Government signs MOU with Olympic bodies

Sports CS Amina Mohamed (left) with President of Kenya National Paralympics Committee Agnes Oluoch (centre) at Kasarani on Saturday. [Standard Sports]

Olympics Kenya and Kenya National Paralympics Committee on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Sports ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Games.

The MOU comes after Kenya unveiled its Tokyo Olympics squad with a list of more than 40 athletes.

The MOU is aimed at establishing cooperation and collaboration between the National Olympics bodies and the Ministry, ensuring that there are smooth, well-defined roles by the two institutions with the view to deliver successful Kenyan athletes’ participation in the Games.

The Government, through the Ministry, has fully funded the preparations, including the Qualifications process and eventual participation of Team Kenya at the prestigious quadrennial global sports extravaganza in Tokyo that will run from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

“This is being done as part of the promise we made when we moved into the Ministry, that we are going to make all our processes, systems and all structure put in place, transparent and collaborative, and to make sure that there is a clarity of roles,’’ said Sports Cabinet Secretary Amb Amina Mohamed during the ceremony held at Kasarani Stadium.

On his part, NOC-K First Vice-President Mr. Shadrack Maliki said: “The standards have been set and I want to thank CS Amb. Amina and PS Joe Okudo for not only showing, but also leading the way with professionalism.”

KNPC President Agnes Oluoch said: “We are all Team Kenya and we would like to thank the ministry of sports for the support we have received so far. Under the leadership of CS Amina, Paralympians feel we are part and parcel of Team Kenya,” Oluoch said during the ceremony conducted on the sidelines of the just concluded Athletics National Olympics trials at Kasarani.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua, the Principal Secretary, State Department of Sports, Joe Okudo, Executive Members from Olympics Kenya; led by the first vice-President,  Shadrach Maliki, on behalf of President Paul Tergat alongside the Ag. Secretary-General,  Francis Mutuku.

President of the Kenya National Paralympic Committee, Agnes Oluoch. 

Sports, Culture and Heritage CS Amina Mohamed (second right) with Head of Public Service Dr Joseph Kinyua (right) during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the Sports Ministry with Olympics Kenya and Kenya National Paralympics Committee at Kasarani on Saturday June 19, 2021. In attendance also were Sports PS Joe Okudo (left), National Assembly Sports Committee chair Patrick Makau. [Standard Sports]