This archive report was first published on 17 September 2019.
Published on September 17, 2019, a report by Weekly Citizen exposed a culture of corruption and exploitation within the Sports Journalists Association of Kenya (SJAK).
According to the report, top SJAK officials, led by president Chris Mbaisi, have been sneaking female reporters out of the country for international assignments and seminars, while ignoring their male counterparts.
The disgruntled members accused Mbaisi of influencing the selection of junior female reporters, whom he allegedly uses as sex pets while on foreign assignments.
One such instance involved Idah Waringa of NTV, who was reportedly bulldozed by Mbaisi to travel to Morocco to cover the All Africa Games, denying competent male reporters the opportunity to go and cover the games.
The trend, the aggrieved scribes lamented, is being condoned by Kenya National Sports Council treasurer Charles Nyaberi, with whom Mbaisi allegedly shares the female SJAK members.
Multiple sources within SJAK's executive committee revealed that K24 sports correspondent Caren Kibett was to link up with Mbaisi and Waringa in Morocco, but was replaced by Citizen TV top reporter Mukami Wambora, who declined the offer upon realizing Mbaisi's intentions.
The scandal also involves financial corruption, with SJAK officials allegedly using their positions to enrich themselves. Confirmed reports stated that Mbaisi and fellow members of the executive committee each received 36-inch smart TVs and double door refrigerators from LG, while hapless reporters languish in poverty.
Furthermore, the SJAK executive committee is divided right down the middle after Mbaisi and treasurer Evelyne Watta failed to account for Sh4 million given to the sports journalists' body in preparing for LG/SJAK Awards Gala.
Members are now demanding that Mbaisi and secretary general Mike Okinyi be investigated by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the DCI.
The SJAK top leadership has also been asked to convene a special general meeting to discuss the conduct of current executive committee members and pass a vote of no confidence in the corruption-ridden office under Mbaisi, Okinyi, and Watta.
