No team will sleep in airports because they lack accommodation — President Uhuru Kenyatta

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday reassured the country that the government has allocated adequate funds to cater for the welfare of teams representing the country at international tournaments.

Speaking at State House when he flagged of Tong-IL Moo-Do Kenya national team that will be representing the country at the 2019 Chungju World Martial Arts Mastership in South Korea, the Head of State promised that no team will sleep in airports due to lack of funds.

“We have now set aside funds to ensure that no team carrying our national flag will sleep in airports because they lack tickets, accommodation or they have no allowance.


“When we give you money, you must account for how it has been used to benefit our sports men and women.

“We want each federation and association to show how the money has been used to support respective players,” he said.

Further, the President asked sports associations to ensure that money allocated to the teams is used for intended purposes, adding that mismanagement of the funds will not be tolerated.

“We must make sure that our federations support our athletes and develop sports. Never again will we allow the money to be misused. Let’s support our teams so that we can restore the dignity to our young men and women who are making us proud as a nation,” he added.

The President commended the national basketball and volleyball teams for their sterling performance in the recent championships, saying they have put Kenya on the global map in sports that it was not traditionally known for.


He added that his administration is keen on harnessing and nurturing sporting talents among young Kenyans and mechanisms are being put in place to ensure that talents are identified and developed right from the grassroots to benefit gifted young people.

“We do not just want to cultivate talents at the national but also at the grassroots level,” he remarked.