Ferdinand Omanyala, a 26-year-old Kenyan sprinter who is known as Africa’s fastest man, nearly missed his race in the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon – a crucial sprinting event. He was scheduled to fly to the United States on July 11 but didn’t receive his U.S. visa until just one day before the race, on July 15.
Omanyala is a national record holder and one of the fastest sprinters of all time. He told The Washington Post he applied for a visa on July 7, and many of his teammates received their visas the next day. However, Omanyala never received his and blamed the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi for the delay.
“It’s really disappointing, and I hope they do better next time,” Omanyala said. “I know they are hosting the Olympics in 2028, so I really hope they learn from this and do much better next time.”
On Thursday morning, just one day before the race, Omanyala finally received his visa and boarded a 14-hour flight to Seattle. He landed in Eugene only 3 hours before the race. He finished third place in his first-round heat, with a time of 10.1 seconds, but was eliminated in the semifinals on Saturday.
Andrew Veveiros, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, was unable to share specific information about Omanyala’s situation, as visa records are confidential by law. However, United States government officials are not to blame. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Kenya looked into the details of the delay and found non-officials who face allegations of bribery on the list of passengers. Kenyan officials also said that Omanyala did not share some information of his visa application, which they say contributed to the delay. However, Omanyala denied the allegation and claimed that he had disclosed all required information.
Omanyala has already begun to move on, and plans to fly to Birmingham, England, directly from Oregon for another sprint meet.
“I hope this time,” he said, “I get there early.”
Omanyala’s near-miss spread outrage throughout Africa, where many citizens have difficulty traveling to the U.S. A Nigerian authority told the Guardian that many Nigerian athletes have had to drop out of competitions at the last minute due to complications with visas. The founder of the Kenya Airlift Program, an organization connecting graduate students from Kenya to colleges across the U.S., said many of the students in the program wouldn’t be able to receive visas before schools started in September.
“It is a huge crisis for us because we have so many bright students who have already been admitted to universities in the U.S.,” he said. “Most students who are supposed to report in September have [visa] appointment dates in 2023.”
Since May of 2022, only 20 students of the 140 who applied have secured visas to enter the U.S.
Omanyala is a national record holder and one of the fastest sprinters of all time. He told The Washington Post he applied for a visa on July 7, and many of his teammates received their visas the next day. However, Omanyala never received his and blamed the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi for the delay.
“It’s really disappointing, and I hope they do better next time,” Omanyala said. “I know they are hosting the Olympics in 2028, so I really hope they learn from this and do much better next time.”
On Thursday morning, just one day before the race, Omanyala finally received his visa and boarded a 14-hour flight to Seattle. He landed in Eugene only 3 hours before the race. He finished third place in his first-round heat, with a time of 10.1 seconds, but was eliminated in the semifinals on Saturday.
Andrew Veveiros, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, was unable to share specific information about Omanyala’s situation, as visa records are confidential by law. However, United States government officials are not to blame. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Kenya looked into the details of the delay and found non-officials who face allegations of bribery on the list of passengers. Kenyan officials also said that Omanyala did not share some information of his visa application, which they say contributed to the delay. However, Omanyala denied the allegation and claimed that he had disclosed all required information.
Omanyala has already begun to move on, and plans to fly to Birmingham, England, directly from Oregon for another sprint meet.
“I hope this time,” he said, “I get there early.”
Omanyala’s near-miss spread outrage throughout Africa, where many citizens have difficulty traveling to the U.S. A Nigerian authority told the Guardian that many Nigerian athletes have had to drop out of competitions at the last minute due to complications with visas. The founder of the Kenya Airlift Program, an organization connecting graduate students from Kenya to colleges across the U.S., said many of the students in the program wouldn’t be able to receive visas before schools started in September.
“It is a huge crisis for us because we have so many bright students who have already been admitted to universities in the U.S.,” he said. “Most students who are supposed to report in September have [visa] appointment dates in 2023.”
Since May of 2022, only 20 students of the 140 who applied have secured visas to enter the U.S.
