Sports CS Amina Mohammed avoids Harambee Starlets saga
The fate of the national women football team, Harambee Starlets’ participation at the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (Awcon) qualifiers against Uganda remains unknown with Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed staying clear off the topic yesterday.
Starlets were expected to face Uganda in a two-legged crucial qualifier with the first leg planned for Kampala on February 14 before the second second leg is held in Nairobi on February 17. Confederation of African Football (CAF) last month gave Uganda a walk-over and an automatic ticket to the continental showpiece after Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Chief Executive Officer Barry Otieno wrote to them informing the body that the federation was not in a position to host the match after they were disbanded and locked out of their offices. The CS, however, promised Kenyans that the match would be honoured as Starlets headed into camp and she wrote a letter to CAF over the issue.
However, yesterday when journalists inquired if her letter had been replied by CAFm two weeks later, Amina steered away from the matter and instead gave prominence to Chief Administrative Secretaries (CAS) in the Ministry who rendered their resignations as they venture into politics.
Resignations
Simon Kachapin and Zack Kinuthia yesterday officially tendered their resignations to the CS at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
Kachapin wants to try to recapture his seat as the Governor of West Pokot, having lost to John Lunyangapuo in 2017, he will be contesting on a United Democratic Alliance ticket. Kinuthia on the other hand said he will seek to capture the Kigumo Parliamentary seat on a party that President Uhuru Kenya will propose to him.
“I am not going to answer questions today” said Amina when asked about the fate of the national team currently in residential camp.
She added: “Today is the day of my CAS, I am her and not going anywhere, look for me.”
Amina wished her CAS’s who had both served at the Ministry of Sports for over a year, success in their political journey.
“I have had nothing but an incredible time with both of them, the kind of working relationship we had was incredibly good,” she said.
Kinuthia singled out World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge and Peres Jepchirchir’s heroics at the Olympics Games as the highlight of his tenure at the ministry.
“There were many good moments in the ministry that deals with sportspersons, but that morning in Sapporo Japan when history was written by our gallant athletes tops them all,” said Kinuthia who is hoping there will be better working relations between the national government and their county counterparts in the aspect of devolution of services will be achieved better.
