Although Kenya had a good sporting year, there were a number of sagas that tainted the East African nation’s image.
TeamKenya.co.ke takes a look at three sagas that engulfed the Kenyan sports sector in 2022.
Oregon Saga
The Oregon saga is perhaps the biggest sporting saga in Kenya’s history since the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016.
Joyriders accompanied Team Kenya to the World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, United States, in the process leaving behind star athletes like Ferdinand Omanyala, who only traveled to the games at the eleventh hour.
The action led to uproar from the ordinary Kenyans, with some of them alleging that the then minister for sports ambassador Amina Mohammed took his daughter to Oregon at the expense of competitors.
Some of the senior officials at the ministry, including the principal secretary Joe Okudo, were even grilled by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
FKF saga
Another Saga that was witnessed in the Kenyan Sports sector in 2022 was the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) saga.
The saga, which lasted for several months, led the World Football Governing body, FIFA to ban Kenya.
FKF President Nick Mwendwa was accused by the government of corruption-related charges and the federation’s offices located in Kasarani were closed for some time.
The Amina Mohammed-led ministry appointed a transition committee to run football affairs in the country, but the leagues were declared null and void at the end of the season.
The champions in the men’s and women’s leagues, Tusker and Vihiga Queens missed a chance of gracing continental tournaments due to the saga.
Moreover, the women’s national team, Harambee Starlets also missed a one-in-a-lifetime chance of gracing the 2022 African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON).
Also Read: Biggest Sporting Moments in Kenya in 2022