Wednesday, 1st October 2025

I direct that the Quorum Bell be rung for 10 minutes.

Serjeant-at-arms, you may now stop the Quorum Bell. Let us proceed. Who is tabling the Papers on behalf of the Leader of the Majority Party? There are no Papers. Let us proceed to the next Order.

The Statement by Hon. Beatrice Elachi is to be responded to. She is not here, so I will skip that. Is the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Education here? Has he tasked anyone to respond on his behalf? Let us move to the Statement by Hon. Stephen Mogaka, the Member for West Mugirango. He tasked Hon. Jerusha Momanyi to receive the response on his behalf, but she is not here. So, we will move to the next Order.

diminishing the size of land available for agriculture; noting that there is need to put in place measures for effective land use in the country in order to guarantee optimal use of agriculture; now therefore, this House resolves that the Government, through the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development, puts in place a policy framework for effective land use in rural areas by consolidating and designating zones for built development for commercial and residential developments with shared public utilities and separate zones for agricultural use in order to arrest further diminishing of agricultural land and steady the country’s agricultural productivity. (Moved by Hon. Tim Wanyonyi on 24.9.2025 - Morning Sitting) (Debate concluded on 24.9.2025 - Morning Sitting)

Hon. Members, when a Member is not present and they have sought a response to their Statement, then the response will not be given. It will just be tabled. Hon. (Dr) Eve Obara, kindly table the response because Hon. Elachi is not present.

Hon. Ngusya, move your Motion.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to move this Motion. Before I move, I wish to request Members to listen keenly because we have been proudly tweeting about sportsmen and athletes, but it is high time we start rewarding them.

Hon. Ngusya, just read your Motion as is on the Order Paper.

Well guided. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I beg move:

THAT, aware that sports play an integral role in promoting cultural heritage, national identity, national development, the well-being of the people and sustenance of livelihoods, particularly of the youth; appreciating that Sessional Paper No.3 of 2005 provides a framework for sports development and operationalisation in the country; further appreciating that the Sector Plan for Sports, Culture and Arts - 2018 by the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts mainstreamed sports development in the Third Medium Term Plan (MTP III) for 2018-2022, under Kenya’s Vision 2030; recognising that the Vision 2030 aims at capitalising on the country’s international reputation as a world-class sports powerhouse whose sportsmen and women have won international accolades and recognition, especially for their prowess in athletics; concerned that despite bringing honour and national pride to the country, most sports men and women face a myriad of challenges such as lack of psychosocial support and social protection, hence pushing many to alarming levels of mental health challenges during their careers and even after retirement; noting that Sessional Paper No.3 of 2005 contemplated motivation of sportspersons by the State through cash and material prizes, conferring State honours, appointments as goodwill ambassadors and establishing contributory insurance and savings schemes among other forms of motivation; cognisant of the fact that the prospect of receiving State recognition, financial grants, and other perks inspires sportsmen to push their limits in attaining their full potential as well as fostering a collective sense of pride in sporting achievements; now therefore, this House urges that the Government, through the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Sports and Arts, develops a policy and standardised sports reward scheme for recognising the achievements made by sports persons in internationally recognised competitions, through–

Thank you, Hon. Charles Nguna. Mheshimiwa, you may proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to second the Motion by my colleague and friend on developing a reward policy for the sportspeople in this country. This will dignify the people who participate in sports, break records, and win awards nationally, regionally, and internationally. This Motion would never have come at a better time than now, when the country seems to be at its best in terms of performance in various sports.

I would like to draw the attention of the House to a young women's volleyball team called Malkia Strikers. We are now dominating volleyball in Africa. The girls as young as 14 years old in senior and junior schools have conquered Africa. However, when it comes to rewarding, it is done haphazardly such that it demotivates rather than motivates.

I want to laud the Ministry and the Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture. The development of sports academies across the country is ensuring that we nurture talent. Therefore, we expect many sports persons to break records and win awards internationally. That is why we need to develop a policy and standardise sports reward scheme.

