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{
    "id": 1476304,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1476304/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 217,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Hon. Speaker, as a matter of fact, Yavi in her own words said that the competition in Kenya was too hard for her and she could not make the cut. That is why she chose to run for another country. I know you saw the propaganda that was on social media. When I saw that propaganda on social media, I asked the question directly to Athletics Kenya. I also saw her interview. She said that while she was 17-year-old or thereabouts, she could not even make the top three. That is the case for Kenya. The real competition in some races is final. If you want to run for Kenya, you may not even have a chance to qualify. Having gone to another country, she has done exceptionally well. In conclusion on this Statement, we should be very proud to export sports people to run for other countries. They bring foreign exchange to our country. They do not leave the country; they are always here. Everything they earn they invest here. The question of fairness and corruption in the selection of teams will be handled differently but, on the question of the choice of an athlete running for another country, they must not be ostracised for doing so. They must be supported for making that choice. The only thing we must do as a country is that having exported them to run for other countries, we must also work very hard to make sure we beat them in the international competitions. I would rather have Yavi beating a Kenyan than an Ethiopian beating a Kenyan. That is because we will still get the benefits with her beating us than somebody else beating somebody from our country. Just like we are exporting labour all over the world – that is our professors, doctors and teachers who are serving all over the world – the athletes are also looking for greener pastures to develop themselves. Those countries have better facilities and rewards than ourselves. We must encourage the athletes as we work towards the same as a country. City Stadium is a county facility and I am sure that the County of Nairobi is going to take care of it. Hon. Yusuf asked about the peace tournament. I am willing, upon agreement, to have a one-on-one consultation on what we can do together. We have limited resources to give to everybody who is organising a tournament. In fact, we have agreed as a Ministry to focus on supporting the growth of the talent. But where an individual has come out to start a tournament, we should allow them to do so using the private sector, so that the little amount we get from the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund deals with key events that are of national nature. In terms of coming to watch your team, I am happy to come. And you should challenge Bunge FC to come and play a curtain-raiser. I can join Bunge FC as one of the players and come and curtain-raise in your tournament, maybe, at the finals. We can agree together. Congratulations for the same. Hon. Lelmengit, I touched on Kapsabet comprehensively and I told you that it is one of our training facilities for the Kipchoge Keino Stadium that is being constructed in Eldoret. The process of awarding the contract is ongoing. It was paused when a decision was made that one of the fields for AFCON was going to be Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret. Therefore, it was designated as one of the training fields. For psychosocial support, gender-based violence and social support for our athletes are things that we must confront. I have established an office in the Ministry for gender-based violence issues. We have also asked all the federations to put in place some officers to deal with gender-based violence and psychosocial support. This is a society problem. Suicide is not a The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}