Jeremiah Kahindo, the manager of Kenya's national swimming team, believes that the lengthy ban imposed by World Aquatics is one of the reasons why they have struggled to settle down.
Kenya left the African Games empty-handed and Kahindo admitted they were no match for the north and south African countries, who have invested heavily in sports.
“Teams like South Africa, Egypt, Zimbabwe and Algeria are on another wavelength. We will need to work hard to catch up.
"The prolonged ban on the federation had a significant impact on the swimmers in several aspects, including their performance, morale, and ego. Competing under the neutral flag for an extended period was not easy. However, things are now improving, and swimmers are gradually picking up their pace," he added.
The next stop will be the Africa Championships in Angola. “This is equally a very important event because it is also a qualifier for the Olympic Games.”
The five Kenyans already qualified for the Paris Olympic Games target more points in Angola to cement their places in Paris.
“We will be battling for two more Olympic slots, which will be determined by points ranking,” he revealed. He said only two of the Olympic qualifiers were in Accra for the African Games. The others opted to compete in Doha last month.
“Considering the Olympic Games are around the corner, the swimmers are treading with care to ensure they’re ready for Paris. The quartet of Stephen Ndegwa, Swaleh Talib, Sarah Mose and Amara Bella competed here in Accra but left the Championship empty-handed.
However, Kihindo termed the performance a step in the right direction considering most of them improved their personal best times. He said Ndegwa was the best swimmer in the men’s category after improving his times in three different events.
In the girls’ category, Imara stood shoulders above the rest by setting two personal bests in the 100m butterfly.
Mose was equally impressive after reaching the final.
Bella, Mohammed Rizwan, Maina Munyu Emily Muteti and Maria Brunlehner are in the Olympic pool but their participation will depend on how many points they gather in the subsequent events.
Kenya has only two slots at the Olympics and the first two in the pool will be granted the slots.
Kenyan swimming has been synonymous with the Dunford brothers —Jason and David—both of whom hoisted the Kenyan flag high in previous African Games.
At the eighth edition in Abuja, Nigeria, Jason bagged three gold medals in the men’s 50m butterfly, 100m butterfly and 200m butterfly as David bagged gold in 100m freestyle.
In Rabat in 2019, Sylvia and Maria Brunlehner, Rebecca Kamau and Muteti became the first Kenya female swimmers to win a medal at the Games. They clinched bronze in the 4x400m relay.