South African security experts are to visit Kenya early next month to discuss the security measures for the two matches the country is due to host in the 2003 cricket World Cup, local officials said on Tuesday.
”The precautions have been taken in the wake of the terrorist attacks on Israeli targets in Mombasa that killed 16 people last week,” Kenya organising committee chairman Sharad Ghai said.
”The South African government and the Kenyan police will be involved in all the arrangements of the event. There will security arrangements involved as well,” Ghai told a news conference attended by South African High Commission officials and organising
committee members.
Ghai said that Kenya would be forced to seek financial support from the South African World Cup Organising Committee, or the International Cricket Council (ICC), to meet the huge expenses of hosting New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Nairobi in February.
He said Kenya could not afford to raise $75 000 required to meet the expenditure of providing security and transport for the teams.
”Kenya is not entitled to any profits from the World Cup, as it is shared between the 10 test-playing countries and has, therefore, asked the the South African Cricket Board (SACB) to meet the costs
of the events,” he said.
Ghai claimed the decision by the SACB to make Kenya meet all costs of staging the two matches had taken the Kenya Cricket Association (KCA) and the local organising committee by surprise.
”We were not informed about these financial obligations when we held a meeting with the South African Organising Committee’s Executive Director Ali Bacher, when he came to Nairobi early this year. It only came to light when a delegation from South Africa
came to Nairobi at the end of November,” Ghai said.
”We have made our position clear that the KCA will not meet these expenses. Someone will have to step in — whether it is the ICC or any body else,” he said, adding that there was no threat to move the matches away from Nairobi.
Tickets for the two matches are yet to be sold, but Ghai confirmed these tickets will go up for sale in the country starting mid-January. – Sapa-AFP