Kenya Academy of Sports(KAS) has for the first time pitched its annual holiday training camp in the Central region as part of a nationwide programme that is aimed at identifying and nurturing budding sporting talent in the country.
The Nyeri camp has brought together a total of 401 young athletes who were identified during the Kenya Primary and Secondary School games.
Across the country, similar camps which are being hosted in six other counties, have attracted the participation of 4,000 athletes aged below 18 years who are drawn from seven sporting disciplines including football, volleyball, rugby, handball, chess among others.
At the end of the camp, a total of 560 of the athletes will head to the national camp and eventually transition into Kenya’s pool of talents under the various National Federations.
Speaking during an inspection visit of the Moi Nyeri Complex Primary school where the Central Region camp is being hosted, Sports Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi, noted the significant increase in the number of participants in this year’s programme.
The PS said that the camps are a core part of Sports Ministry and KAS mandate and are aimed at identifying and nurturing talents at the grassroots levels.
“This is the third year we are hosting and the groups have kept on improving. In 2023 we started with 2,000 athletes, now we are over 4,000. We expect to keep this programme alive because we have seen the transformation it has brought to our young men and women,” said Mwangi who was accompanied by the Chairman Kenya Academy of Sports Thuo Chege and senior officials from the Ministry of Education and Federations.
He noted that the camps are designed to expose the athletes to high-level training from top coaches who have been drawn from sports federations, schools and clubs. Mwangi said that apart from identifying future national teams, the programme will also open up the multiple career pathways in sports for the budding sportsmen and women.
“Apart from earning as a professional player, one can earn from being a coach, a team doctor, a dietitian or you can pursue training in the construction industry because we are doing a lot of stadiums which will require professionals who are knowledgeable in matters sports,” said Mwangi.
The PS further disclosed plans by the Ministry to set up sports academies across all 47 counties. He said that the academies are being constructed in learning institutions to facilitate the implementation of the Competence Based Education system which supports arts and sports as a pathway. He noted that out of the 80 academies that the ministry intends to setup, the ministry has already awarded contracts for the construction of 37 academies in the current financial year.
“The expectation is that we have a sports academy in every constituency. We are happy because Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya has approved additional sports academies so that those counties that were not beneficiaries of the first phase can get an opportunity to host a sports academy, “he said.
“You are aware that we have transitioned to Competence Based Education and a majority of these sports academies are being constructed at learning institutions. And because of the infrastructure they are bringing, the equipment and other utilities, we feel that they will add more to what the learners will be learning from their classrooms to be transited to the actual ground level, “added the PS.
Mwangi also affirmed the government’s commitment to supporting athletes and the sporting federation noting that international competition allowances for athletes and their technical teams had been reviewed upwards. The enhanced allowances he noted, are intended to motivate the athletes and make sports more profitable.
“Right now we have reviewed the participation allowances. It used to be 80 US Dollars per day (Sh10,000), we have reviewed to 200 US Dollars per day(Sh25,000) for athletes and 300 US Dollars (Sh 38,000) for accompanying technical team. And of course if they participate every day, they earn those allowances and of course we also facilitate their travel and accommodation and if they win we do reward them according to the structure that we have in the ministry, “he said.
Mweiga Njuguna an official from the Kenya Secondary School Sports Association thanked KAS for setting up the talent camps across the country. He said that the Nyeri camp will revive sports in regions such as Central and Eastern regions which have in the recent years witnessed downturn due to insufficient mentorship.
His sentiments were echoed by Ronnie Owino, one of the coaches at the Nyeri camp who hailed the initiative saying that schools across the country have immense untapped talent that needs to be harnessed.
“It is important that we have the talent put together because we are having schools where we have good athletes but they are scattered. But when you bring them here at the camps they get exposure as we are able assign them a good coach and that way we are able to raise the standards of our teams and players, said Njuguna.
The camp is expected to end next week when the athletes will break for the Christmas holiday.
By Wangari Mwangi
