horrible conditions, yet sports managers and their companies enjoy luxurious trips to foreign nations.
"These athletes have told us horror stories of what happened to them while competing in foreign nations. Our athletes do fly economy class while Athletics Kenya and Ministry of Sports officials fly business and first class," Sholei claimed.
Shollei further poked holes into Talanta Hela, arguing that the information presented about it was inaccurate. She added that several claims made by Ababu on Talanta Hela, which was formed to boost creative artists in their work, are misleading or utterly false.
"If you search for the Talanta Hela Mobile App, you will confirm that it does not exist, yet they told us that it was launched and operational," Sholei wondered.
A spot check on Google Play Store and Apple Store revealed that the app was yet to be made available, despite most media houses and blogs writing informative articles on downloading and logging in.
However, not only Ababu launched the Talanta Hela initiative at the State House on Friday, June 9, but also President William Ruto who backed his Sports CS to create an impact in the sector.
"When the time to appoint Cabinet came, he wanted me to appoint him to another ministry (I will not tell you which), but I declined. I told him that I knew my team better, and you (Namwmaba) agree with me that I made the right choice," Ruto stated.
"You have my support in what you are doing in this space. We have had a conversation about what you are doing in this sector," he added.
Ruto's backing seems to have a lesser effect on Ababu's operations, as pro-government allies argue otherwise. On August 17, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah demanded that CS Ababu be summoned for allegedly neglecting athletes.
The Kikuyu MP asked Moses Wetangula, the Speaker of the National Assembly, to order Ababu to explain why neither he nor a representative from the ministry was present to receive athletes who landed after representing Kenya at the Berlin Games.
"You were not made a minister in this country to fly flags in the streets and bulldoze your way through traffic with Subaru escorts, you were made to serve the sportsmen and women of this country," he stated.
"The minister must appear before this house and I will cause his appearance and specifically tell this house and the people of Kenya why he lacks the time to attend to people who are representing our country," he added.
Ababu Namwamba has yet to release a statement to defend himself and counter the allegations.
