PHOTOS: Kenyan paralympians protest over unpaid allowances

The Kenya Paralympics team that took part in the fourth International Athletics Meeting held in Marrakech, Morocco from the April 23-27 is stranded at a Nairobi hotel with the government yet to remit their allowances.

The team that comprises of 54 athletes were booked at a hotel along Thika Road upon their arrival on Tuesday after hauling a total of 42 medals (11 gold, 14 silver and 17 bronze).

Speaking to Citizen Digital, team captain James Mong’erere said they are yet to be paid their dues that has accrued to sh80,000 per head since when they joined residential training camp at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani before travelling for the championship.

“We have not received even a single cent from the government ever since we began our preparations and yet we have families who depend on us,” said Mongerere.

The hotel is also threatening to eject the team out as their bills are yet to be settled out.

“Since we arrived in the country on Tuesday we have been left at the hotel and not even a single government official has visited us. Right now, the hotel management is threatening to kick us out since our bills have not been paid,” said Mong’erere.

The athletes are thus seeking to block a section of Thika Super Highway in protest if the government will not move with speed to address their plight.

“We are left with no option other than to hold demos because they had told us that the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Sports would visit us but that has remained a mere promise,” Mong’erere revealed.

The new development comes just a week after the national team that competed in the African Junior Athletics championships in Abidjan, Ivory Coast staged a sit-in in their hotel after the government failed to settle their allowances.