Nairobi — A group of Kenyans in the diaspora have offered to accommodate their fellow countrymen and women intending to travel to Paris to support Team Kenya at this summer's Olympics.
Making the revelation, Athletics Kenya (AK) said the plan involves Kenyans living in the United States as well as France.
"I've just come from a virtual meeting with the Kenyan diaspora team in France and they also had their partners in the United States. Amazingly they have offered a very good reception for the Kenyans who will be going to the Olympics. They have organised some welfare activities including anybody who may want to go individually and not as part of the team," Tuwei said.
He added: "They are ready to organise accommodation provided people tell them in advance. They have also organised local diet like ugali and mursik. It was my first time attending that meeting but they have even raised money with their partners in the United States."
The president said the final details of the initiative will be laid out after subsequent meetings, which will involve comparison of notes with other stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Sports as well as the National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOCK).
"First of all, we need to sell and organise that with the Ministry and with NOCK before we can announce the way to go about it. I don't want to talk about it alone because I don't have the full details. It is important for all of us to first of all agree and say yes 'there is this team that is organising this initiative, how do we connect with them'. We are actually going for the second meeting this afternoon," Tuwei explained.
If successful, the initiative will be a shot in the arm for Kenyans who wish to travel to Paris to watch Team Kenya athletes in action.
Over the weekend, Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba invited Kenyans to turn out in their numbers in the French capital to cheer on their fellow countrymen and women to success.
However, the invitation had a caveat: that each and every person not part of the Team Kenya delegation would have to cater for his or her own expenses.
