Coronavirus: Betting firms boost Ministry’s Covid-19 Fund kitty

Sports, Culture and Heritage CS Amina Mohamed. [Boniface Okendo,Standard]

Sports Betting Firms yesterday donated Sh5 million to the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage to cushion athletes from the ravages of COVID-19 pandemic.

This amount is in addition to Sh15 million received from Betika a few weeks ago following a series of meetings and discussions between the Ministry and the betting firms.

Speaking after receiving the cheque, Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed thanked the companies for their noble gesture to support sportsmen and women during these difficult times.

The CS said her Ministerial stimulus programme in collaboration with federations will continue giving priority to the most vulnerable cases.

“On behalf of the Ministry, I wish to sincerely thank our sports partners for their contribution at this very crucial time and for other essential interventions undertaken by the firms individually. The Ministry will disburse these funds in the next few days as soon as the process of identification and vetting in collaboration with all Federations is complete,” said Amina.

‘We will prioritise athletes who do not have any other source of income, those signed up with our national teams and are active Team Kenya players. We will, however, continue to broaden the support base to other athletes as we mobilise more resources. I urge the sports organisations to urgently provide accurate data in order to ensure this intervention reaches intended persons as effectively as possible.”

Sports Permanent Secretary Joe Okudo also thanked all other well-wishers who continue to support athletes across the country through the provision of food rations, distribution of foodstuff as well as direct financial support.

On his part, Chairperson of the Sports Betting Firms Covid-19 Stimulus Initiative Leon Kiptum, who doubles up as Betway Chief Executive Officer said: “We are glad to plug into this noble course to alleviate the suffering of our sportspersons during these unprecedented times. We hope to partner with the Ministry in many other Sports programs in the future.”