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NEWS & CURRENT AFFAIRS

The Nairobian

Develop sports to create jobs and business opportunities

Elias Mokua

By Elias Mokua | Sep 11, 2024

Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards during a past KPL Derby at Kasarani Stadium, Nairobi. [File, Standard]

The Kenya Kwanza government is missing a vital opportunity: developing sports as a realistic, low-hanging fruit for creating employment and generating business opportunities. In a country where thousands of young people face unemployment and dimming hopes, sports development represents an obvious and accessible opportunity to tap into youth talent for national development. Yet, this opportunity continues to go to waste.

The sports industry in Kenya could employ thousands of young people, drawing on a pool of talent that only needs a supportive environment to flourish. A single, passionate, and honest leader with a deep love for sports and youth could transform this sector from its current state of neglect into a vibrant, thriving industry. The potential is vast only requiring vision and commitment from the government to turn hopelessness among youth into a land of hope.

About two decades ago, Kenyan football clubs such as Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards, and Shabana not only dominated the local scene but also earned respect across Africa. The football standards were high, even without the advanced sports technologies that exist today. What these teams had was a spirit, a drive, and an environment that supported them. This was achieved with far fewer resources than we have today. These teams inspired many young people to venture into sports. The decline since then shows that our talent is not the problem; our management and investment in sports are.

Kenya has long proven its sports prowess on the global stage, particularly in athletics. We have no shortage of sports talent across all fields both indoor and outdoor games alike. What we lack is the humility to acknowledge that sports development is not a far-fetched dream or an elite ambition but a realistic and practical step toward sustainable growth. God has generously endowed our youth with incredible sports talent, and this is a resource that sits idly by, untapped and underutilised.

Watching our school sports events, the immense potential is undeniable. Our young people are filled with energy, determination, and a profound love for their country. They are ready to compete globally, driven by a self-motivation that does not require hand-holding but simply an enabling environment. Yet, our government's appetite for sports success seems lukewarm at best.

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The vision of constructing state-of-the-art stadia across the country, initiated by the last regime, was the right step.

Kenya Kwanza government should recognise the pragmatic value in this unfinished business. Developing sports facilities and infrastructure across the country would provide a direct channel to harness the talent currently going to waste. It is not a question of if we should develop sports, but why we are not doing so already. The potential benefits are enormous and within easy reach—creating opportunities for thousands of talented children to dream big, aim high, and work towards achieving honours at various levels.

Focusing on sports development would generate income not just for the athletes but also for a broad range of supporting roles—from coaches and trainers to vendors and equipment suppliers. These are not hypothetical possibilities; they are tangible opportunities waiting to be realised. The ripple effect would be massive, creating formal and informal business opportunities for many of our unemployed youth who are currently languishing with shattered dreams.

Sports development is a clear, attainable, and low-hanging fruit that would yield both social and economic benefits. When our athletes succeed, they inspire national pride and unity, bringing us together as one people. The government has the chance to pick this fruit and reap the rewards of a brighter future for our nation. All that is required is the vision and will to act.

To succeed in developing sports as a catalyst for growth, the government should first prioritise the completion of the stalled stadium projects across the country and invest in strengthening sports activities within our schools, particularly at the university level. By doing so, it will create a robust foundation where sports are integrated into education, and graduating students view it as a viable and respectable career pathway.

Dr Mokua is the executive director of Loyola Centre for Media and Communication