Three Kenyans, including the famous “chipo mwitu” vendor Bevalyne Kwamboka who went viral for selling chips on outering road while nicely dressed, Jolly Lanji, and Charleen Njuguna, have petitioned the Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy, and Sports, Ababu Namwamba, through their advocate Ochile Dudley. They are demanding the disclosure of the true cost of Kenya’s delegation to the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
According to the letter addressed to the Cabinet Secretary, these concerned citizens seek to have this information made public to avoid a scandal similar to the one witnessed during the 2016 Rio Olympics, which implicated senior public officials.
The items indicated for the Cabinet Secretary to disclose or make public include:
- A list of non-competitive participants travelling at public expense with the official delegation to the Paris Olympics.
- A schedule of the allowances and sustenance costs for each of the non-competitive participants travelling at public expense to the Paris Games.
- An indication of the cumulative costs of the non-participants travelling to Paris.
Additionally, the three have given the Ministry seven days to act on the contents of the letter. Failure to which they have threatened to resort to litigation as the matter for them is of public interest.
Last week, on Friday, July 5th, 2024, President William Ruto officially flagged off Team Kenya at the State House for the Paris Games. The team consists of 80 athletes who will participate in various disciplines, including rugby, volleyball, weightlifting, and athletics.
The Shujaa team, Kenya’s representative at the Paris Games in rugby, was the first to leave the country. They headed to Miramas for a training camp ahead of the kickoff of the Summer Games.
The Olympic Games will start on Friday, July 26th, and will end on Sunday, August 11th, 2024.
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