Sports journalists finger Mbaisi for graft, sexual slavery – Weekly Citizen

Sports Journalists Association of Kenya male members are up in arms over the emerging culture by top officials led by SJAK president Chris Mbaisi of sneaking female reporters out of the country for international assignments and seminars while ignoring their male counterparts.

The disgruntled members are accusing Mbaisi, who had just returned from the All Africa Games in Morocco where he was the liaison officer without even being endorsed by SJAK members, of influencing and dictating selection of junior female reporters whom he in turn uses as sex pets while on the foreign assignments.

Chris Mbaisi

While using his position as SJAK president, Mbaisi reportedly bulldozed his way to ensure Idah Waringa of NTV travelled to Morocco to cover this year’s edition of the All Africa Games, denying competent male reporters at the Nation Centre and other media houses the opportunity to go and cover the games.

This dangerous trend, the aggrieved scribes lament, is being condoned by Kenya National Sports Council treasurer Charles Nyaberi, with whom Mbaisi allegedly shares the female SJAK members.

According to multiple sources within SJAK executive committee, K24 sports correspondent Caren Kibett was to link up with Mbaisi and Wariga in Morocco in place of Citizen TV top reporter Mukami Wambora, who is the daughter of Embu governor Martin Wambora. Sources say Mukami turned down the offer upon realising that Mbaisi was misusing young female sports journalists as sex pets, refusing to ruin her flourishing career and that of her father who is a public figure.

It has also come in the open that SJAK officials are using their positions to enrich themselves financially and materially with confirmed reports saying Mbaisi and fellow members of the executive committee each received 36-inch smart TVs and double door refrigerators from LG, even as hapless reporters, who are the majority in SJAK membership, languish in poverty.

In the same breath, SJAK executive committee is divided right down the middle after Mbaisi and absentee treasurer Evelyne Watta failed to account for Sh4 million which was given to the sports journalists’ body in preparing for LG/SJAK Awards Gala.

Mike Okinyi

Members are now demanding that Mbaisi and secretary general Mike Okinyi, who was recently in Korea to cover martial arts championships, must be investigated by the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission and the DCI.

The SJAK top leadership has also been asked to convene a special general meeting with only one agenda: Discussing the conduct of current executive committee members and passing a vote of no confidence in the corruption-ridden office under Mbaisi, Okinyi and Watta.

Watta has since relocated to Spain after getting hitched to a top AIPS official whom she sweet talked to help Mbaisi get elected as AIPS vice president for Africa. Mbaisi and Watta have allegedly been looting SJAK with abandon, hence the need for a reconstituted office that will steer SJAK to professional heights.

Adding to the scandal that has tainted the image of SJAK is the selection of Kameme TV sports reporter Mary Anne to go and cover IAAF World Championships in Qatar later this month.

Members who are toying with the idea of forming a rival body for sports journalists in the country accuse Mbaisi and his co-conspirators in the executive of turning SJAK into a cash cow and globetrotting vessel as other committed members from so-called small media houses have never been given tickets and opportunity to go for international assignments.