NAIROBI, Kenya, May 20 – German-born fencer Alexandra Ndolo has once again accused the Kenya Fencing Federation (KFF) of sabotaging her in the various competitions she has represented the country.
In particular, the Paris Olympian says the federation did not reimburse her Ksh 270,000, which she paid for air fare from Germany to Marrakech, Morocco, for the Africa Senior Championships in June last year (2024)
Apart from the airfare reimbursement, Ndolo says she did not receive the requisite equipment to compete in the tournament despite the fact that monies for the same were released by the Sports Fund.
The budget, seen by Capital FM Sports, was to the tune of Ksh 2.145 million, out of which Ksh 96,500 was to cater for the kit, including fencing masks, jackets, bleeches, gloves, socks, shoes, blade, underplastron, and chest protector.
Indeed, the 38-year-old lodged a complaint with the Ethics and Anticorruption Commission (EACC), after which the body referred the matter to the Sports Fund for further investigations.
“The complainant alleges that she had to sponsor herself, her coach, and a physiotherapist at a cost of Ksh 270,000, money that has never been refunded despite making numerous follow-ups. Allegedly, the federation received funding from the Sports Fund and the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports to facilitate participants in the African Championships in 2024,” EACC director of investigations Paschal Mweu says in the letter.
More turbulence lies ahead as Ndolo further claims she has to rely on the African Fencing Confederation to push the local federation (KFF) for her to get registered for competitions, most recently next month’s Africa Senior Championships.
-Not guilty-
Responding to the accusations, KFF president Fred Chege admitted receipt of the letter from EACC, which the federation responded to appropriately.
He absolved the federation of blame concerning the airfare fiasco, stating that the Sports Fund allegedly provided Ndolo with three tickets, which she returned.
“The funding from the Sports Fund was for three tickets, but she returned them, saying she had already gotten her own tickets and so wanted cash. At that point, we as a federation could not become involved…it was up to her to negotiate with the ministry,” Chege said.
However, Ndolo has dismissed Chege’s claims, stating that she was not offered any air ticket from the beginning and did not refuse to ask for cash.
-Missing Kits-
Concerning the kits, the president said he is not aware whether Ndolo received them as per the budget or not.
Nonetheless, he pointed out that budgets are not wholly funded as per the request of the federations.
“I am not aware whether she received the kits or not…all fencing equipment comes from outside the country and can only be purchased from specific outlets. You must also know that budgets are not wholly funded. In many cases, federations do not get what they request,” he added.
Despite the latest back-and-forth, Chege says the fencer is an integral part of the future of the sport in Kenya.
He says that plans are on to register the team for the Africa Senior Championships, one of whom will include Ndolo.
“We are supposed to have a meeting today as a federation to look at the progress of the preparations. We are thinking of around 15 fencers, one of whom must be Ndolo. We have also talked to Nigeria to send us an invite, and then we plan to approach the Sports Fund for funding,” Chege said.
Efforts to get a statement from the Sports Fund have thus far been unsuccessful, with calls to CEO Nuh Ibrahim going unanswered.
