Youth Development Director Barnaba Korir Reveals Ksh 40M System to Combat Age Cheating in Athletics
Josphat Kebut
Youth Development Director Barnaba Korir has announced the implementation of a Ksh 40 million registration system aimed at eliminating age cheating in athletics.
Speaking on Kass Media’s Lee Nee Emet program, Korir placed blame on parents for colluding with officials to obtain fraudulent birth certificates.
The new system, which has been developed with an investment of Ksh 40 million, is designed to curb the growing issue that has seen nearly 30 athletes under investigation for age discrepancies.
Korir blamed a disturbing trend involving parents who collude with birth certificate providers to falsify their children’s ages.
He shared a troubling example where parents react defensively when questioned about inconsistencies in their children’s ages.
“Some parents get furious when you ask them about the age discrepancies, with some even angrily asking, ‘Did you give birth to my child yourself?’” Korir stated.
While the involvement of parents in age cheating is concerning, Korir suggested that the issue may stem from broader systemic problems, possibly involving unscrupulous individuals within the athletics community.
“I can’t point fingers at anyone, it maybe coaches or other people, but someone is advising these kids to falsify their ages in order to win more competitions,” Korir said.
To combat this issue, Athletics Kenya has partnered with a French company, with assistance from World Athletics and the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), to develop an advanced registration system.
“The new system is foolproof,” Korir explained.
“Once an athlete’s details are entered, they cannot be altered. If different information is entered later, the system flags it, and an investigation is triggered. Every athlete will be assigned a unique identification number.”
Korir also announced that athletes who fail to register under the new system will be barred from participating in upcoming events.
“We’ve communicated to our regional affiliates that only athletes who have registered will be allowed to compete,” he said.
In addition, Athletics Kenya President, Lieutenant General (Rtd) Jackson Tuwei, has reached out to the Ministry of Immigration and the Registrar of Births and Deaths for further assistance in investigating the issue, particularly regarding the possibility of individuals using multiple passports.
“We need to ensure there is a solid connection between a person’s passport and their birth certificate to avoid discrepancies,” Korir added.
“There must be a clear linkage between these documents to prevent anyone from using different birth certificates to obtain multiple passports.”
With the new system in place and further investigations underway, Athletics Kenya is taking significant steps to ensure integrity and fairness in the sport.
