Kenyan athletes in training boycott for Africa Games

Kenyan government is running against time to secure funds to pay its athletes allowances to compete at the Africa Games, which are ongoing in Brazzaville, Congo.

A visit to the team camp in Nairobi on Tuesday found out that athletes, some who have arrived back from Beijing World Championships, are finding it hard to draw inspiration to compete for their country in the competition dubbed the Africa Olympics.

World 400m hurdles champion Nicholas Bett, Celina Kiplagat, Boniface Mucheru and Mike Mokamba were some of the sprinters and field event athletes in camp polishing up their skills, but declined to talk on camera fearing victimization.

Athletics head coach Samson Katum confirmed that athletes are sitting in and demanding their allowances, but he confirmed that it will not affect their preparations.

"Athletes have trained but their morale is down. Nobody has been paid any allowance and it is starting to get into their minds ahead of our departure on Tuesday. Athletics competition starts on Sept. 13 and we need to be in right shape for the championships," Katum said on Tuesday in Nairobi.

An athlete who opted to speak on condition of anonymity confirmed that they are on a go-slow ahead of their departure on Tuesday evening, demanding that the government pay them their foreign and local allowances as promised.

"The officials took off and are in Brazzaville; they abandoned us and hope we will link up with them there without us receiving our training allowances. It is unfair and we want government officials to come here and explain to us why they have not paid their part of the bargain," said an athlete in camp.

Kenya's first batch of athletes and officials, about 200 in total left for Brazzaville last Friday while the second and final batch is to leave on Tuesday.

Kenyans athletes on national duty are entitled to have 50 U.S. dollars per day as local training allowance and 100 dollars for foreign trips. Some athletes are keen to have their cash before boarding the plane to Congo.

The Africa Games are organized by the Africa Union to try to work out peace and harmony in the continent through sports.

Kenya has sent a contingent of over 300 athletes and officials in 17 disciplines that includes athletics, badminton, boxing (men), cycling, handball, judo, karate, lawn tennis, rugby sevens (men), swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball (women), beach volleyball, weight lifting, wrestling and Paralympics sports (men and women).

Kenya aims to surpass the 2011 All Africa Games performance in Maputo, Mozambique, where the country scooped 50 medals -- 14 gold, 14 silver and 22 bronze with a sixth table finish. Endi