Writes Leo Odera Omolo
KENYAN athletes have rejected a call by the Eldoret North MP William Ruto that they should boycott the London Olympic Games to protest the ICC cases against the four Kenyan suspects.
The athletes – – the majority of them known for their exploits in international and local track events – – told a political group calling itself Kalenjin, Massai, Turkan and Samburu {KAMATUSA} to steer clear from sports activities and not to drag their politics into the sporting area.
The two-time Olympic medalist Dr. Kipchoge Keino who Is the current chairman of the National Olympic Committee and Athletics Kenya Secretary David Okeyo said it is wrong and unworkable for the leaders to introduce their politics in sports.
Representatives of the athletes also strongly condemned the boycott call. The majority of the athletes are currently training in Eldoret town, which is located within William Ruto’s constituency in preparation for this weekend’s third meeting of a six-leg tournament which will lead to the Olympic qualifiers.
The two days meet will be held in Kitale Ton in the neighboring Trans-Nzoia County. The proposal to have the athlete’s boycott the Olympic was one of the 16 resolutions arrived at after the Kamatusa meeting held in Eldoret on Monday this week. The meeting was hosted by Ruto who is one of the four suspects in the Kenyan cases now pending before the ICC
The majority of the long and medium distance runners are members of the larger Kalenjin ethnic group which Ruto belong to.
The Kamatusa meet was attended by over 30 MPs and other leaders mainly from the Kalenjin community. The resolutions were read by the chairman of the Kalenjin Council of Elder Major {rtd} John Sei.
“This year 2012 another Olympic year. Unless an environment of inclusiveness and fairness is provided, the Kalenjn community will consider asking the condemned athletes to boycott the Olympics,” said the resolution.
This resolution stemmed from another one which state that he entire Kalenjin community- including the athletes- had been condemned because of the crimes against humanity charges which William Ruto an radio journalist Joshua sang are facing at the ICC. The meeting resolved that the entire Kalennin community was on trial at The Hague.
But in a footnote and before the ink dried up in the Olympic boycotting resolution another group of Kalenjin leaders addressed the press conference and disowned the William Ruto’s group dismissing them as self-seekers and elf styled politicians “for hire.’
It included the four cabinet Ministers allied to the Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga dismissed the Kamatusa meeting that was held on Tuesday as “reckless and ineffective.’
The Mister included Franklin Bett {Roads}, Dr. Sally Kosgei {Agriculture}, Prof. Margaret Kamar (Higher Education} and Home Affairs Assistant Minister Beatrice Kones distanced themselves from the meeting in Eldoret in which the area MP William Ruto was endorsed the Kalenjin leader.
Dr Kosge hit at a similar meeting held two weeks ago by the Gikuyu {Kikyu} Embu and Meru Association {GEMA}. She explained that the two gatherings were alienating other Kenyan communities, a move that cold worsen relations in the country.
“If you have lived in the Rift Valley Province for as long as I have, you will agree that people from all communities live here. Why then would anyone select a few tribal groups and leave out the rest? The Agricultural Minister wondered.
The Road Minister Franklin Bett said politicizing the ICC process was not helping the suspects and instead called on all Kenyans to pray four he our accused persons who are facing cases at the ICC court, including Ruto, Uhuru Kenyatta, Francis Muthaura and Joshua Sang.
“If we play politics with ICC, the situation for the suspect could get worse,” said the Minister. Meanwhile another group of the Kalenjin elders led by veteran Eldoret politician Jackson Kibor yesterday scathingly criticized the lat Tuesday meeting organized by William Ruto’s so-called Kimatusa group.
Kiore told newsmen tat those who attended the Kamatuisa meeting were not de facto Kalenjin elders, but people handpicked for the purpose of pressurizing the ICC in support of the four Kenyan suspect who are said to be in a great panic.
Kibor was accompanied by the ODM chairman in Uasin Gishu County David Songok, the Uasin Gishu North ODM chairman Said Chepkeitany, KANU official Jonathan Bii and Narc-Kenya’s leader in Uasin Gishu Kipkorir Menjo denounced the Kamatusa meeting.
At the same time the nation council of NGOs had also added its weight by saying that such groupings are a threat to national security in Kenya. “This is dangerous ploy aimed at causing tribal clashes in the country like the 1992,1997 and 2002. The government, the NGOs said, must act immediately, added the NGOs chairman Ken Wafula.
On Thursday Okey lashed out at the Kamatusa leaders and their resolutions which he said should be ignored.” Participating in the Olympic Games even without winning a medal is the dream of every athlete. It is wrong for anyone to ask them to boycott such an international vent because that would affect their careers, “ said Okeyo.
And on Wednesday, two middle and long distance Olympic medal hopeful Mark Kiptoo {10,000 meters} and Eliud Kipchoge {5,000m} said they will not allow themselves to be dragged into politics as they concentrate on their taining. ”We are athletes and that is okay for us. Please keep us out of politics,” said Kipchoge.
Veteran long-distance runner, two-time world championship gold medalist and two times Boston Marathon Moses Tanui asked the politicians to keep out of sport.
Tanui, who is retired fro the track in 2004 following a knee injury, is the first athlete to run the half marathon under 60 minutes., His world record was broken five years later by a fellow Kenyan Paul Tegat.
Daniel Komen, whose 1998 indoor and 1996 outdoor records for 3,000 still stands, and who remains the only man to run back-to-back under four minutes miles, added his voice by urging politicians to sort out their grievances without distracting the athletes.
“Let those training for the games do so peacefully. Once you start discussing politics in games then you ruin the games,” said Komen who is still being remembered for his rivalry with Ethiopian’ Haile Gebreselassie.,
At other camps training in the high altitudes in Keiyo and Iten, athletes and their managers said they would not allow anyone to discuss politics at the camps and referred journalists to the ALK. The Athletes rejection of the Olympic boycott call came as a section of elders and politicians from the Kalenjin community dismissed William Ruto’s efforts to revive Kamatusa mainly or the purpose of scuttling the ICC cases as uncalled for.
The Kalenjin elders opposed to the boycott calls said the meeting hosted by William Ruto in Eldoret town did not address serious issues affecting the people of the rift Valley. The faulted the meeting for endorsing Rot one of the ICC suspect as the Rift Valley’s Province presidential candidate and has URP as the party for the region as unwarranted, irrelevant and misleading.
Ends