We thank God that President William Samoei Ruto has been rewarding them even without a policy. But the question is: What will happen if tomorrow we have a president who has no time for sports? What will happen tomorrow if you have a cabinet secretary who has no time for volleyball, athletics or football?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, one of the things earning this country foreign exchange is sports. Look at what Olunga is doing with the money he earns from playing football in the Arab League. Also, look at what Origi is doing with the money he earns from playing football in Europe. That money is being used back in the village. Finally, look at Musa Otieno, who played football in South Africa. The money he got was used to develop a sports academy that is now producing young sportsmen and women.

How do we attract young people to join sports? We have clearly seen the rewards given to athletes and footballers when they played at Kasarani, but we have not seen such rewards being given to Malkia Strikers who are winning. Therefore, this Motion seeks to address that concern. We are also worried about the young chess players who went to compete in Norway and Sweden. They won, but nobody recognised them.

We are seeking equity through this policy. Sometimes, we make decisions emotionally. Colleagues, let us support this Motion and ensure that the country has a policy on rewards. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Hon. Nabwera.

Hon. Members, I will start with Hon. Ruweida Obo, Member for Lamu East, please proceed.

Asante Bi Spika wa Muda. Ninaomba kuchangia Hoja hii. Kwanza, ninampongeza Mheshimiwa kwa kuileta jambo hili. Michezo ikipangiliwa itakuwa jambo lenye maana kubwa kwa sababu itawapatia wachezaji morali. Kama vile ilivyosemekana, pengine kutakuwa na Rais mwingine ambaye hatapenda michezo, kila mtu ana mambo anayopenda. Rais wetu, Alhamdulillah, William Samoei Ruto, ameonyesha mfano mzuri kwa kuunga mkono michezo. Kwa hakika, ukipeana morali, watu wanacheza kwa bidii na mafanikio.

Kukiwa na mipangilio, itakuwa vyema. Hii ni kwa sababu kuna michezo mingine ambayo haijawahi kupewa uzito au kuchukuliwa kwa uzito unaofaa. Kwa mfano, kule kwetu Lamu, watu hawajatambuliwa. Sio kwa sababu hawana talanta Wanayo lakini hawana morali. Kama vile michezo ya maji, kwa Kiingereza tunasema water sports, hazijapewa umuhimu. Kwangu, kuna watu ambao wakiingia baharini ni kama papa. Wanaogelea vizuri sana. Wanahitaji tu kufundishwa ujuzi kidogo na wataiinua nchi yetu. Mwenyekiti wa Kamati ya Michezo na Utamaduni yupo hapa. Nachukua nafasi hii kuzungumza ili asikie. Wahakikishe kuwa maeneo yote ya nchi yanafikiwa.

Hon. Ruweida Obo, do not get distracted by the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture. He does not know much Swahili as you do. Just ignore him. I can see him telling you what that is in Kiswahili. He does not have the capacity to do so. Just proceed.

Niko naye hapa karibu ili leo asikie Kiswahili vizuri, kisha ataniuliza kile hajaelewa. Kuna michezo mingine shuleni ambayo tukizingatia hizi mbinu au sheria, zitaleta morali na wanafunzi watakuwa na bidii zaidi katika michezo.

Sasa hivi, kuna neno nenwa. Huu ni mchezo ambao watu wengi hawaujui. Nafikiri, Bi Spika, itabidi nizungumze kwa Kiingereza, tunasema spoken word. Hiyo pia ni aina ya mchezo. Kule Lamu Mashariki, kuna shule ya msingi ya Siu ambayo ilifaulu kufika mashindano ya Afrika Mashariki kwa mchezo huu. Lakini hawakupatiwa morali wala chochote.

Waliposhindana tena na kuja huku Nairobi, walifanyiwa mchezo mbaya. Wanafunzi hao walijulikana ni nani walengwa na hodari. Kabla ya kuenda kwenye jukwaa, baada ya jina la mwanafunzi kuitwa waligundua sera za shule tayari zilikuwa zimeibiwa. Kwa hivyo, kukiwa na mipangilio mizuri, kutakuwa na adhabu kwa wale wanaodhulumu na kulinda wanaodhulumiwa.

