Obiri faults Governor Ongwae for empty promises

Olympics 5000m silver medalist Hellen Obiri has faulted politicians using sports to gain political mileage, harboring no agenda for the industry.

Obiri said while some politicians are busy building their backyard sportsmen and women, others are busy using them as a campaign tools.

Last year in her home coming ceremony after the Rio Olympics held in Kisii County, Governor James Ongwae promised to table a motion in the County Assembly seeking construction of a decent training camp for athletes in the region.

“Where is the training camp that we were promised? He said that in a span of three months athletes from Kisii would enjoy a well equipped facility for their training in Nyangusu, but nothing has been done,” lamented Obiri.

Obiri is one of the finest athletes from the region, a respected member of the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) team. She has represented the country in several international events, latest being the IAAF Diamond League in Roma Italy, winning the 5000m early this month.

“We don’t even have a quality County Stadium where we can hold our games. Does it mean that counties are not given enough money to facilitate such projects?” the mother of one exuded.

Obiri’s sentiments come barely a day after Mike Mokamba, an athlete from Nyamira county faulted county governments especially in Gusii region for neglecting sports.

Obiri’s focus is now on the London IAAF World Championships in August.