The Kenya Olympics team boss in 2016 accused the detention center

BY SAM KIPLAGAT
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• On appeal to the High Court, Soi says he was neither an Expenses officer nor an accounting officer appointed by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) for the mission to Rio, Brazil.
• Mr. Soi was found guilty along with former Sport CS Hassan Wario and sentenced to 17 years in prison after being fined Sh 105.6 million. hadn’t paid.
• Before the appeal was heard, Soi asked the court to bail him.

Rio 2016 Olympic Games Head of Mission Stephen Arap Soi, who is serving 17 years in prison for abuse of office, has accused his detention of being unable to receive the money he is being charged with.

On appeal to the High Court, Soi says he was neither an Expenses officer nor an accounting officer appointed by the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) for the mission to Rio, Brazil.

To spend, he says, he must have the authority of the Treasury and not have access to the funds he is accused of embezzling.

Mr. Soi was found guilty along with former Sport CS Hassan Wario and sentenced to 17 years in prison after being fined Sh 105.6 million. hadn’t paid.

Aside from approving airline ticket cancellations, which resulted in a loss of $ 9.7 million in public funds, he was accused of overpaying officials, athletes and journalists who traveled to Rio.

Dr. Wario had been sentenced to six years with an option to pay a Sh3.6 million fine, which he paid and was released.

Mr Soi said he was discriminated against and sentenced to fines for allegedly overpaid allowances to athletes and sports officials, but the decision was made by the multi-person National Steering Committee.

The former police officer says that senior judge Elizabeth Juma convicted him of misinterpreting the law that he performed his duties as a police officer but received an assignment from NOC-K, a member of the International Olympic Committee. whose functions have nothing to do with public duties in Kenya.

He also said he had not been to Kenya between July 20 and August 26, 2016 when the money was paid out to athletes and officials.

Before the appeal was heard, Soi asked the court to bail him.

In the appeal, due to be heard on December 16, Soi says he is an elderly man, 65 and that his health may deteriorate while in detention, but that his appeal has good prospects of success.

“The applicant fears that if this application is not addressed urgently, his health will be severely affected as his state of health will prevent him from being able to receive the necessary medical care, taking medication and being examined on severe occasions his lawyer Kimutai Bosek said.

The former police officer said he was the sole breadwinner and that his detention would make his family destitute.

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