Kenya fears unrest threatens cross country chances

By Jack Oyoo

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's prospects at this year's world cross country championships are under threat because political violence is preventing training, top athletes said on Saturday.

Weeks of violence following President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election on December 27 have killed about 700 people in the east African nation, with some of the worst unrest in the Rift Valley region which is home to top athletes.

"We've been restricted to training inside military barracks after incidents where athletes were threatened while others survived attacks by hostile people on their way to training," former world 5,000 meters champion Benjamin Limo told Reuters.

A group of athletes training in the hilly Ngong area, which is popular with top distance runners, were forcefully ejected from a public bus a week ago on their way to train and were lucky to escape unhurt.

"Since then we can't train outside the military barracks, which has curtailed our training," 2000 Sydney Olympic champion, Noah Ngeny, who trains a group of runners, said.

"Athletes need hills to test their endurance and if they can't go outside the barracks, it portends doom for us, added Ngeny who won the 1,500 meters gold at the Sydney Games."

Limo and a group of athletes had to fly from their base in Eldoret, about 350 km (218 miles) north west of the capital Nairobi, to attend the Armed Forces Cross Country Championships.

Kenya draws competitors from that event for the world championships being held in Edinburgh, Scotland on March 30.

"Not all of those who wanted to come for these championships made it because they can't travel by road," Limo added.

"John Kibowen could not find space inside the plane," he said of the former world cross-country short course champion.

Kenya staged last year's worlds in Mombasa when the hosts swept the medals in the junior men's and women's races.

Kenya's world 10,000 meters bronze medalist Moses Mosop was second in the senior men's race with compatriot Bernard Kiprop third behind winner Zersenay Tadesse of Eritrea.

Two days of tribal clashes in another Rift Valley town, Nakuru, which lies between Eldoret and Nairobi, have killed at least 27 people. The government has deployed the military there to stop the violence.

During the Armed Forces Championships, 23-year-old Barnabas Kosgei won the senior men's 12 km race in 35:58.6, beating a group that included Chicago Marathon champion Patrick Ivuti, who missed out on a top 10 finish.

John Cheruiyot Korir was second in 36:03.8.

Linet Chepkirui won the women's race in 27:27.0.