Sports Cabinet Secretary (CS), Amina Mohamed during International T20 Cricket series match between Kenya and Nepal at Nairobi Gymkhana ground on August 30, 2022. [Kelly Ayodi, Standard]
There is an overflowing sports in-tray for the incoming government, respective federations and various stakeholders. Lost shine, fame and money across all disciplines must be restored.
From football mess, doping in athletics to poor funding in hockey and volleyball, there's enough house-cleaning to do. The sports industry has remained at a crossroads and on the periphery for far too long. And because of this, there has been no serious money after potential sponsors pulled out.
Today, majority of sports disciplines have been on the downside due to wastage of raw talent. Last Wednesday and Thursday, Kenyan athletes staged brilliant showing at the finale of the World Athletics Diamond League meeting in Zurich.
Five of them, two-time Olympic and world 1500m champion Faith Chepngetich, Olympic and world 800m champion Emmanuel Korir, Commonwealth Games 5000m silver medalist Nicholas Kimeli, world 5000m silver medalist Beatrice Chebet and Commonwealth Games 800m champion Mary Moraa, won the 2022 Diamond League Trophies, which earn them automatic slots at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on August 19-27 next year. Quite an impressive feat.
We hope Athletics Kenya (AK) will build on these good performances and prepare a formidable team for the World Championships and, perhaps, the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
AK should prepare a roadmap for Kenya to reclaim our lost titles in men's 5000m and 10,000m as well as the 3,000m steeplechase, which we lost it after dominating for 53 years. We should also be cautious on the doping menace. In 2015 and 2019 World Championships, some of our athletes failed dope tests shortly before competitions and were dropped from the start lists. It has been a shame!
The monster is dragging us through mud. It is prudent that athletes remain clean before lining up in races to avoid tainting our global image. It is a shame to invest heavily in preparations only for champions to be banned later.
There is also infrastructure challenges. Currently, there is no usable stadium in North Rift and South Rift, the high altitude areas where world beating stars conduct pre-Olympic camps.
Kamariny Stadium in Elgeyo Marakwet has stalled since 2016, Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret has had renovations that seem to never end. A similar script reads at Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Kapsabet, Kapsabet Showground and Kericho Green Stadium. The government has pumped billions into stadia development, one of Jubilee administration's pet projects.
There is also nothing to write home about in football. Ironically, President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration enacted crucial legistations the Sports Act 2013 and the Anti-Doping Act 2020. They were not fully implemented. We hope the incoming regime will resolve these bottlenecks once and for all.