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{
"id": 1558409,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1558409/?format=api",
"text_counter": 230,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Oketch Gicheru",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "with Sen. Cherarkey. They call Sen. Cherarkey to pay the referees of the matches. It is even worse in Nairobi City County where we should be having better sporting academies. Sometimes when the pockets of my sister, Sen. Mutinda, a nominated Member, run dry, she tells me that there are young girls who want to go and play netball, but they cannot access some field. I have to dig in my pocket and become a charitable donor to my wonderful Senator to support her to make sure that people can access a field to do sports. Madam Temporary Speaker, it is important that we invest in sporting activities, so that Sen. Mutinda does not suffer. She should not take money from her pocket to pay for a field for young ladies in Nairobi who relate with her so well to play. Those ladies could be from Kayole or Dandora. It is even worse in Migori County. Young people organise themselves so well. Some come from Rongo, Nyatike and Kuria to have a tournament in the furthest end of the county. Sometimes they call me to help them just get water and some loaves of bread to survive on. On the contrary, if you go to some counties today, you will find a governor moving around with a convoy of 10 vehicles to go and launch a project of Kshs200,000. This is an important Bill that will ensure that our organisations at the grassroots level such as community programmes, clubs, locally organised organisations and to some extent, volunteer networks that are organising our clubbing activities at the grassroots level get the jumpstart to go far. The only thing that I did not see here is, Sen. Sifuna, in his wisdom, indicated that the key sporting activities that you would want to see hugely invested in include football, swimming, basketball, netball and volleyball. I wanted to invite Sen. Sifuna in the amendment opportunity that we might have at the Committee of the Whole that we will have in this House, to think diversification and pride. Let us first invest in areas that have brought us serious pride. One of the reasons I am proud to be Kenyan when I go to the USA or Europe is because of the fast feet of a lady called Faith Kipyegon. Currently, I am mentoring a young girl called Lillian Odera from Migori County who, for the first time, made it to the Olympics running the 800-metre category. You might remember that last year, in the qualification test for runners in this country, Lillian Odera defeated Moraa, who has been a champion at the world stage. So, we cannot exclude athletics from this funding at the grassroot level. We must give athletics the opportunity, just like we would give football, swimming, basketball, netball and volleyball. To even more adventurous sports, if you are an enthusiast of sporting activities and you have been keen to watch the Olympics, you realise that there are a lot of sporting activities that some of them, you wonder why our sons and daughters in Kenya, are not participating in. Madam Temporary Speaker, for instance, we have seen a number of young children going for gymnastics as a major sport that brings glory and honour to the USA. They compete with their counterparts from Russia, China and Japan. These are sports that, if you put people from Tharaka Nithi, where my friend, Sen. Gataya Mo Fire, comes from, you will have very good gymnasts who can compete at the global stage. However, we do not give them priority because we do not see them as sports. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}