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"id": 1563547,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Kibwana",
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"legal_name": "Kibwana Kivutha",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. First, I would like to appreciate my two colleagues, Sen. Ojienda and Sen. Chimera, for this Bill. It is a good one and looking at the overview, it is meant to amend the Act, Cap.223, by establishing County Sports Academies and providing legal protections for minors in sports Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, looking at Section 2, key provisions and the relevance of County Sports Academies, Sections 38(a) to 38(m), the provision mandates each county to establish at least one sports academy, with structured training programmes, technical staff and linkages to local communities and international bodies. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the issues here are many. One, for example, rising stars from counties like Kericho and Elgeyo, Marakwet, often move to Nairobi for opportunities. The problem is, many counties, especially in northern Kenya, lack basic sports infrastructure. Consequently, talents and remote areas remain untapped. It is unfortunate, looking at how these young people struggle moving from one county to another, searching for such and looking at the rising stars. Sen. Tabitha Mutinda just mentioned about the old women footballers. You can imagine their talents. So I am asking myself, were those talents nurtured early enough or it came with an old age? Section 2 talks about local management and oversight. Section 38(c) and 38(f), the provision that each academy is to be managed by a multi-stakeholder community with expertise in sports, finance and administration. The real issue here is that there is mismanagement of county funds that leads to failed youth programmes. In addition, it is never structured in a way that it can be oversight and be enhanced with transparency and accountability. On inclusion of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), Section 38(b) 2(a) stipulates that the academies must accommodate PwDs. The problem here is that Kenya's Paralympic athletes often face expulsion despite the international success. It promotes inclusivity and aligns with the constitutional mandates. Clause 54(a) to 54(f) caters for protection of minors in sports against abuse. The provision is that institutions must vet coaches, enforce child protection standards and establish abuse reporting procedures. Looking at allegations of abuse by coaches in football academies in Nairobi, the impact is that it will establish accountability and professional standard. So, we have many challenges out of this. 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."
}