NAIROBI: Former Kenyan Olympic chief Kipchoge Keino and ex-sports minister Hassan Wario surrendered to police on Thursday to answer charges of corruption at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Keino, 78, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, and Wario have been charged along with five former government and national Olympic committee officials over the misappropriation of more than 55 million shillings ($545,000).

Three of the officials appeared in court on Monday, but Kipchoge and Wario, who is now serving as Kenyan envoy to Austria, were said to be out the country.

After they surrendered to police, the duo are expected to appear in court, along with two other former ministry of sports officials, on Friday to face the charges.

Wario will face six counts of abuse of office while Keino, who was replaced as Kenyan Olympic boss in September 2017 by former marathon world record holder Paul Tergat, faces one count of allocating his son Ian Kipchoge Keino 2.5 million shillings for air tickets and allowances during the 2016 Olympics.

Keino, who was recalled from an official trip to Mexico to face the charges, has denied any wrongdoing.

“I was not a signatory of the government money for the 2016 Olympic Games,” Keino told AFP on Wednesday after he arrived from Mexico City, where he took part in an awards ceremony in honour of the heroes of the 1968 Olympics.

Keino won gold in the 1,500 metres and silver in the 5,000m at those Games.

“My role as the chairman of the National Olympic committee of Kenya (NOCK) was to make sure that the teams were catered for during their preparations for the Rio Olympic Games,” Keino said.

Kenya had its most successful Olympics in Rio, winning six gold medals, six silvers and one bronze, all in athletics.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2018