NAIROBI, Kenya, March 28, 2026 – German-born Kenyan fencer Alexandra Ndolo has once again spoken out against the severe lack of support from the Kenya Fencing Federation (KFF), which has forced her to compete “like an amateur” at a major global tournament.
Ndolo, who is ranked among the top 20 in the world, was eliminated in the first round of the Budapest Grand Prix in Hungary, a loss she attributes not to a lack of skill, but to a systemic failure that left her without a coach or technical support on the international stage.
“Not a single athlete at this competition came without a coach, the highest ranked with a coach and physio. I am amongst the top 20 in the world, yet I’m forced to compete like an amateur,” she said.
Ndolo added: “While my opponent today had the expertise of her coach to consult in the minute break, I had no one, yet again. I am competing without a coach present because my current budget is only big enough for one flight ticket and accommodation.”
Ndolo revealed her primary source of funding is a monthly stipend of 1,000€ (approximately Ksh 150,000), which is paid for by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) but distributed through the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK).
However, she argued that the amount is insufficient to fly both an athlete and a coach to international competitions.
“You tell me if this is enough to fly two people out to any competition. I can accept to lose, everybody does sometimes. What I don’t want to accept is being forced to be unprofessional,” she said.
The fencing star did not mince words when addressing the leadership of the Kenyan sports system, describing her own federation as “rotten” and accusing it of withholding all available assets from its athletes.
“Representing a rotten federation, that withholds not some, but all of their assets. Representing a sports system that knows about it and instead of investigate and penalize such behavior, voted the president of my federation into the position of treasurer of the National Olympic Committee,” Ndolo said.
She added: “The Kenyan sports system should be ashamed of itself! If you are not actively battling this status quo, you are part of the problem”.
The person she is referring to is KFF president Fred Chege who was last year elected at treasurer of NOC-K after trouncing Kenya Volleyball Federation’s (KVF) Moses Mbuthia.
Ndolo’s lamentations are the latest in what has been a one-woman onslaught against lack of transparency in the sports ecosystem.
The 39-year-old has previously accused KFF of withholding funds and not supporting her as she travels to represent the country at major competitions.
She has also demanded the federation produce audited accounts of monies received and how they have used the same to cater for the development of the sport in the country.
Born of a Kenyan father and Austrian mother, Ndolo chose to represent her fatherland in 2022, having turned out for Germany before.
The African champion then made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics as the first fencer to represent Kenya at the quadrennial competition.
