The Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Sports, Culture and Arts Ababu Namwamba has expressed hopes that the Kenya women’s football team Harambee Starlets will qualify for the World Cup before the men’s team.
The CS said that the government through the ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts has laid down strategies to help the women team adding that he is hopeful the team will qualify for the FIFA women’s World Cup before their men counterparts.
Namwamba said the government in partnership with FIFA will be rolling out training for referees and coaches in all the counties in readiness for the launch of bottoms-up tournament, a grassroots football tournament meant to nurture talents across the country.
He lauded the county Government of Embu for supporting 3K FC which plays in Division one of the Kenya Premier League adding that many corporations had withdrawn from sports sponsorship leading to many football teams straining financially.
He further said that he has held talks with football sporting sponsors like Safaricom, SuperSport Multichoice and CocaCola which have agreed to continue sponsoring football teams in Kenya.
This, observed the CS, will lessen the financial constraints that many Kenya Premier League (KPL) teams are currently experiencing.
The Sports CS noted that the return of these corporate organizations to sponsor football teams in Kenya will be a huge boost in talent development.
Namwamba who toured Njukiri ASK Showground where the Government is in the process of constructing a state-of-the-art stadium in readiness of the June 1 Madaraka Day fete that will be marked in Embu County, also said that the Government has increased the fight against anti-doping that has tainted Kenya’s image as a global athletics power house.
The CS said that the World athletics president Sebastian Coe during his visit in Kenya on January 5, promised to support Kenya’s war against doping.
Namwamba said that the Government has set aside Sh. 650 million to aid war against doping.
By Justus Anzaya
