Magnolia Camp closure due to land tussle, says Saruni

Saruni’s clarification comes shortly after one of the camp’s standout athletes, Josephine Sempeyo, brought pride to the country by winning a gold medal in the U-20 Championships 1,500-metre race in Oregon, USA.

Addressing the controversy surrounding the facility, Saruni clarified that the camp stands on privately purchased land and denied reports of forced eviction or personal shut-down decisions.

Instead, he attributed the disruptions to an internal ownership dispute involving donors and alleged interference by some of the coaches.

“I did not close Magnolia Athletics Camp. When I saw there was a land dispute, I waited until the end of the first term. I sat with the girls and told them they would be going home for the April holidays for three weeks.

I wanted to use that time to settle the dispute, because even now, my wish is to ensure these girls continue training in the facility that I set up for them,” Saruni stated.

According to Saruni, the decision to halt operations ultimately came from local authorities following concerns over operational approvals and disputes on site.

He disclosed that on April 4th , an official from the State Department of Children's Services in the Loitokitok sub-county office intervened to review the camp's status.

“The officer from the State Department of Children, Loitokitok Sub-County office, came in on April 4th , listened to the dispute and asked about the authenticity of us running that camp, especially given it was housing minors,” Saruni explained.

“Unfortunately, we didn't have the qualified documents to run that camp at the time. And since there was a dispute and chaos, he decided to close it as the State Department of Children.”

Despite the temporary setback and ongoing wrangles, Saruni maintains that his primary focus remains the welfare and athletic future of the young runners, expressing hope that the administrative and land issues will be resolved to allow the athletes to resume training at the facility.