The Kenya Judo Federation scandal is deepening, with stakeholders now claiming that the fight for transparency inside the federation did not begin today.
For years, people within the judo fraternity have allegedly raised concerns over how public funds, athlete facilitation, travel budgets, tournament money and federation resources are managed. But according to insiders, those who dare ask difficult questions about financial accountability are quickly isolated, frustrated or pushed out.
The latest allegations now paint a picture of a federation where transparency is treated as a threat and silence appears to be rewarded.
During the 2024 Annual General Meeting, federation financial statements were allegedly withheld and never properly discussed. This has raised serious concerns over whether members were allowed to properly interrogate how money received by the federation was used.
Even more worrying are claims surrounding former Treasurer David Momanyi. According to insiders, although he was voted out after the elections, he reportedly remains one of the signatories to the federation’s bank accounts.
If true, this raises serious governance questions.
How can an official who has been voted out still remain connected to federation bank accounts? Who authorized it? Who benefits from such an arrangement? And why has the Sports Ministry or relevant oversight agencies not demanded a clear explanation?
Stakeholders also claim that former Secretary General Johnson Mwadime was among the few people pushing for accountability and transparency within Kenya Judo. However, he was allegedly removed quickly after asking too many questions, in a manner insiders compare to how former president Stephen Soi was pushed out of judo leadership.
Critics now claim these leadership changes were not accidental, but part of a wider attempt to control the federation and allegedly use judo as a conduit for suspicious financial dealings.
Within sports circles, some insiders have reportedly gone as far as referring to the Kenya Judo Federation as the “Wash Wash Federation.”
That label is damaging, but the federation has only itself to blame if it continues avoiding full disclosure of its accounts, audited financial statements, procurement records, athlete payment schedules and tournament expenditure.
The scandal has now moved beyond ordinary federation politics.
Athletes are complaining. Volunteers are complaining. Insiders are complaining. Former officials are complaining. Stakeholders are demanding answers.
At the centre of these concerns is the question of public funds. Money released for sports development is not private money. It is not personal money. It is not money for federation officials to treat like private business capital.
It is money meant to develop athletes, support national teams, facilitate training camps, pay volunteers, fund international participation, buy proper kits and grow the sport.
Stakeholders are now demanding that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Asset Recovery Agency, Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, Auditor-General, DCI and KRA move in and conduct a serious audit of Kenya Judo Federation finances.
Investigators should establish how much money was released to the federation, from which public agencies, for what purpose, who approved withdrawals, who signed documents, which suppliers were paid, which trips happened, which trips failed, and whether athletes benefited from the funds allocated in their name.
They should also examine whether any officials, relatives, associates or proxies acquired unexplained assets during or after major judo events funded by the public.
Because if athletes remain unpaid, volunteers remain unpaid, trips collapse, kits disappear, and federation officials appear comfortable, then Kenya does not have a sports funding problem.
It has a sports accountability problem.
And if the allegations being raised by judo stakeholders are proven true, then the Kenya Judo Federation may not just be suffering from poor leadership.
It may be sitting on one of the dirtiest sports governance scandals in the country.