The government is committed to streamline the sports sector in the country to make it more gainful to players and athletes who depend on it as their main source of income.
In this regard, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has assured sportsmen and women in the country of the government’s commitment to make sports one of the well-paying sectors in the country.
He said that pursuit of academics is just one element in life, explaining that there is change even in the approach to learning nowadays through the new curriculum, which will pay equal attention to hunting talent and nurturing it from formative years to senior levels.
“We have concentrated much on academics and condemned those who are not good in it yet they can be excellent in sports and creative industry.”
“It is wrong to reduce people’s abilities to how they perform in only one area. In the developed world, sportspeople and artists are among the wealthiest, the most famous and influential people in their countries,” he said.
The Deputy President spoke on Thursday when he held consultative talks with sportsmenand women from Embu, Meru and Tharaka Nithi at his home in Irunduni, Tharaka Nithi County.
He added that the era when sports were held in low regard is gone, pointing at how lucrative the sports industry has become internationally.
“Footballers, tennis players and other professional players make billions every week. Most jobs can’t match what they earn,” he said.
To make the local sector rise to similar levels, Kindiki enumerated numerous approaches the administration is exploring, including infrastructure development, improving training facilities and identifying and nurturing talent early.
In the education sector, the DP noted, the curriculum has deliberately been overhauled to accommodate sports and the creative industry.
The DP added that education is no longer a system forcing learners to study aimlessly but now appreciates the diverse talents of children and the need to nurture them early on to actualise their dreams.
“We chose to improve and perfect the Competency Based Curriculum instead of abolishing it altogether. The Education reforms have helped us improve the curriculum. It is now Competency Based Education and Training because it entails wholesome education and training,” he noted.
Affirming that sports infrastructure is critical in developing talents, the DP cited the renovation of Kasarani and Nyayo stadiums, which have been uplifted to international standards.
“When we assumed office, the President, in the first month, prioritized renovation of existing stadiums and the construction of new ones.
Today, Kenya is proud because we have two internationally approved stadiums: Kasarani and Nyayo Stadiums have been uplifted to international standards and are hosting CHAN matches and will host AFCON games in 2027,” said Prof. Kindiki.
In addition to the two, Talanta Stadium along Ngong Road in Nairobi is being fast-tracked as one of the modern sports facilities in the region.
“Talanta Stadium has been constructed from scratch and once done in January, it will be the most splendid, marvelous and modern stadium in this part of the world,” he said.
Further, he added that the government in collaboration with respective county governments, has renovated other stadiums outside Nairobi including Kinoru, Homa Bay, Bukhungu, Embu among others.
The DP also said the administration is expanding the Kenya Sports Academy to the Kenya Academy for Sports, Arts and Creatives which will be a sophisticated, one-stop learning and training shop for all the sports people.
He also assured the sports men and women that they will benefit from the empowerment program he is spearheading across the country.
By Dickson Mwiti
