Still In The Dark: Kenya Aquatics await crucial meeting with world body to offer way forward

Exactly two weeks following World Aquatics’ statement directed to Kenya’s Swimming body - Kenya Aquatics - confirming maintenance of its current suspension on the country, majority of the swimming stakeholders and top brass are still in the dark as it pertains to the immediate future of the sport in the country.

After unsuccessfully conducting national elections on 8 July owing to an injunction rendered by High Court Judge Hon. Lady Justice H.I. Ong’undi on 7 July that issued temporary orders restraining KSF from inviting applications for elections or conducting the same, World Aquatics - the international federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee for administering international competitions in water sports - also announced that its Bureau had further directed the Stabilization Committee to finalize the electoral process and conduct elections within 90 days.

“Our situation is still unknown until we get some finer details from the statement delivered on 13 August 2023,” FINA Kenya Stabilization Secretariat team leader, Michael Otieno told Mozzart Sport on Monday. “What remains for us as a committee is to make sure that our mandate is acted upon, and we are carving out a way to have a meeting with the membership of World Aquatics that will open up consultations on when and how to handle the process.”

Even with the renewed ultimatum from FINA Executive Director Brent J. Nowicki for Kenya to have put its house in order, there is an admission that the timelines were not clearly indicated, and that should be ‘cleared out in the coming weeks.’

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Sources close to Mozzart Sport also indicated that since the botched polls last month, no communication (that stakeholders ought to be privy to) has been made on an attempt by the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Sports and the Arts to clear a path for elections, make up a joint committee or offer a greenlight for Kenyan swimmers to participate in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics.

“Our saving grace is expected in a week’s time when we will get further directives from World Aquatics. No new development has come up,” the source indicated.

This comes against the backdrop of Sports Cabinet Secretary Hon. Ababu Namwamba revealing in front of the National Assembly members last week that he had directly been in talks with World Aquatics over solving issues facing the Kenya Swimming Federation.

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“This morning (Wednesday 23 August) I had a breakthrough with World Aquatics where they agreed that we set up a joint committee that will help solve the issues in the Kenya Swimming Federation. I have also made a request to them (World Aquatics) to allow us to participate in international events as we sort out the issues and I am confident we will do so," the CS said then.

“Let’s be patient as we await more answers to get swimming back up,” Otieno insisted.