Atheltes and volleyball players in Team Kenya for the Africa Games after they were thrown out of their rooms at the St Luke Hotel along Thika Road. PHOTO/Julius Yego/Facebook
NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 13 – In another show of egg on face for sports people in Kenya, athletes and the women’s volleyball team preparing to represent the country at the Africa Games in Morocco were thrown out of their hotel rooms at the St. Luke’s Hotel along Thika Road on Tuesday night over non-payment of accommodation bills.
The athletes were thrown out of their rooms with their luggage and prevented from leaving the hotel until their bills were paid, with World Champion Julius Yego posting the sorry photos on social media.
“At around 5pm when we came back from training, we were told to leave our rooms with our luggage. They refused to let us leave the hotel until their dues were paid. It is such a shame for us sports people to be treated this way,” Yego told Capital Sports.
He added; “Apparently what we heard is that the person who was supposed to pay for the bills promised to do that today and when he was called by the hotel, his phone has been off. We have raised the issue with Athletics Kenya and we are expecting them here,”
“I have also heard that there is someone from the ministry who is coming to sort out the mess but up to now, I have not seen anyone,” Yego added.
“We have not even had supper! This is so disrespectful to be treated this way. It is shameful and yet we always get to the field to fight for our country. If this is how our own government pays us back, then it is a pity,” a volleyball player further said.
When reached for comment, Charles Nyaberi, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Team Kenya for the games said;
“I have heard of the same and as we speak I am heading there to know what the issue is. I will give an update once I get to understand everything,” Nyaberi told Capital Sports.
An intervention late night by Nyaberi and some officials from teh National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) led by first vice president Waithaka Kioni saw the situation salvaged.
“Thy have told us to get back to our rooms so probably the issue has been solved. It’s such a shame though that it had to come to this,” an athlete told Capital Sport.
This is the latest in the case of a government that treats its sports people with a lot fo lack of respect, coming hot on the heels of the national basketball team literally begging for help for their allowances to be paid at the FIBA Afrobasket in Dakar, Senegal.
Just last month, the volleyball team faced similar tribulations of feeling like a forgotten lot at the African Championship in Egypt while the men’s and women’s hockey teams had to travel at the 11th hour for their Olympic qualifiers in South Africa after the government delayed in releasing cash for tickets.
