The Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) has sought to tame rogue talent scouts and to take full control of all basketball youth camps and local academies.
On Tuesday, KBF Secretary-general Ambrose Kisoi said the federation will seal all loopholes that certain individuals were exploiting to set up unregulated talent academies and to organise unsanctioned basketball tournaments.
He said the federation will discharge its full mandate of organising, coordinating, planning and managing all basketball activities in the country and asked all individuals and organisations that have been using basketball for development or as a tool for any other agenda to first seek clearance from the federation.
Kisoi has asked all existing basketball academies and organisations to immediately seek clearance from the federation whom he said will promptly issue them with certificates.
“As a federation, we know there are things that we overlooked in the past which made running or organising basketball activities a free-for-all affair, and that is dangerous for the smooth running and growth of the game,” Kisoi told Nation Sport on Tuesday after KBF’s Executive Committee meeting in Nairobi.
He issued a stern warming to individuals masquerading as basketball scouts and coaches who end up tricking youngsters to leave the country to pursue non-existent sports scholarships. Kisoi said such an act amounts to child trafficking.
“In the past, every Tom, Dick and Harry has been coming to Kenya to organise trials while pretending to take budding Kenyan basketball players abroad on scholarships but such players were never heard from again .This will not happen going forward. We don’t want to continue losing talented players due to lack of proper guidance,” Kisoi said, adding players going our of the country for whatever reason must be cleared by KBF. BY DAILY NATION