NAIROBI, June 6 -- The chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the IAAF World Under 18 Championships on Tuesday accused a top of Athletics Kenya (AK) of attempting to scuttle the global event.
LOC chairman Mwangi Muthee accused AK Youth Chairman Barnabas Korir of attempting to derail the event, saying Korir is the person who wished for "insular handling of Team Kenya preparations."
"His way was nowhere near the best. Some aspects of the pre-trials in Eldoret were in shambles. For instance, from the region where Korir is chairman, two sets of technical officials appeared in Eldoret and one group had to be embarrassed, going without accommodation, food and transport.
"Korir has no option than to appreciate that the LOC's and the ministry's operations are far smoother, accountable and transparent. I am disappointed that he is a principal source of murmuring and unfounded claims that Team Kenya is not well looked after," Mwangi charged.
This claim brought the simmering tensions between the organisers of the global track and field event and the outspoken Korir to the surface ahead of the July 12 to 16 event.
Muthee argued Korir's docket at the federation has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of funding from the WU18 secretariat under advise from Korir.
"Therefore, through the requisition of Athletics Kenya, the LOC and Government have paid for Team Kenya a total of 356,200 U.S. dollars.
"And moreover, the LOC and Government are still prepared to go an extra mile to make sure that Kenya has the best prepared team at the IAAF WU18 Championships," the former Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) chairman declared.
"The AK Youth Commission should thus be working hard at ensuring a smooth organisation of the trials, incorporating every legible athlete and competent technical officials from all its regions. The LOC will facilitate accommodation in Nairobi; see that all are well fed and that all competition equipment is available," the LOC boss stressed.