Kuna mchezo wa vidau unaowekwa makasia ambao unaweza kutufikisha mbali sana. Watu wetu ni hodari lakini mchezo huo hauonekani. Michezo ikiwekwa kwenye mpangilio, bila kujali uwepo wa Rais, Wabunge au mawaziri, italeta motisha na kuchukua hatua nyingine kabisa.

Mimi nampongeza sana na naunga mkono. Ninaomba tuiunge mkono kwa sababu itainua vijana wetu. Hii itafanya vijana ambao hawana kazi wapate motisha. Michezo kutolewa kwa Wabunge kumetuathiri sana. Vijana wetu wangekuwa na shughuli kupitia michezo badala ya kuangalia tu michezo ya Manchester United na wengine. Ninajua tu timu hiyo moja kwa sababu nilikuwa nikiifuatilia kitambo kabla mchezaji Ronaldo hajaondoka. Alipoondoka nami nikaacha kufuatilia. Vijana wanafuatilia mchezo huu kwa kuitazama. Mwaka wa kwanza wakati National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG- CDF) ilivyoandaa michezo, vijana walikuwa na shughuli kule Lamu Mashariki. Vijana walicheza wadi zote tatu, lakini baadaye, michezo iliondolewa. Katika mikakati inayowekwa, tunaomba warejeshe michezo kwa NG-CDF. Michezo ilikuwa inasaidia sana na itaweza kuinua jamii.

Mhe. Spika wa Muda, katika michezo ya maji, nilichukua youth wangu kwa sababu niliomba Serikali iwashughulikie, lakini sikufanikiwa. Kwenye ile Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) iliyoko Kizingitini, tungependa kuwekewa kozi zinazohusiana na maji na blue economy kwa sababu maeneo yetu ni ya maji. Kozi hizo hazijawekwa mpaka sasa. Zile ambazo tumewekewa ni bakery na catering. Katika Eneo Bunge la Lamu Mashariki, wanafundishwa bakery na catering pamoja na machache madogo. Hakuna kozi za blue economy. Nimechukua youth 200 na nikawasomesha Bandari. Hao youth wana raha na utaona wanapenda. It is good pia upande wa sports kila eneo bunge la Kenya lihamasishwe zaidi katika upande ambao wanaweza. Ikiwa jambo hili litawekwa kwenye sheria na mipango ya msingi ikatekelezwa, InshaAllah, watoto na youth wetu watasaidika. Utapata kwamba youth wengine hawana uwezo wa kukimbia kama mimi. Watu wangu wengi hawana uwezo wa kukimbia, lakini baharini, wale wakimbiaji hawatatuzidi. Kila eneo bunge lina talent ambayo Mungu amewapatia.

Mhe. Wa Lamu East, tunakujua kwa ubabe wako wa Kiswahili. Ningependa kukuambia kwamba kwa sababu ulianza kwa lugha ya Kiswahili, tungependa umalizie na lugha hiyo. Kwa sasa, unachanganya. Kanuni zetu za Kudumu hazikubali kuchanganya lugha.

Asante sana, Mhe. Spika wa muda. Lamu East ni Lamu Mashariki. Ni rahisi tu kuisema.

I hope mumeelewa. Nikimalizia, ninaomba tushirikiane kutengeneza sheria hii na hao youth wetu watakumbuka Bunge hili, na sekta ya michezo itaenda juu sana.

Ahsanteni.

Ahsante sana, Mbunge wa Lamu Mashariki.

Mhe. Ferdinand Wanyonyi, utanisamehe. Fursa hii nampa Mhe. Timothy Wanyonyi kwanza kisha utafuata.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I know Hon. Ferdinand always masquerades and takes my position. That is on a light note.

I support this Motion. Kenya is a sporting nation, but we have not lived up to that billing. Many of our athletes, sportsmen and women are languishing in poverty. They have represented the country and carried our flag high in international arenas, but if you look at our sportsmen and women who were great a few years ago, you cannot even recognise them. This Motion is timely. We should have a predictable system and scheme that recognises our men and women who have made this country great in the international arena. A few weeks ago in Tokyo, our national anthem was played seven times because of our athletes who participated and performed very well.

