Next administration should revive sports
The elections are over and, save for the dispute over the presidential results, it is clear that Kenya is set for a new dispensation.
From a sports perspective, this is promising to be a turning point for the industry that has faced many challenges in the past.
For instance, Kenyan football is reeling from the aftermath of an indefinite suspension by Fifa, which necessitates action from whoever the new leadership will be.
The financial fortunes of players have declined in recent months, making it difficult for them to feed their families especially because Covid-19 also kept all of them from the pitch. This needs to be addressed at the earliest opportunity.
The place of football in the development of a nation cannot be over-emphasised and the next administration can learn from other nations that have harnessed sports for national development and to keep the public actively engaged in activities that foster peace and economic growth. That is why the next government should feel duty bound to pay a special attention to sports moving forward.
Sports officials in the incoming administration should play an active role in spearheading a truce between the Sports Ministry and Fifa if the country is to come out of isolation.
This will be important since this is a World Cup year and it is crucial that Kenya is re-admitted to the community of footballing nations.
Sadly, successive governments have too often paid insufficient attention to sports and creative industries and have been known to promise various interventions in their manifestos, which are unfortunately, never implemented.
Previous administrations had also promised to support community sports in terms of facilities and increased investments, but this turned out as empty rhetoric despite the huge potential that such investments would have unlocked.
But with the expectation that a new administration will come in with new policies and sports officials, the public expects that they will change things for the better and ensure the plight of players in all fields is looked into.
Measures should also be put in place to encourage Kenyan sports men and women to retain their nationality and make it less attractive for them to seek greener pastures in other countries where they enjoy better returns from their sweat.
The political leadership of the incoming administration should always bear in mind that they will ultimately be held accountable for all they promised while campaigning.
