Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario has defended his procurement and cancellation of air tickets that led to the loss of public funds in the Rio Olympics graft case.
Wario told Magistrate Elizabeth Juma that if he had any role, he would be charged with loss of public revenue property which he has not been charged with.
The CS in his submissions before court said he had a role in ensuring that the anti-doping laws were passed and that the image of Kenya in the international arena was positive.
He relied on two reports namely “Report of Rio De Janeiro 2016 Olympics Probe Committee-Kenya” which sets out the composition of the steering committee and “Team Kenya Handbook for Rio 2016”. These two reports clearly show that Wario was not a member of the steering committee.
Wario in the case has been accused of failing to plan for the games as a member of the steering committee. But yesterday he told the court that the committee was not tasked with the planning of the Olympics. “The committee does not have the mandate to plan and organize for the Olympics,” he said.
In respect to the charge of using his office to improperly confer a benefit to Richard Abura and Monica Nkina by including them on the list of delegation that travelled to Rio, Brazil for the Olympics, Wario said the two personnel had a critical role in the Rio Olympics.