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{
    "id": 1556315,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1556315/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 257,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sifuna",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker. I beg to move that the Sports (Amendment) Bill (Senate Bill No.33 of 2024) be now read a Second Time. As a Senator of Nairobi City County, I receive a lot of guests in my office. There is a gentleman called Ronald Khainga who is the Secretary of the Nairobi County Boxing Association. The first time he came to my office, he had been invited for a tournament in Vihiga. I think this was sometime in late 2023. A few months later, he came back to my office. The reason he came for the first time was to request for assistance for the association to be able to meet the expenses of travelling to Vihiga for the entire team, accommodation and upkeep of the boxing association whilst in Vihiga. I gave him what I thought was sufficient and what I had to sustain the team. He came back a second time. This time round, he wrote me a letter in July, 2024. They were going for the National Boxing League, which was to take place in Mombasa from the 13th to 17th August, 2024. He once again came to my office to request for financial support for the team to be able to attend that National Boxing League. I am holding the letter that he sent me. He had given a proposed budget year for the Nairobi County Boxing Team, including things like transport, accommodation for four nights and meals. The total was about Kshs117,000. This time round, I told him that I was not going to support the team because I could not fathom the spectre of county-registered associations who go to represent our counties in regular leagues, having no support whatsoever from the county government. In fact, because ODM is a majority in the County Assembly of Nairobi, I called the Majority Leader, I called the Chairman of the Budget Committee, Hon. Odalo, I called the Majority Whip and I also called the Speaker, Hon. Ken Ngondi. I asked them if it was true that if they looked at the budget for Nairobi County, there is not a single line of funding that goes to registered sporting associations in the county. So, I could not believe it. Following those discussions, we agreed that something needed to be done. We agreed that because sports is important because a lot of talent is nurtured through this registered sporting association, we needed to do something. This amendment is a very simple one. I am hoping that we will take the shortest possible time because, as Senators in this House, all of us understand exactly what this problem is. If you speak to colleagues from other counties, you will be surprised. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and Audio Services, Senate."
}