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{
"id": 1556322,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1556322/?format=api",
"text_counter": 264,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Osotsi",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "This money should be taken back to sports. If this money was put in sports, we would now be having at least 10 international stadiums in this country because of the huge amount of money that has come in here. If that was the case, we would have academies across the country. I earlier said that I am the one who originated the sports academy Motion in the National Assembly. I am happy the national Government has picked it up. However, they have been talking about this for the last seven years. In my county, they went to a place called Gisambai. They launched the Joe Kadenge Sports Academy with a lot of pomp. Unfortunately, two years after that launch, nothing is happening there yet this Fund has money. We have serious clubs in this country such as Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards and the other clubs in the Premier League yet they are struggling. Those clubs are struggling and we have the money that comes in, but goes to some strange things like promotion of arts, which we never see. Some of it even goes to UHC. I propose to Hon. Sifuna that the money that goes to this Fund be shared with counties. This is because sports is a shared function between the national Government and the county governments. The county government deals with sports activities and facilities while the national Government deals with the promotion of sports. If that is the case and they are receiving money through taxation in this Fund, then that money should also go to support our counties in terms of sports rather than supporting UHC yet our people are also being taxed on SHIF. This Bill is timely and we should all support it for us to grow sports in our counties. If we do so, we will keep our youths very busy and make sports an important economic activity for this country. Countries that have progressed in sports have this Fund. They use that money to develop sports, sports academies and sports stadia. In Kenya, when we saw good money in this Fund, we decided to divert it to other things that are not relevant to sports. I encourage the Members to fully support this Bill. I also encourage the Committee that deals with sports to move in with speed and do an inquiry around this Fund. It should find out what it does, how many associations have benefited, how many sportsmen have benefited and how many groups have benefited from this kind of thing. If we do so, we will save this country and will promote the legacy of the late President Mwai Kibaki, who remains as the only President who worked for this country. He is the only President who had a vision for this country. He came up with a Fund like this, which successive leadership has mutilated the good vision that he had to promote sports in this country. He came up with this kind of legislation to ensure that sports remains a key social pillar under the Vision 2030. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, with those remarks, I support and encourage other Members to also back this progressive proposal to amend the Sports Act. Additionally, I suggest that we consider reinstating the provisions for this Fund within the Sports Act itself, rather than relying on regulations that are frequently altered. Even these regulations require scrutiny by the Committee of Delegated Legislation, as it is inappropriate to have a regulation on sports that is domiciled in the National Treasury instead of the Ministry of Sports. The administrator of the Fund is the Principal Secretary of the National Treasury. What role then does the Principal Secretary for Sports play? The individual responsible for managing sports cannot effectively do so when the funds meant for sports are held elsewhere in the National Treasury. There are significant gaps in these regulations. I believe the Committee of Delegated Legislation would do us a favour by conducting an inquiry into this matter. Similarly, the Sports 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."
},
{
"id": 1556323,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1556323/?format=api",
"text_counter": 265,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Osotsi",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Committee should investigate how this Fund is managed and administered, and how its beneficiaries have been supported, including the amounts involved. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I second."
},
{
"id": 1556324,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1556324/?format=api",
"text_counter": 266,
"type": "scene",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "(Question proposed)"
},
{
"id": 1556325,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1556325/?format=api",
"text_counter": 267,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Abdul Haji",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " At this point, we will allow Senators to make contributions starting with Sen. Karen Nyamu."
