Pains to the podium

The scars she bears are not just physical but emotional, etching a painful narrative of betrayal and shattered trust. Through her courage to speak out, she sheds light on a pervasive issue that plagues our society, urging us to confront the uncomfortable truth and stand together against the epidemic of sexual assault.

This student's story serves as a sobering reminder of the urgent need for awareness, support, and justice to protect others from the horrors she endured.

In a shocking turn of events, the already disturbing tale of a student's sexual assault takes an even more sinister twist. This young individual's nightmare is compounded by the revelation that their former coach went to great lengths to manipulate and deceive, falsifying a birth certificate to further perpetrate the abuse.

Such a calculated act demonstrates the depths of wickedness and the lengths some predators will go to hide their crimes.

This added layer of deceit not only aggravates the trauma experienced by the student but also underscores the urgency for vigilance and accountability within institutions entrusted with the well-being of our youth.

As this student bravely shares her story, it serves as a stark reminder of the pressing need for safeguards and oversight to protect vulnerable individuals from those who seek to exploit and harm them.

After the World Athletics Under-20 Championships, the young student found herself standing at a crossroads, desperately seeking refuge from the trauma she had endured. With the courage of a survivor and the hope for a fresh start, she embarked on a journey to find solace and healing.

It was during this vulnerable time that a guardian angel emerged—a compassionate and kind-hearted Good Samaritan who opened their doors and offered her a safe haven. In the embrace of this newfound haven, the student found not only shelter but also the support and compassion she so desperately needed.

This act of selflessness not only provided her with a sanctuary but also served as a powerful reminder that amidst the darkness, there are still rays of light shining through, reminding us of the strength and resilience of the human spirit.

As she rebuilds her life and reclaims her voice, this student's story becomes a testament to the transformative power of compassion and the profound impact an act of kindness can have on someone's journey towards healing.

In a fact-finding mission, we get to Chebet’s safe home where we found her relaxing after her morning session training which is essential for an athlete before resuming the evening programme.

She represented Kenya at the 2021 World Athletics U-20 Championships in Nairobi and also at last year’s edition of the games in Cali, Colombia.  

She also boasts of a national junior record in her event. She started her career while in primary school in standard four and she would be motivated by her parents who reminded her that running can indeed employ her in the discipline forces after one of the neighbours joined National Police Service due to athletics.

“My career took shape in my early years in primary school and that is when a coach in Kisii saw the potential in me and asked my parents if I could move and join him for training because there were other girls doing the same programme. That is how I moved to Kisii while in standard six and started training where I managed to reach the nationals,” said Chebet.

She narrates her first shocker in the year 2019 where the coach would invite each of the junior athletes for a massage session at his home during the holidays and she was the last one to attend the session but when she wanted to get in, she saw the coach naked at his home.

“I refused to get into the physiotherapist room and when he insisted that I should go in, I went in but I didn’t remove my clothes and he was forced to do the session with my clothes on. He made sure that we became friends and he also took the advantage of paying my bills because he knew that my parents were not able,” she said.

When the school holidays presented, this junior champion tells Nation Sport that she identified an opportunity to escape from her defiler and coach by travelling home to be with her family in the rural area but cunningly the coach would convince them to stay within his vicinity with the excuse of the need and importance of continued athletics training.

As they resided in his home they were tasked with house chores. Here, Chebet was tasked to tending after cattle in the fields alone where she further details how the predator coach used the grazing fields to escalate sexual defilements acts to the athletics beauty.

“It was so bad that the coach forced me to sleep with him telling me that if we do that I would be able to even perform better in my event. He even asked to introduce me to the family planning jab so that he could continue sleeping with me but I refused because I knew at a tender age that was not the right thing to do. At times I was overpowered and there was nothing I could do,” she narrated.

Chebet also said that she went through a lot of stress and was mentally affected but she kept going knowing that one day she will be free from such incidents.

“His wife was not in the camp and he would take advantage of me on various occasions and at times he would ask us to take water to the bathroom for him in the evenings and to make it worse he would ask me to hold a torch for him as he takes a shower,” she added.

While it is standard eight, one of the game teachers visited them in their home and according to Chebet, the teacher asked why the girls had suddenly grown big compared to when they joined camp.

She talked to the teacher and revealed to him what they were going through especially during the massage sessions and he was just shocked and asked them to persevere and insist on going into the session with clothes.

Concerning calls to her parents at home, she would use her coach’s phone and the conversation could be recorded and he would listen afterwards and ask the other girls what Chebet was talking about and if it was something negative, she would be subjected to thorough beating.

Chebet went on with her training and she was in good shape and she managed to get a chance to compete in Nairobi at the national trials where the federation was selecting a team to represent Kenya at the World Under-20 Championships where she managed to make the team.

