Omanyala At “Risk” of changing Nationality

Reports have indictated that Ferdinand Omanyala has received many offers change his citizenship. This follows the alleged corruption in sports ministry that has crippled athletes’dreams. A bylaw to Rule 41 of the Olympic Charter states that athletes with dual citizenship can represent the country they choose, and athletes who gain new citizenship or wish to change their Olympic status can do so if three years have passed since they competed for their previous country.Different countries across the world have gone to extent of tapping the new talents from other countries Kenya included poaching day and night to outdo the country in the Athletics world.

Earlier in the year Popular Comedian Daniel Ndambuki (Churchil) advised Ferdinand Omanyala against changing his Citizenship.This was after the celebrated 100m record holder set a world lead of 9.85 to win the men’s 100m during the Kip Keino Classic at Moi Stadium, Kasarani on Saturday evening.

“Asifikirie kuhama Kenya (He shouldn’t think about leaving Kenya), let him stay here so that he can train in Karura and other places. Akienda huko (If he leaves the country) he will be fed with horse food which is not good he might end up being accused of doping.” advised Mwalimu.

The African record holder from Kenya, one of the fastest sprinters of all time, was supposed to fly to the United States on Monday, giving him five days to settle in before his first 100-meter race. But with barely a day left to make the Friday evening start, he had yet to receive a U.S. visa, without which he would be barred from a competition that could cement his legacy.

The document arrived a day before the race, and he got in with only a few hours to spare, set to compete with runners who had not just stepped off a plane.

Omanyala told The Washington Post he applied for a visa with the rest of the Kenyan team July 7. The majority of his teammates received visas the next day, Omanyala said. His never showed up, for reasons that remained unclear to him. He faulted the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi for the unexplained delay.

“It’s really disappointing, and I hope they do better next time,” Omanyala said. “I know they are hosting the Olympics in 2028, so I really hope they learn from this and do much better next time.”

When Omanyala woke up Thursday morning, “I had already given up coming here,” Omanyala said. “I was supposed to run on Friday. God works miracles.”

After the visa finally arrived Thursday, Omanyala boarded a five-hour flight from Nairobi to Doha at 6 p.m. He flew 14 hours to Seattle, getting nine hours of sleep in business class. His one-hour flight from Seattle to Eugene landed three hours before his race. He drove directly to Hayward Field.

Omanyala finished his first-round heat in third place, at 10.10 seconds, well off his season-best time of 9.85 but good enough to advance him to Saturday’s semifinals, where his effort fell short and he was eliminated.

Alia Basma, a Kenyan who runs for Bahrain, shared his sentiments with the media. Her Kenyan name is Miriam Jeptoo and she has been representing Bahrain in the women’s marathon since she changed her nationality two years ago. For Alia, Kenya’s stiff competition inspired her to look for greener pastures.

She was lucky to have received an offer from the Middle East country. She says besides the financial gains she has also managed to get a scholarship, something she would never have dreamed of in Kenya. “There are so many talented Kenyans, some who are way better than me. That means that to even make it to the national competitions where one at least stands a chance of winning and getting picked to represent the country in international competitions is very slim.”

“Again there is no motivation to be an athlete back home. Even schools have no scholarships for athletes. It is a whole different world out here which is why I am happy I accepted the offer,” said Alia.

But while the athletes seem to have found a good life and settled in, back home a section of Kenyans have always treated those who denounce their citizenship as traitors and accuse them of selling their nationalities for a song. Some Kenyans believe that you can never put a price at your nationality and country no matter how poorly you think of your country.

According to World Athletics, If an athlete changes citizenship through marriage, the transfer to the new country is automatic with immediate effect, naturally with the approval of the new country’s federation. This is what happened to Christy Opara-Thompson. If however, the new citizenship is not granted with the marriage, in other words, if the athlete is only in process of acquiring citizenship, competing at such events, for the new country, is not possible for three years after the date the athlete last represented the old country at such a competition. Note that with the approval of the “old” and “new” federations plus the IAAF Council, the three years can be reduced to one

Akdag Alex Kipkirui, who has represented Turkey in many Olympics, dropped his Kenyan nationality for a Turkish one eight years ago. The 25-year-old steeplechase runner said it was a personal decision which was informed by his family’s situation at the moment.

“I really thought it through. I had four other siblings, my parents were not well off and were struggling to even raise school fees for us. So when I went for the trials at the Iten training grounds and one coach noticed my skills, he approached me and asked me if I would be interested in relocating to Turkey. It was tough at first for me, but I had to make a decision. I have never regretted it,” Alex said, insisting that he intends to run for Turkey as long as he can. What he earns he is able to send back home and is now paying for his siblings’ education and has also helped set up businesses for his parents.