Peter Ng'etich
2 October 2008
Nairobi — The North Rift will have its Athletics Kenya (AK) provincial elections on Friday a day before the other provinces hold their poll.
The change in the election date was made due to the planned party in Eldoret on Saturday to welcome the Beijing Olympic medallist.
However, former 3,000m steeplechase champion Moses Kiptanui wants all the AK elections to be postponed until the constitution of the association is amended.
Kiptanui told a news conference in Eldoret that former athletes who are vying for various AK posts said the present constitution was unfair to them.
Kiptanui, who is seeking to oust Isaiah Kiplagat as the chairman called on the Minister for Sports Hellen Sambili to intervene.
He said AK national officials had pushed their elections to today ahead of planned party to welcome Beijing Olympic medal winners. He claimed the move by AK to change the branch election date was aimed at scuttling their campaigns. "We have been told to have the provincial elections on October 3 a day before the fete which see as a plot to interfere with the welcoming but we are ready for the two," he said.
Kiptanui called on athletes to support him clinch the AK chairmanship so that he can introduce radical changes in the association.
"An annual general meeting has not been held for the last four years and some of our suggestions have not been considered to improve the sport and I am calling for your support," he said.
In the elections held on September 27, among the athletes who won the seats were former Boston Marathon champion Moses Tanui with other many former athletes with each vowing to contest for top AK seats for a change in management.
Deficit
The nationals are to be held on October 9. Addressing the press in the same function, Kiptanui who is also the chairman of Kenya Athletics Welfare Association (KAWA) said arrangements for the welcoming party were going on well even though they s still have a deficit of Sh400,000 in their budget.
He said Prof Sambili, Agriculture minister William Ruto, MPs and former athletes including Kipchoge Keino will grace the occasion.
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