Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba is set to convene a crucial meeting with stakeholders in the swimming community at Nyayo Stadium this Sunday.
The meeting, which will also feature the National Olympic Committee of Kenya President Paul Tergat, aims to address the issues plaguing the sport.
The primary focus of the meeting is to provide an update on the status of Kenya Aquatics and to discuss the roadmap for implementing the World Aquatics directive. This directive stipulates that Kenya must hold long-overdue elections for the governing body by November.
Initially, national elections were scheduled for July 8 at Moi Stadium, Kasarani. However, they did not occur as planned after the Centre of Corporate Governance, responsible for conducting the polls, withdrew due to reported intimidation and threats.
Two key stakeholders, Conrad Thorpe and Margaret Muasya, had previously taken legal action against the Kenya Swimming Federation (KSF), Sports Kenya, the Registrar of Sports, and the Attorney General in March 2021. They alleged violations of the Kenyan Constitution and demanded the enforcement of universal voting rights for swimmers in the election process.
Sources indicate that Namwamba has engaged in discussions with Thorpe and Muasya to help resolve the ongoing stalemate, including the possibility of withdrawing their pending court case.
The suspension of Kenya by World Aquatics has had severe consequences, as the country could not send a team to the World Junior Swimming Championships in Israel earlier this month.
Kenneth Karani, the Secretary of the Nairobi County Swimming Association, expressed optimism about the involvement of the Ministry of Sports in the resolution process.
He emphasized the need for a timely political solution and action to meet the November 13 deadline set by World Aquatics. Failure to hold the elections could jeopardize Kenya’s participation in swimming events at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
The swimming community hopes this meeting will pave the way for new leadership in the federation, putting the sport back on track and allowing Kenyan swimmers to compete internationally.
