Murkomen urges Senate to drop Bill on sports academies

Sports CS Kipchumba Murkomen when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Services during public hearing on the Sports (Amendment (No. 2) Bill, 2024 at Bunge Towers, Nairobi. October 31, 2024 [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has asked the Senate Labour and Social Welfare Committee to drop the Bill that seeks to establish sports academies in all 47 counties.

The CS who appeared before the committee chaired by West Pokot Senator Julius Murgor that is considering the Sports (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, 2024, asked the senators to defer the Bill to allow the ministry to complete review of sports laws and policies.

Murkomen said the ministry is currently reviewing the National Sports Policy, 2005 and the Sports Act, 2013, which will culminate in a comprehensive policy, with the Bill to wholesomely respond to issues affecting sports in the country. He said the exercise will be completed in December.

"The Ministry of Youths Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports is kindly requesting that the Senate considers dropping the Bill to allow for a more thorough review of the sports sector's policy and legal framework, if it is possible," he said.

The Bill sponsored by Senators Tom Ojienda (Kisumu) and Raphael Chimera (Nominated) seeks to amends the Sports Act (Cap. 223), to create county academies of sports across the country.

The sports academies are expected to develop talent at an early stage from the grassroots to create a pool of players to represent the nation in international sports competitions.

Murkomen told the committee that his Ministry appreciates the concept of county sports academies but believes that their establishment may be addressed by counties independently. He said they do not require a statutory prescription in light of the current fiscal space.

"While the counties are free to establish the academies if they can do so, there is need for a collaborative approach guided by national policy and a comprehensive legal framework, counties and the Kenya Academy of Sports should support talent identification, nurturing and development, thereby avoiding duplication of roles," he said.

The CS said the Ministry has advertised for the development of 35 academies with a target to establish at least one academy in each of the 290 constituencies in the next five years that will be domiciled or established near schools to tap talents early.

The Bill states that each county academy shall be managed by a county academy management committee headed by a chairperson with the committee responsible for policy matters and giving strategic direction to the respective county academy.

"Each county academy shall have a manager, who shall be competitively recruited and appointed by the respective county public service board while providing for the protection of minors participating in sports while every sports institution shall put in place measures to ensure the physical and emotional well-being of minors participating in sports," states the Bill.

The Bill states that all sports programmes targeting minors shall provide adequate sports education and training in line with the highest national standards and, no contract involving a minor shall be valid unless signed by the parent or guardian.

In the case of a professional sports contract, the Bill states that minors involved must have attained the age of 17, with local transfer of a minor complying with the rules of the national sports organisation in charge of the relevant sport in Kenya.