Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala has asked Kenyans to stop blaming Cabinet Secretary for Sports Amina Mohammed for the visa issue that delayed his trip to the United States for the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Oregon.
Omanyala stated on his social media accounts that the government, through the Ministry of Sports and Athletics Kenya (AK), came through for him and ensured he received the visa.
“Like I said, there is no one to blame for my visa delay. We all as athletes went for visa interviews to the embassy. After that I was sent supplementary questions that needed clarification. But on Thursday, a day before my race, my visa was not out. In fact the Ministry of Sports through CS Amb. Amina was instrumental in my visa being granted once the issue was raised,” Omanyala explained.
The incident, which saw the sprinter arrive in Oregon just hours before his first race in 100m heats, enraged Kenyan sports fans, with many blaming the Ministry of Sports, prompting the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to launch an investigation into the matter.
“It is really shocking… this is a shame not to the country but to the whole world… we shall not accept,” DCI boss George Kinoti said.
Athletics Kenya, on the other hand, has denied reports of 32 joyriders being ferried to the World Athletics Championship.
“The allegation that 32 government officials travelled to Oregon unprocedurally is news to Athletics Kenya. To our best of knowledge only three government officials have traveled to Oregon for the 2022 World Athletics Championship,” the AK president Jackson Tuwei said early this week.
Omanyala’s woes saw him crash out of the competition in the 100m semifinal, capping off a disastrous outing for Team Kenya. Kenya is currently fifth on the medals table (1 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze) with two days remaining in the championships, trailing hosts the United States, Ethiopia, Jamaica, and China in that order.
