Kevin Kiarie Accuses Sports Officials of ‘Eating’ Money as Visa Delay Threatens Paraguay Trip

Kenyan skater Kevin Kiarie has alleged that some officials within the Ministry of Sports are “eating” money meant for his participation in the World Skate Games in Paraguay.

In a video shared on his X page on October 3, Kiarie made the claims while appealing to Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi for assistance as he struggles to travel to Paraguay ahead of the event.

The skarter said he has been trying to make the journey but has repeatedly been unable to proceed, despite having made preparations for the competition.

“Ps, Ministry of sports @ElijahGMwangi I have upto Monday to get to the event on time. My airline has daily scheduled flights. I hope I will succeed,” read part of the statement.

Kevin Kiarie Claims Money Was Approved in His Name

Kiarie said officials from the Ministry of Sports had contacted him after indicating that they would support his trip to Paraguay and requested documents relating to the event.

He said he provided the documents and noted that the ministry had handled similar arrangements, including reimbursements, for more than five of his previous events.

According to Kiarie, concerns emerged over funds that he believes were being approved in his name.

“And now, the picture looks like is that they’ve been approving money in my name. They’re eating,” Kiarie said.

Also Read: Skater Kelvin Kiarie Rejects National Heroes Nomination Amid Funding Dispute

The skarter also raised concerns about documents associated with the trip, saying some of them were in Spanish and that he had faced difficulties regarding their translation.

Kiarie said his planned route to Paraguay was through Amsterdam and Panama before proceeding to his final destination.

He explained that he already had a visa for Paraguay but was still waiting for a transit visa to pass through Panama.

The skater claimed that the transit visa process had been unusually slow and said he believed it may have been interfered with.

In addition, Kiarie said some of his friends who travelled through Panama to Paraguay had received responses from the embassy within 24 hours after applying.

He added that he had sent numerous emails to the embassy in an attempt to resolve the issue but had not succeeded.

According to Kiarie, he was told to come for 60 days, which he said would mean arriving after the World Skate Games had already ended.

Skater Says He Has Ticket, Hotel and Equipment Ready

Despite the travel difficulties, Kiarie said he had already completed the preparations needed for the competition.

“We paid for the hotel, I have the ticket, I have registered the event, I have the proper equipment, I have everything that I need,” he said.

Also Read: Kelvin Kiarie to Bag Millions as Govt Rewards Kenyan Skating Champion After Public Outcry

He added that he was ready to travel immediately if the necessary assistance was provided.

Kiarie said the remaining hurdle was not within his control and called on those involved to intervene so that he could proceed to Paraguay.

In his X post accompanying the video, Kiarie directly addressed Principal Secretary, State Department for Sports Elijah Mwangi, saying he had until Monday to arrive at the event on time.

In the video, Kiarie reiterated that he could travel if he received the necessary assistance.

“If they call me, I will go,” he said.

He noted that he had only a few days left to make the journey, adding that he hoped to eventually travel and represent Kenya at the World Skate Games.

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Photo of Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi and Skater Kelvin Kiarie during a meeting at his office in Nairobi
PHOTO/Kiarie/X