When I was still in primary school, there was a great athlete called Henry Rono, who broke four world records in a span of one month and a few days. Although he worked and

remained in America for a long time, there was nothing to show for it. When he came back to Kenya, there was no recognition. Nobody even knew who Henry Rono was, but he was a great man. Many others like Kipchoge Keino have excelled and become role models. We have footballers and other sportsmen and women, including the Chairman of the Departmental

Committee on Sports, Hon. Dan Wanyama, who is a great volleyballer and played for the

I would like for the same purposive reasons to go to Hon. Harold Kimuge Kipchumba, nominated Member. Hon. Member for Kwanza Constituency, please, be patient. You will be next after Hon. Kipchumba.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I am in support of this Motion by Hon. Charles Ngusya. I am excited because I come from a community where many athletes have been born and brought up. It is true that many of them have succeeded and performed well at the early time of their lives when they are young. But when we go back to see what they accomplished, we cannot see it. A reward system or scheme is very important so that we do not rely on whims, passion and interests of leaders that are in position then.

As I support this Motion, I also pray that as it is formulated, there is need to bear in mind and bring in the interests of persons with disabilities. Inclusion and mainstreaming disability would be rewarding. For example, we have teams that have won gold over the years. Right now, we have the Kenya badminton team of persons with disabilities in Nigeria and they have qualified for semi-finals. The national team of amputees was in Tanzania a month ago for the Council of East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) and they won the

championship. However, they just faded from the field and came back home with no recognition. There is a team of deaf sportswomen going to Japan for the Paralympics. They might also just go out and come back without recognition.

Therefore, the Motion comes in handy and in time for persons with disabilities to be recognised and rewarded, other than just financial. That would go a long way to encourage others to give the best of their abilities when they live with disabilities.

Majorly, I support the reward on health and welfare. Giving one a comprehensive medical cover and support for performance in sports as a reward would play a great role in seeing athletes and sportsmen and women with disabilities live dignified lives later in their old age. As we all know, one of the greatest challenges of living with disability at old age or after retirement is healthcare.

So, I want to support the Motion. The reward scheme will go a long way in developing not only sports and talents in this country, but also inclusion.

Thank you very much. Hon. Ferdinand Wanyonyi, Member for Kwanza Constituency. Thank you very much for your patience.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also want to take this opportunity to thank my colleague, Hon. CNN for coming up with this very timely Motion. He came ahead of us and has come up with a very good Motion on a reward scheme for our very good athletes in this country and all others in other sports.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank His Excellency the President, Hon. (Dr) William Samoei Ruto, for rewarding our own children, our Kenyan ladies and gentlemen, who did well in Tokyo. Again, as somebody mentioned, it is true that this was done without any policy. The President got very motivated and excited. Imagine the many times our national anthem was played in Tokyo. It was played seven times to reward our best performers there. We came second after the US, one of the biggest countries in the world. We would have done even better. No other country compared with us. Every time there was a running, I took time to watch our girls doing extremely well.

It is only fair that we come up with a reward policy. Of course, Kenya has been one of the best countries in the world in athletics from the Mr Keino, who was always first all over the world. I do not know how he is today. Was he rewarded? That was his own effort. We have to develop this policy. I urge the House to pass it like yesterday, so that we can move forward.

The next thing will be for us to establish an international sports academy, so that people can come and learn from us. As they come to learn from us, this country will earn foreign exchange because of the academy. That will encourage sports people. We are not saying they are academic failures, they could even be doctors or in other fields. However, if one has interest in sports, they can equally be rewarded.

If the amount suggested by Hon. CNN can be taken seriously, it is a very good earning. You can imagine if there were annual events of the kind. We can see how much a particular Kenyan individual will earn. Of course, we are not saying that it must be in Kenyan shillings. It can be in US$ because it will be international, and that means bringing foreign money to our country.

