When Kenya is mentioned in sports conversations, it is most likely to rest on athletics. Over the years, Kenya has been a global athletic household, winning medals in high-stakes global championships and competitions.
But the challenge that Kenya faces in its sports development and maintaining its position in the world map is in the process of identification, nurturing, and development of talent in different sports due to inadequate resources and facilities.
With enormous talent in youths and students, sports stakeholders have called for more allocation to ensure that no talent is wasted. They call for training, construction of academies, renovation of stadiums, and provision of modern equipment.
Sports coaches and players from various football clubs in Kirinyaga County noted that lack of adequate funding from the government is the major problem, making players overrely on unpredictable donor funding and annual tournaments organised by politicians on a seasonal basis.
Kirinyaga County currently has one main stadium in Mwea, the Wang’uru Stadium, which is almost complete, and another that is in the pipeline, General Kassam Stadium, which is in the architecture stage.
Kinyua Maina, coach of Kiburu Queens FC, based in Ndia Constituency, acknowledged the existence of huge talent at the grassroots, adding the schools provide an early introduction to organised competition for the establishment of elite future sportspersons in Kenya.
“The new education system of Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) provides an easier platform to nurture talents. Today’s students are the source of future players,” Kinyua said.
He, however, noted that lack of frequent tournaments, modern sporting equipment, and training of coaches to get new ideas is an impediment in the development of sports. With female gender, Kinyua singles out early pregnancies as a contributor to wasted talent.
“Resources will never be enough, but if we do regular tournaments to expose the students, get equipment, and also have the trainers take part in sport seminars to acquire new ideas, it will be of much importance.”
Alex Murimi, Coach of Kianjang’a FC, said the status of sporting facilities are below standard and needs facelifts. He added that accessing some facilities for training is almost impossible, asking the new Cabinet Secretary (CS) for sports, Kipchumba Murkomen, to invest in facilities as the players need support through training in better venues.
“We have poor playing fields that need revamping.We cannot access some facilities because of restrictions and bureaucracy. We hope the new CS will consider investing in facilities because we have talents that need support,” Murimi said.
He said the tournaments organised by political class are seasonal and only keep them busy as there is no talent search and scouting.
Dickson Wachira, a sports organiser, said the failure to look for sponsors to uplift the talent is putting the efforts of potential athletes to waste. He expressed optimism that the cabinet secretary will start to visit local sporting activities to understand the challenges and possible solutions.
Abigael Wanjiru, player for Kiburu Queens football club, said the majority of local talented youths have abandoned sports for white-collar jobs because the Ministry of Sports has concentrated on those already playing in major leagues such as FKF.
She also noted the men’s tournaments have been given more concentration than the women’s, calling for balance of the same.
By Mutai Kipngetich
