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{
    "id": 64199,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/64199/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 276,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Kimunya",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Transport",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 174,
        "legal_name": "Amos Muhinga Kimunya",
        "slug": "amos-kimunya"
    },
    "content": " Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I would like to thank the Mover of this Motion for the thoughts and spirit of this Motion. It comes out to recognize what our sportspeople have been doing. We all know that sports are interlinked with energy levels and a certain period during one’s life when one is active. One cannot sustain this into the long-term except only in some of the sports. We all recognize, and I am happy to hear contributions from the hon. Members that our sportspeople have done us proud. Indeed, even when we differed politically, we did so ideologically and in other ways. Every time there is an African team or Kenyan team playing, you will see the different factions coming together to cheer one team. I see that unifying factor of our sportspeople and we cannot afford to lose sight of that. The whole world recognizes Kenya as a sports nation. In athletics, every time there is any international competition, the talk is normally about Kenya. In fact in the 800 meters race and other races beyond that, it is normally Kenya versus the world. Our sportspeople have actually lived to that expectation and done us proud. It is important that we recognize that. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, sportspeople fall in the same category as artists. We have our young chaps who get into music and acting, but after a few years of active participation, they fade away. This is a global phenomenon in all sports, including the very expensive ones like golf and tennis. The sad thing is that we have seen many of them who are not doing well. The Government is aware of that and cognizant of the spirit of this Motion; I believe that something needs to be done. The first thing, obviously, is to identify the mechanism that will cushion them as they expire in terms of the capacity to sustain their sportsmanship or sportswomanship. Whatever makes them celebrities of the month, or celebrities of the year, can only be sustained up to a certain point. Obviously, the House will pass this Motion, and we support it ourselves. So, in line with this House’s expected approval, the Government will look into what options are available, including modalities of what needs to be put in place for the creation of such a fund; identifying the potential sources of income for the fund, being alive to all other competing needs for the money available, which will be allocated by this House, and also in line with other funds that have been created, into which contributions are made by some of the beneficiaries. This view has also come out of the contributions of some hon. Members, who said that when we set up this fund, sports people and artists can contribute certain portions of their incomes during their productive period, part of which can then be invested and used to cushion them when they become unproductive. There is also the possibility of sponsorship income and other funds being invested through the fund proposed by this Motion for the benefit of the wider sporting fraternity. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, hon. Members are aware of the existence of various retirement benefits schemes in the country, where some sports people are already members; where people can invest to get some pension in the future. As Government, we will work together with sports people and several artists who are in this category with a view to, first of all, raising awareness amongst them on the existence of these retirement benefits schemes and advising them on which one is more appropriate for them, and getting them to invest part of their earnings, so that we do not have them shine on the international arena now, as their managers make money out of them and make them to lead superficial lifestyles only for those benefits to be withdrawn once the athletes cannot run any more, leading to miserable retirement life. So, there is a bit of awareness creation in terms of what needs to be done. There is a bit of personal financial management that needs to be inculcated into most of these people. We know that our athletes and artists are very good at doing their thing, but they are not necessarily very good at managing their finances. Most of their finances have ended up benefiting other people, at their misery. So, these are some of the things we are working on in order to help them; through the relevant Ministry. Hopefully, in the long- term, we will be able to save our sports people and our artists from shining during their prime age and living in misery in their sunset years. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I believe that the spirit of the Motion is agreeable to all of us. Once again, I wish to thank the Mover for the effort and time he has put into bringing this issue to the fore, which has enabled hon. Members to express their solidarity with our sports people, whom we are all very proud of. With those remarks, I beg to support."
}