Shollei reveals what is haunting Kenyans athletes

By Robert Mutasi 

Deputy National Assembly member, Gladys Shollei, has spilled the beans by revealing the challenges Kenyan athletes are facing.

She has identified the individuals and institutions responsible for these obstacles.

Speaking in an interview with Citizen TV on Tuesday, Shollei said that despite the fact that the athletes are one of the major contributors to the Kenyan economy, their personal lives and needs are not being adequately addressed.

"If our players reach a point where they are wearing fake uniforms, there is something wrong with the management of sports," she said.

The Uasin Gishu Women's Representative has stated that doping is one of the major challenges in athletes' careers.

She has claimed that coaches and agents are the ones providing doping substances to their respective athletes.

The politician added that many of the athletes are young people who don't have enough knowledge about doping, hence they consume these substances without understanding what they are.

"None of these young people know about doping, they can hardly afford food or shoes. So there is no way they know about doping, it is usually the coaches or the people around them who are providing these drugs and lying to them that it is not doping, but a supplement," Shollei claimed.

Another issue she highlighted is the negligence of the athletes by the respective ministry during their departure and return from competitions.

She has stated that Athletics Kenya, the Ministry of Sports, and management are not taking responsibility for the athletes' struggles.

"They fly economy, while the AK officials and the Ministry officials fly business class and first class," she added.

Shollei has also noted that the immediate layoffs have caused many athletes significant distress.

She has urged the coaches and agents to abstain from providing doping substances to the athletes and called upon the Anti-narcotic Units to investigate and take legal action against those found guilty.

However, she has criticized the Anti-narcotics Unit for what she claimed was their "failure" to provide the results of frequent investigations they conducted.

She urges the body to revoke the certificates of athletes' coaches and agents in cases where their athletes are found to be doping.