The latest scandal surrounding the Kenya Judo Federation is not an isolated incident.
Stakeholders now claim the current allegations involving unpaid volunteers, delayed athlete payments, missing kits, failed international travel and questionable use of public funds fit into a much older pattern that has haunted the sport for years.
According to insiders, historical allegations against the federation continue to resurface because the same governance problems were never properly addressed.
One of the most disturbing claims dates back to November 2018, when the Government reportedly released funds to facilitate Kenya’s participation in the Commonwealth Judo Games in India.
However, according to insiders, the Kenyan team allegedly never travelled.
The communication reportedly went silent at JKIA, leaving players and stakeholders confused, while officials allegedly shared funds that had been meant to support the team’s participation.
If true, this was not merely poor planning. It was betrayal.
Young athletes train for years to represent Kenya on international platforms. Some sacrifice jobs, education, family time and personal comfort in the hope that when the country calls, officials will do their part. But when funds meant for travel are allegedly released and the team does not travel, the damage is not only financial. It destroys careers, confidence and trust.
Another disturbing incident allegedly occurred in 2018, when junior Kenyan players sent to Burundi were reportedly abandoned after funds meant for their welfare were misappropriated.
According to accounts from insiders, the young athletes were left in a difficult situation until the then Kenyan Ambassador to Burundi, Ken Vitisia, allegedly stepped in using his own resources to support them.
The promise of reimbursement reportedly never materialized.
That story, if accurate, should shame every official who has ever handled money meant for Kenyan athletes.
How do junior players travel to represent the country, only to end up abandoned because people entrusted with their welfare allegedly mismanaged funds? How does a diplomat end up rescuing athletes while federation officials remain untouched?
These historical claims now make the current Kenya Judo Federation scandal even more serious.
Because today, similar complaints are being raised again.
Athletes say they left informal jobs to attend training camp and were not paid on time. Volunteers from the Africa Judo Championships are reportedly still waiting for their allowances. Players say they were promised full kitting but only a few received incomplete kits. A planned Japan training camp allegedly collapsed despite players already processing visas. Insiders claim trips, procurement and athlete numbers may have been manipulated.
This is why investigators must not treat the current scandal as a one-week controversy.
They must go back years.
They must examine every major event, every ministry disbursement, every international trip, every failed trip, every tournament budget, every procurement process, every athlete allowance list, every bank withdrawal and every claim that public money was released but athletes never benefited.
The key questions are simple.
Did the India trip receive public funding? If yes, did the athletes travel? If they did not travel, where did the money go?
Did the Burundi juniors receive proper facilitation? If not, who was responsible for their welfare funds?
Were officials reimbursed, paid or facilitated while athletes suffered?
Were fake documents, ghost trips or inflated travel claims used to justify expenditure?
These are not rumours that should be swept aside. These are allegations that demand a forensic investigation.
Kenyan athletes are not beggars. They are not decorations for officials to use when applying for funds. They are the reason sports federations exist.
If money is released in the name of athletes, it must reach athletes.
If money is released for travel, teams must travel.
If money is released for kits, players must be kitted.
If money is released for training, players must be facilitated.
Anything else is theft from the dreams of young Kenyans.
The Kenya Judo Federation, Sports Ministry and oversight bodies owe the public a full explanation.
Because from the alleged India ghost trip to the reported abandonment of junior athletes in Burundi, the question remains the same:
How long has Kenyan judo been bleeding while officials look away?