Kenya Morans land in Cameroon

The national men's basketball team arrived safely in Yaounde, Cameroon Monday afternoon despite visa hitches which delayed their departure at the Jomo Kenyatta international Airport by three hours. 

The team is set to take part in the second and final round of the Afrobasket qualifiers that tip off from February 19 to 21. 

Drawn in Group 'B', they take on Senegal in their first match on February 19 at 1pm EAT, before facing Angola on February 20 at 4pm EAT. Kenya Morans complete their campaign against Mozambique on February 21 at 4pm EAT.

Kenya lie third in the group and can clinch a place in the African finals by matching the results of fourth-placed Mozambique. 

Morans were initially booked on an Ethiopian Airlines that was to depart Nairobi for Yaounde at 5am with a brief stop-over in Ethiopia, but the Airline officials could not allow them to board due to lack of Cameroonian entry visas

It took the intervention of top government officials, who were present at the airport to change the team to a Kenya Airways flight, after Cameroonian Immigration officials confirmed they had written to Kenya Airways and not Ethiopian Airlines to allow the team to travel without visas and get them on arrival.

"We had a letter from the Immigration department of Cameroon indicating that the team contingent would get thier visas on arrival as has been the case whenever we travel for major international events.

However, this information was communicated only to Kenya Airways and not Ethiopian Airlines where the team was booked, forcing us to change flights at the last minute," said Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) treasurer Peter Orero, who opted out of the trip for newly elected federation Secretary General, Ambrose Kisoi.

Orero said the team landed safely at 2pm and were recieved by the Cameroon Basketball Association officials who took them to the bubble. 

Owing to the lack of space in the Kenya Airways flight, only the 13 players, coaches, team manager, team doctors and Head of Delegation Kisoi as well as his assistant Joseph Amoko, made the trip  

The other government officials, who were to accompany the team, had to reschedule thier travel. 

"The team and technical staff are already in Cameroon taking the mandatory 24 hours quarantine before taking to the courts to finalise preparations for their championship opener against Senegal on February 19," Orero said. 

The foreign legion quartet of Joel Awich, Ariel Okal, Tylor Okari and Preston Kiprono Bungei were expected to link up with the rest of the players in Cameroon later Monday.