},
{
"id": 1556326,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1556326/?format=api",
"text_counter": 268,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Nyamu",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker. This is an incredibly responsive piece of legislation. While Sen. Sifuna referred to it as a simple amendment, its impact on the sports fraternity in this country will be immense. Since joining this House, I do not think I have loved a legislative proposal more than this. As Sen. Sifuna tabled the proposal, I found myself nodding all the time, not just in agreement, but also because I can deeply relate. If you look at my phone, you will find numerous WhatsApp groups from grassroots football in Nairobi from Kabiria FC in Dagoretti, Bokongo in Kayole, Kibra United, also known as Harr Harr Nation from Kibra to Kibagare Slums and many more. In these groups, we frequently raise funds to support the players. I even know the expenditure off head, such as referees costing Kshs5,000 and security fees amounting to Kshs3,000. We have been engaging in this for quite some time since I came into contact with the residents of Nairobi. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I believe this proposal will face no opposition. We must all support it because we understand the profound impact that football and other sports have on our young people. As Sen. Osoti mentioned, sports are not just a source of livelihood, but a pathway to creating wealth. Sen. Sifuna, I noticed you have not addressed the issue of accountability and how these funds will be managed to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. History has shown us how funds in this country often end up benefiting the wrong people. This is a fantastic piece of legislation. We cannot allow others to profit at the expense of our grassroots teams. Speaking of football, we must bring better management to our national team. The other day, Sen. Sifuna and I were watching a regional match between Kenya and Burkina Faso at Nyayo Stadium---"
},
{
"id": 1556327,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1556327/?format=api",
"text_counter": 269,
"type": "scene",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "(Laughter)"
},
{
"id": 1556328,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1556328/?format=api",
"text_counter": 270,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Nyamu",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "It was Gabon. I recall that among the key observations made by mamas in the crowd was the concern that the boys representing us in the national team are not necessarily the best players our country has to offer. With this kind of funding in place, more talented stars will have the opportunity to emerge. We will be able to form an even stronger and better football team; our Harambee Stars. With those remarks, I support this Bill. If it were possible to support it again, I would gladly do so. Thank you."
},
{
"id": 1556329,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1556329/?format=api",
"text_counter": 271,
"type": "scene",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "(Applause)"
},
{
"id": 1556330,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1556330/?format=api",
"text_counter": 272,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Abdul Haji",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Sen. Eddy Oketch, proceed. 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."
},
{
"id": 1556331,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1556331/?format=api",
"text_counter": 273,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Oketch Gicheru",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, I continue to be a proud member of the ODM party. Our Secretary General, Sen. Sifuna, has consistently demonstrated remarkable acumen through his substantial contributions to this House. His vision is evident not only in his support for ideas brought forward by others, but also in his leadership on impactful legislation that have an impact in our society today. Matters related to sports are often trivialized in this country largely due to the lack of proper infrastructure and governance in the sector. While there are a few organizations focusing on popular sports, the broader case for funding and even the business potential of sporting activities remains elusive. This has hindered progress to the extent that it is challenging to even consider equitable access by gender. In this country, women have struggled to find their footing in certain sports yet, on the global stage, women are thriving in these same sports, turning them into viable business ventures. Sports in this country have largely been left to community programmes, often organized under what we popularly refer to as clubs. For example, in my community in Migori County, you will find clubs in Ombo Kâowiti, where about 21 or 22 volunteers gather to chase a ball they call football. They organize themselves into competitions and their neighbors in Nyatike do the same. If you go to Kuria West, Rongo or Suna East and Suna West, you will observe similar grassroots efforts, with people forming clubs and independently organizing football matches. This locally-driven movement in sports is what ultimately shapes and contributes to the broader national vision for sports in this country. By and large, it is evident that even when Harambee Stars plays football abroad, the young men and women representing us, whether in the starlet teams or the male Harambee Stars team, are individuals who have struggled in the locally organized sports programmes to find their footing. This is the first time that Sen. Sifuna is making an attempt to ensure that unlike the anecdotal investments we often see highlighted in the Ministry of Sports such as Talanta Hela, Sports Academy or initiatives to empower organizations like FKF, we are having a Bill that recognises the acumen of our society and the DNA or our organisation in sports. It appreciates that sports are organised in local communities; from the communities, sometimes to our local schools and at the university level. Therefore, we need to invest in promotion of sports in this country. Sen. Sifuna proposed that for the money we are sending to the counties, we should save just one per cent as a good start to make sure that we invest in making proper infrastructure for sports in our country. This is something that I strongly support. I hope it will help us to build conversations. I believe Rt. Hon Raila Amolo Odinga is the leader of the largest party south of Sahara and north of Limpopo. That is the ODM Party. Sen. Sifuna will tell you that Hon. Raila Odinga has been campaigning about how we can rethink the issue of devolution. Yesterday we talked about period poverty in this country. The manifest of that problem happens in our schools. When you look at where sports are being nurtured at an early age and where you can arrest talent, you will find that they manifest in our schools. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga has argued a case that, had the fathers of devolution seen it fit, they would have allowed education to be devolved because that is the place we can invest more in sporting. That is where we can arrest more talent and bring them to the national theatre of sporting. I do not want to bring that conversation now. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, my comment today will be one. 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."
}
]
}