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{
    "id": 1134460,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1134460/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 266,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherargei",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "As I conclude, we did not question the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage for the sake of questioning the Cabinet Secretary (CS) Hon. (Amb.) Amina Mohammed, but we wanted that fund to be used to assist the young people across the nation. You remember, when the Tokyo 2020 Olympics happened, the reception and organisation were so shambolic. Madam Deputy Speaker, I want to thank this Senate because this Committee led by Sen. Sakaja is working on the Statement and the Motion that we gave them, to find the truth. If you can put somebody like Eliud Kipchoge on an economy class, they will get jet lug, yet they are supposed to run the following day. Somebody like Brigid who was to run the marathon the following day was using economy class, but you find officials of the Sports Kenya are using first and second class. Who is supposed to get more preferential treatment? We were told that even in Tokyo, the hotels that our athletes slept in were substandard, but the officials of the Ministry went there, took selfies, and found nothing abnormal. You remember when they landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) even a driver or a tea girl from the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Heritage could not dare receive them. When they asked, they were told that there was a curfew and lockdown. In Uganda, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni might have many problems but when it comes to gold that was won, they were given a car, their parents were built a house and they were given cash money. It is after the hue and cry of this House and myself that the Government decided to reward them with some small tokenism. We do not want to encourage tokenism. Why would you welcome our athletes with only Maasai shukas ? Does this mean this country cannot welcome our sportsmen and women in a better way? Is it a lot? Many people forget that when Eliud Kipchoge, Victor Wanyama, and Malkia Strikers play in the world arena of the sports, they are branding the country. Why should we pay a lot of money to brand Kenya if we cannot just support our athletes when they run? Madam Deputy Speaker, you remember when Eliud Kipchoge was running the Ineos 1.59, over seven billion people of the world were watching him. Which other advertisement would you want from such? Brand Kenya is doing some job but why do we not even divert that money and ensure our sports men and women are well resourced and rewarded properly when they go to run? We have had the privilege as leaders to travel around the world. When people discover you are a Kenyan, they ask whether you are a runner. This is because it is our trademark. Why do we not exploit our trademark and use sports tourism as part of attracting investors to this country? The Committee of Sen. Sakaja has been doing a tremendous job and I know he is following and noting this down. The issues of sportsmen and women must be addressed fully. We want people to be in charge. When we talk about bottom-up approach, those people need to be trained from the level they are to the level that we have. Madam Deputy Speaker, thank you for that indulgence. You know I am passionate because where you and I come from, we depend largely on sports. I thank you and I support."
}