adminNAIROBI. — Kenya’s sports ministry said yesterday it will require all government payments to athletes be made via an electronic system in a bid to stop theft by sports officials. The announcement comes a day after three top athletics officials from the national federation Athletics Kenya (AK) were suspended over suspicions they had siphoned off sponsorship money from Nike and subverted anti-doping controls.
In the latest hammer-blow to global track and field, the IAAF ethics commission on Monday announced the provisional suspension of the Kenyan athletics federation president and two other top officials in the “interests of the integrity of the sport”. The new payment system – introduced into other Kenya government departments earlier this year – means salaries and payments are easily tracked. Richard Ekai, the ministry’s principal secretary, its most senior civil servant, said payments in hard cash would be a thing of the past. — AFP.
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