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{
    "id": 1397884,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1397884/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 247,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ababu Namwamba",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you. I will take it one by one pretty fast, starting from the first one on the WRC Safari Rally. The WRC Safari Rally indeed had a pile-up of debts. I am very proud to report to this House that this is one of the spaces we have been able to streamline. When this rally was hosted in 2022, for instance, before we came into office, it cost the taxpayers about Ksh2.8 billion. Last year, we were able to half that and do it at half the budget. This year, even with the economic realities, we have lowered it further. We have done well to get a grip on a space which we believe was not managed well. I assure this House that there is no chance of Kenya losing the WRC Safari Rally. We are in a very good space with the promoter, Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the International Motor Sports Federation and also in streamlining the whole operation of the rally. The debts which we inherited, we have referred them to a special verification. The verification process is going on and as soon as it is complete and we know which ones are genuine and should be paid, certainly, they will be settled. We will plead for some more indulgence for the verification to be concluded. I have visited Bomet County Stadium, it is one of those that were not very well conceived. If I may refer the Member to Page 16 of the master plan which I have referred to quite a lot, Bomet Stadium is listed under completion of ongoing regional stadia. Even though this was a project of the county government, we have taken it up and it is part of our plans to finish it. There are serious integrity issues there and we have done some initial tests. We believe that some of the processes that were done by the county government may need to be pulled down as part of the completion of this project. The other question from Hon. Ferdinand Wanyonyi was about the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the general elections. We believe they should not be overly concerned. The general elections and the football fever complete pretty good. I believe Kenyans will immensely enjoy the Africa Cup of Nations even as we gear towards the general elections, and we do not anticipate any problems at all. Unless the Member knows something that we do not, we would be happy to listen to it."
}