Sports stakeholders happy as President signs sports legislation

By Gilbert Wandera

The country now has a new sports law after President Kibaki signed into law a Bill that was enacted by Parliament last week.

The action by the President brings ends an eight-year effort to enact the Bill and sets the ball rolling to transform how sports will be managed.

Sports officials yesterday praised the new sports law, with most pointing out that it was long over due.

 “The spirit of the law is good. Personally, I am in celebratory mood because finally, there will be money to run the national team Harambee Stars,” said Football Kenya Federation (FKF) chairman Sam Nyamweya.

Nyamweya said the federation is supportive of the document and remains confident that issues of contention will be resolved in due time.

Andrew Mudibo the Secretary General of the Kenya Table Tennis Association (KTTA) said the new law could not have come at a better time.

He thanked the Government for ensuring its passage and enactment into law and called for a stakeholders forum to inform all sports associations of its provisions.

Among the highlights of the new law is a provision that gives the new Cabinet Secretary powers to form interim committees to run associations in case of complaints and reported mismanagement.

Such committees will, however, not be in place for a period of more than six months and this is an action that will likely put the Government on a collision course with international sports bodies like Fifa, which do not condone Government interference.

Furthermore, the law also gives the Cabinet Secretary authority to remove officials of associations without referring to the associations if he is convinced that the said official are not working for the interest of sports.

Under the new law, funding for sports is expected to increase following the provision of a sports lottery under the national sports fund.

The Sports Stadia Management Board will become extinct and its functions taken over by the Kenya Sports Development Authority.

The Authority will take on an expanded role and will not just concern itself with management of sports facilities but much more and threatens to even overshadow established associations like the National Olympic Committee of Kenya.

Its functions will include promoting, co-ordinating and implementing grassroots, national and international sports programmes.

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