Kenyans have taken to social media to blast sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed following reports that the Kenya women netball team spent nights in the cold during the 2019 Africa Netball Championship that was staged in Cape Town, South Africa.
The Sports Ministry had secured tickets and visas for the team and promised to cater for accommodation and other logistics as the team left for Cape Town but upon touching down, they got a rude awakening as they not only had no place to sleep but also food to eat.
Reports emanating from South Africa indicated that the team wasn’t booked into a hotel by the ministry and it was Kenyan in South Africa who went out of his way to secure them accommodation at a hotel that has since refused to let them return until the bill is settled.
The team is also said to have gone without food due to lack of money as once again the mistreatment of athletes by the ministry and sports federations reared its ugly face. The hotel management is said to have retained passports of several players and vowed to release them once the bill has been cleared.
Kenyans on social media have expressed their anger, directing it specifically to the Cabinet Secretary who in recent weeks has been on the receiving end of backlashes from Kenyans over the mistreatment of several national teams.
Does netball feature anymore in Kenya school games..? If so, how prominently? Where does the sport stand comparatively among peer sports….. Was really surprised me, was to learn that Kenya sent a a team to Cape Town…Wishing netball Kenya a happy revival….. https://t.co/PDFcESVtgg
— TimbuktuSport (@SportTimbuktu) October 24, 2019
Polite reminder to the kenya national women's netball team, if you win or get any monetary reward for your hardwork in the tournament just remember KRA is waiting for you back home for it's share towards building Kenya!
Thank you!
😥😥😥#ShameofRepresentingKenya pic.twitter.com/jxPlZUae2Y— ping pong official 🇰🇪 (@pauliddiali) October 23, 2019
I always wanted to be an athlete player and represent Kenya on a big world stage, draped with the Kenyan flag; the perfect act of patriotism. But what is happening to Women Netball team, makes me feel I dodged a bullet. #ShameofRepresentingKenya
— KENYAN SPY (@Victorwarui) October 23, 2019
According to the team captain of Kenya Netball team, the alleged stories of the team being stranded and sleeping hungry in cape town are not true. Infact, they're also shocked by the stories circulating on social media. #ShameOfRepresentingKenya
— Martin Wachira (@Martowachira) October 23, 2019
This government fails in everything. They kicked out sportpesa, Betin and now all we hear is KPL may be called off, mara Lioness and Kenya netball team went through a hard time representing us. Big shame to Uhuru and his government #ShameofRepresentingKenya
— Will (@broker_willis) October 23, 2019
I think maybe it's about time Kenyan Sportsmen abandoned ship. Why play for a country that doesn't even care about its athletes. The story of our netball team broke my heart. Just the other day the Kenya Lionesses rugby team was in the same quagmire.
— Bosire Boss Caleb (@Bosscaleb) October 23, 2019
Newspaper review: Our national women’s netball team has spent nights out in the cold since Friday last week, in South Africa because they could not afford accommodation.#ShameOfRepresentingKenya
Share with us on SMS 22047 #TV47MACHEO @Saphane3 and @oladipoh pic.twitter.com/ELoK9areKP
— TV 47 KENYA (@TV47KE) October 24, 2019
Our National Women's Netball Team is shamefully stranded and hungry while representing Kenya at the Africa Championships in Cape Town. Please read attached #ShameOfRepresentingKenya in Sport. pic.twitter.com/5NYtyOrI4O
— Carol Radull (@CarolRadull) October 23, 2019
So the Minister of Congratulations has accompanied Jameson 1 to Russia while our netball team is stranded in a foreign land. Kenya, who cursed us?
— That Queer Lawyer (@ThatQueerLawyer) October 24, 2019