We should pass this Motion as soon as we can. I can see my colleague here, the Chairman of Sports. Harambee Stars was doing very well those days. You can imagine if we also have this. Football is part of sports. If Harambee Stars was to be rewarded for doing very well, it could be on top of the world. Apart from playing well in the region, Harambee Stars can also win games and go out to play in the world cup games. This is something that we should encourage apart from, of course, athletics and other sports. Football is a very popular sport. We should give good rewards, so that our boys and girls in Harambee Stars and Harambee Starlets can excel. We should encourage this as a sporting country.

Kenya is known in the whole world. I have just come from an overseas trip. While there, whenever I said I come from Kenya, the reactions were that Kenya is a very good country. Those responses were because of how we performed in the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. We should do the same thing with our Harambee Stars and Harambee Starlets teams of football by rewarding them. I want to ask the Chairman’s Committee - He is seated behind me - to come up with a Bill, so that we can have this policy in law.

The Motion should be developed into a Bill, so that we can reward our children and grandchildren. At this age, I cannot run. I used to play football, but now I cannot. My children can play. For your information, one of our colleague Member of Parliament sent his son to Spain to play football. I saw the boy and he is very good. He is about 14 years old. Very soon, we will see him playing for a Spanish football club. With those few remarks…

The Member for Kwanza, before you finish, one of us has sent me a message that he saw you running very fast on 25th of June, 2024. You were spotted running very fast. So, we know you can still run. Do not say that you cannot run.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, that was just to make my point strong. I used to play football. Running is just part of what each one of us can do. In fact, there is a Member here who is confirming that I actually ran very fast. I do not know where I was running to. That just shows that I can actually run. I should be rewarded. When this Motion goes through, I should get a gold medal.

With those few remarks, I support the Motion. We should translate it into a Bill, so that we can progress and put our country onto the sports world map. That is what it should do.

Thank you very much, Hon. Wanyonyi. You were running through the tunnel towards the Bunge Tower.

Hon. Members, we have guests this morning. We have students seated in the Speaker's Gallery from Pharo Schools, Embakasi Central Constituency, Nairobi County. Please, arise, so that the House can recognise you.

Thank you very much. You may be seated. We also have students seated in the Public Gallery from Uvaini Primary School, Yatta Constituency, Machakos County; students from Iltuleta Comprehensive from Kajiado South Constituency, Kajiado County; and students from CITAM Schools, Makadara Constituency, Nairobi County. You are welcome to the National Assembly to observe the proceedings of the House.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table of the House.

The Joint Report of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning and the Select Committee on Public Debt and Privatisation on its consideration of the Privatisation Bill, National Assembly Bill No.36 of 2025.

I also wish to welcome all the students to the National Assembly. I think it is a rare opportunity to visit the National Assembly and witness debate on how we make laws in this country. So, I say, karibuni sana.

I thank you.

Thank you very much, Hon. Chairman.

Hon. Agnes Pareyio, the Member for Narok North.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker for giving me this opportunity to support the Motion by Hon. CNN. Having a talent in sports can earn our youth a living. Supporting sports means that we are creating jobs for the youth. The youth will no longer be idle. When they are idle, they think of doing other things. So, there is need for the youth in sports to be supported.

We come from different regions and our talents are different. It is high time we study other regions on what they can do best, so that they can be supported in what they can do best. Through talents, people support their families and themselves. So, I support the Motion. It is important that we look at sports like a way of supporting our youth. There are many youths loitering in villages who are not doing anything. If we help them build their talents, they can earn a living and support themselves. I support.

Thank you very much, Mweshmiwa.

The Chairman, Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture, Hon. Daniel Wanyama, the Member for Webuye West.

Hon. Daniel Wanyama

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I want to appreciate Hon. CNN for coming up with this Motion. However, as Hon. Ferdinand has alluded, we will add more value to it if we translate it into a Bill to become law. We will have no choice, but to implement it.

Rewarding of sports persons who participate in international competitions is a great thing. Kenya is always making news for good reasons, particularly when sports competitions are going on. Many people who have been in sports from yester years languish in poverty because there has not been a Government in place that appreciates sports. We are only seeing it with the current Government. We are not so sure if whoever will come in after His Excellency William Samoei Ruto will treat sports with the same commitment. He may not.

