Government of Kenya Pay-out - Great but more needs to be done...

Yesterday the Government of Kenya (GoK if you like) hosted sporting contingents that represented the country in the various sporting events ( All-Africa Games held in Maputo-Mozambique; World Athletics Championships held in Daegu- South Korea as well as Youth Commonwealth Games at the Isle of Man).
On card was the (un)official handing back of flags handed to the team captains by the Head of State. The more significant part was the handing out of bonuses which had been promised to medal winners of these events.
This has been a laudable feat by the GoK since they initiated this a few years ago. Mr. Pres, though went on to make 'pronouncements' where we shall put them (GoK) into task;

• 47 stadiums - this one is quite ambitious and laughable to say the least. While we seek to develop sports development at the lower levels, this is one area we have not been successful. Look at the existing infrastructure and it paints a sorry state. We do not have proper steps to develop and maintain grounds, sporting clubs and related facilities. We have also not done a good job to providing incentive to private entrepreneurs to encourage investment in the same. We have not safeguarded what would be some major sporting grounds such as has been seen in Nakuru's Afraha stadium, Nyeri's Ruringu stadium, to name but a few.
  

So Mr. President, please check again, this might be paying lip-service to sport.

• Bidding and Hosting International events - in the last 20 years we have managed to host some good international events. But if you look carefully, EXCEPT for the All-Africa Games in 1987, the rest have been more or less single discipline events; the most recent Africa Athletics Championships last year in August. Most of these have also been for less than a week going if we look at time spent within our borders. That informs our lack of facilities for hosting fairly large teams of participants. Sample this, if we bid for the next Commonwealth Games, where would you host the contingents of over 40 countries? Can our infrastructure withstand added pressures of the visitors ( traffic especially)?

We need to stop making populist statements just for the sake and carefully look into seeing to it we develop sports centres which can support modest numbers of visiting and local sporting enthusiasts...learn a thing or two from Munich's Olympic Stadium.

• Sports Lottery - this is another of the proposed developments which is included in the work-in-progress, yet-to-be-tabled Sports Bill. Another noble idea that seeks to raise funds for competing teams to major sports events such as the Olympic Games. We have a big one in 2012 in London ( which also coincides with the Queen of England's Diamond Jubilee...see the significance?). Given Kenyans' love for lottery and such like activities, this is a process that needs to be done with proper audits and openness to avoid the fraud that plagues such processes. It would become another major flop if any undue influence and inconsistencies are detected.

Mr. President, this is the part where you ought to admonish the Minister for Youth & Sports asking him where the 'hell' the Sports Bill is. Your term in office is slowly edging to its sunset & what better way for the youth and sporting talent to remember you than a Bill recognising their worth and contribution as well as formalising sports development in the country?

• Sports Fund - though it might seem unrelated, I would wish to add this to your plate for consideration. Why? Well we have seen many a sporting talent blossom in their short-stints or even in their fairly modest careers only to fall into hard times once they are in retirement. Some have fallen off to the need of rehabilitation from drugs and alcohol abuse. Well such a Fund would be set aside to lump an athlete's part-winnings and bonuses almost like the retirement funds and one can access these in their later lives. It will go a long way in inculcating a culture of saving in our current generation which is out to spend every single cent in sight.

Mr. President, once again, consult with your worthy economic advisors and the retired both current and soon-to-be would be in awe of you for remembering their fate.

Over to you, GoK!

Cast-Her Semenya - Who's fooling who ?

For sometime we all thought we had the 800m women's title(s) wrapped after last year's Olympic Games. Pamela Jelimo and Janeth Jepkosgei had won both gold and silver and I thought we finally had our own version of the Ethiopian legends. Wait till Caster Semenya happened on the scene...
Since her win she has managed to eclipse any other athlete even 'the Bolt' from Jamaica. What was easily one of the most exciting athletics meet in recent times has boiled down to what symbol Semenya represents...
What has incensed me though are two observations. First the IAAF has handled the whole affair badly and thanks to media which sniffs like rabid dogs, Semenya's goose was roasted once in the Finals of the 800 race. Where were they when Semenya won the junior championships last both at the World and Commonwealth championships?
Secondly while the South Africans were justified to feel angered by the treatment of one of their 3 heros from the World Athletics Championship, the whole scene having politicos shouting this and that made bad publicity and will only precipitate the situation.The ANC officials were the worst culprits drawing out the likes of Winnie Mandikizela out of the woodwork. With findings suggesting that Semenya has about 3 times the normal levels of testosterone, the saga will continue to elicit emotive actions.
It would border on insanity for anyone to even have thought of sneaking in anything like that if it's proven but for now let Semenya be. I'm sure we all know of the local tom-boy who may even more masculine than we know. What happened to liberal society ?


By the way, is the athlete by any chance a relation of the more famous musical brother Caiphus Semenya?