By Omulo Okoth
Dr Hassan Wario, the newly-named Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Culture and Arts, has his work cut out for him.
From a positive side, Dr Wario has been handed one of the most dynamic dockets, but whose full potential has not been appreciated. For it is mainly sports that makes Kenya be viewed favourably on the global stage.
The home of Kipchoge Keino, Victor Wanyama, Maurice Odumbe and Steve Tikolo ranks high up there on the same pedestal with the homes of David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Michael Johnson and Sachin Tendulkar.
Kenya is a global power house in sporting terms, but while talents abound in many disciplines, it has been left to either flourish on its own or at the hands of private hands. There has hardly been a deliberate effort by the Government to nurture that talent and bring it to the stage where it can own it. One of the most debilitating factors in this regard is funding development of sports.
Award scheme
The past administration institutionalised the award scheme, beside funding and hosting several competitions, which has spurred performance. It has also put in place grandiose plans to take sport to the next level, like setting up of a National Talent Institute, among others.
However, budgetary allocation is not enough to make these ideas take off. Sports is a major industry that could help spur national development to the same level of other sectors of the economy like agriculture and tourism.
With the Jubilee Coalition’s manifesto placing the youth agenda up on their priority list, sports, culture and arts, which is predominantly a young peoples’ forte, should get a fresh breath. Dr Wario must therefore lobby the National Treasury for more budgetary allocation if these grand plans are to be realised. Already, we know that the UhuRuto campaign revolved around the youth, and promised five stadia of international standard.
The renovation of Kip Keino Stadium in Eldoret has stalled despite getting a Presidential order. The Kisumu’s Moi Stadium is an eyesore, complete with a huge damp site billowing toxic fumes. Embu Stadium is suffocating, thanks to ravenous private developers, Ruringu Stadium is a subject of legal tussle between Agriculture Society of Kenya and SSMB, among others. That will require resources and speed to achieve.
But I need to caution Dr Wario that it won’t be easy executing those plans, especially with some associations insisting on having their ways, even if defying global practice of management and sometimes even going against their own constitutions.
Governance issues are critical and the new Cabinet Secretary faces a daunting task in this regard. Many dip their fingers in the till and run very fast to accuse Government of interference when put to account. Some athletes have been short changed by officials, who also double up as agents, something the association’s own constitutions oppose. They play to the gallery when cornered, but request for huge money to train and expose their teams. Many associations don’t even have offices. Some are one-man associations.
With the new Sports Act in place, associations need to be brought to a sensitisation meeting to take them through the Act.
Many of them have not read the Sports Act, whose sections, especially those dealing with tenure, they strenuously opposed.
The Second Schedule that deals with registration requires thus: (a) elections of officials and athletes at the national, branch and sub-branch levels shall be done directly by members; (b) only citizens of Kenya shall be eligible for elections as the chairperson, secretary or treasurer of a body at the national level; (c) the elections contemplated in (a) above shall be held a regular intervals after a period of between two and four years, and persons elected as officials thereof shall consequently hold office as follows - (i) the chairperson shall hold office for a term not exceeding four years, but is eligible for reelection for one more term; (ii) any other official shall hold office for a term not exceeding four years, but is eligible for reelection for one more term.
Many officials opposed this provisio, but are probably unaware that it was passed, hence the need for this sensitisation conference.
There are many other matters on legal and governance issues that will need to be deliberated upon and chart the way forward.
Punitive measures need to be out in place to curb mismanagement of sporting bodies and those found guilty be barred from holding any other office, elective or otherwise.
— The writer is The Standard Sports Editor iomulo@standardmedia.co.ke