“I was fortunate enough to make the national team and when the coach heard that those selected won’t be going back home, he called me and asked if he should book a hotel for us to spend with him and I refused telling him that I will go back once we are cleared,” she explained.

The team was later allowed to go back home ahead of the residential training and the coach took advantage to continue with his dirty tricks where he forced her to sleep with him but Chebet screamed loudly and when another girl rushed to check what was going on, he defended himself that it was a massage session.

The coach would later ask Chebet’s brother to send Sh15,000 to buy a phone and process a passport for her which was sent to him.

“He bought me a phone as we reported to the camp and asked me not to save anyone’s number and he would video call me on WhatsApp and talk to me for longer hours. That even affected my training sessions the next day because I could sleep very late,” she said.

As the team was progressing on, the coach would always ask her if she was visiting other coaches at the camp and would always quarrel with her for interacting with other coaches at the team’s camp.

When the junior team were paid the allowance, she managed to send him Sh20,000 what Chebet said that he insisted she should always send him whatever they earned during that period.   

Elizabeth Keitany an executive member at the Athletics Kenya who is also in charge of the women affairs later realized that Chebet was disturbed and wasn’t concentrating on her training sessions and she called her aside where she told her the ordeal she was going through at the camp.

Upon the completion of the World Under-20 Championships, Chebet refused to go back to her training base and asked the officials from the federation to seek another place where she would reside.

“After the global event, I refused to go back to Kisii and I was asked to go and stay with my brother in Nairobi as they seek a place for me to reside.

AK Youth Development Director Barnaba Korir was called and I stated what I have been going through and they decided to take me to a safe haven in Nandi County,” she said.

She is happy to have been supported by the federation and the new coach who has been like a parent to her.

“Since I moved here, I have really enjoyed coaching services and I’m doing my training well in peace. I just want to do well in class and also excel in my career because I want to help my parents back home who are suffering,” she said.

Nation Sport learnt that the said rogue coach had prepared an identification card and a passport document while she was at the age of 15 years where he used dubious ways to cover his tracks by securing an ID for the minor after increasing three years.

The athlete who is supposed to be 17 years according to her birth notification note normally offered during delivery at the hospital, missed out in this years’ Africa Under-18/20 Junior Athletics Championships in Zambia due to increased age.

In the wake of the disturbing revelations surrounding the student's sexual assault by her former coach, Barnaba Korir, the Youth Development Director of Athletics Kenya, has emerged as a steadfast advocate for justice and accountability.

With a resolute voice, he issues a stern warning to coaches, emphasizing that such heinous actions will not go unpunished and he is determined to protect young athletes from further harm, sending a clear message that those who engage in such reprehensible behavior will face the full force of the law.

“What the junior athlete went through is just a sad affair and we are happy that the athlete managed to report the ordeal and as a federation we managed to start investigations immediately and even made arrests. The case is still on and our lawyer is still following it up despite some hiccups on the police side but we believe justice will prevail for her,” said Korir.

As the guardian of youth development within the federation, Korir recognizes the immense responsibility that comes with nurturing young talents and shaping their athletic journeys.

He understands that coaches hold positions of trust and influence, and any abuse of power can have devastating consequences.

“We are also in the process of making sure all the junior athletes are coached and monitored by their teachers so that such coaches can be eradicated because they are taking advantage of their vulnerability to sexually assault and oppress them,” added Korir.

By taking a firm stance and publicly condemning these actions, he affirms his commitment to safeguarding the well-being of athletes under his charge because they are future champions.

Korir's warning serves as a wake-up call to coaches within the athletics community and beyond, reminding them of the profound impact they have on the lives of their athletes.

His declaration signifies a shift towards a culture of transparency, accountability, and protection. Through his words, he not only seeks to deter potential abusers but also sends a powerful message of support and solidarity to survivors, assuring them that their voices will be heard and justice will prevail.

The team also visited her family and according to her mother Christina, she gave birth to her daughter on November 11, 2006 and she has never processed a birth certificate and anything that has been produced before is null and void.

“I have the birth notification note and the dates are indicated when I gave birth and what has been registered is fake. The person who produced that should just state where he got it from because I want to go and process the real birth certificate for my daughter,” she said.

The parents showed us one of the houses the daughter managed to build with the little resources she received after competing during the World Under-20 Championships in Cali, Colombia last year.

A phone call to the coach, he said that he needed more time to answer our questions after denying in the first place that he knew about the case we were pursuing.

Tomorrow: Read about a junior athlete whose career and education was paused after she became pregnant at 17 years following sexual abuse with the suspect still at large.