This Motion is timely. It will iron out issues that sports persons have. It should not be skewed to reward a particular sport. We should make sure that any person representing Kenya in any sports discipline is rewarded. The rewarding should cut across all the disciplines. As long as a person has been selected and participates in representing Kenya in either volleyball, football, athletics, hockey, rugby and many other sports by wearing our national colours and flying our national flag, he should be part and parcel of the reward scheme. Currently, the reward scheme may be somehow skewed to those who win medals only. Quite a number of sports do not award medals. You only win a championship and come back home. We must find a way of rewarding all those disciplines.

More importantly, as we consider rewarding players, what would be more sustainable and helpful to sportspersons is providing them with a reasonable insurance scheme because their profession is very risky. A sportsperson may get an injury while in the field, which would

make it difficult for him or her to play again. Therefore, this reward scheme should go further and take care of such incidents, just in case the worst happens.

I want to thank Hon. CNN. As a Committee, we look forward to translating this Motion into a Bill, so that it becomes law. The National Treasury must be ready to allocate funds in the budget towards such a reward scheme.

Thank you very much, Hon. Chairperson.

In future, Parliament will consider procuring longer microphones for tall people like Hon. Wanyama. We are struggling to hear him because he is far away from the microphone.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. First, I thank Hon. Charles Ngusya for this very timely, important and comprehensive Motion. The Member talked about rewarding our athletes and sportspersons when they excel on behalf of the country and giving them some form of logistical support. However, I want us to take the Motion further. Athletes go through many challenges long before they become world champions. One of the key mandates of the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports is to nurture sports and sportspersons. Its mandate is not to celebrate them only when they have won. That is where the problem lies.

The Mover has talked about our athletes getting psychosocial support and a post- retirement medical cover, but the biggest crisis is the support they currently require. I have visited every athletics training camp in Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet and Nandi counties and heard the challenges they go through. Some athletes are training to become world champions, yet they do not even have shoes. Usually one person runs in the morning, comes back, and gives another person the shoes to train with. That is how bad it is. They do not even have the right clothing. Sometimes they do not even have food. I have supplied food on many occasions to some youths in the training camps.

There is also the crisis of gender-based violence (GBV) in our camps. I had the occasion to host women athletes at Eka Hotel in Eldoret, which was sponsored and supported by the Amalgamated Banks of South Africa (ABSA) Bank. They young women asked if they could have women physiotherapists in the training camps because some men physiotherapists abuse them. Just as I am entitled to ask for a woman to search me at the airport, these athletes should have women physiotherapists, but there are none in any of the camps. Also, most training camps host men. I asked them where the women were and they told me that the women live in the shopping centres. That is how they are exposed to gender-based violence. They are also negatively influenced by individuals who convince them to get involved in doping.

While there are some great coaches, others are also rogue. One of the things we should add to that policy, which I have been demanding for, is that the relationship between a coach and a sportswoman or a sportsman should be that of a teacher and a student, similar to the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) regulations. You cannot have a relationship with the person you coach. I am not worried about celebrated athletes, but about those who are starting out.

I raised this issue with Hon. Wanyama. The Lionesses, our Kenya Women's Rugby Team, came to Parliament. I have been supporting them with a feeding programme, so that they can get fortified foods daily. Many of them come from very needy families around Nairobi. Sometimes they cannot train because they do not have enough food. I sat with them in Parliament and they told me those stories. They said that their uniforms do not include sports

bras because we do not think about women. They need certain specialised clothing apart from the usual Kenyan uniform. We have to start thinking outside the box. They are paid less than the Men's Rugby Team. Their allowances delay. We must begin to make a deliberate decision to be with them every step of the way on their journey to greatness as world champions representing our country. Once they win medals, they are fine because their lives are set and their efforts have paid off. We need to support them on their journey to greatness.

There have been many deaths in our camps. I recall that last year, I encouraged Members to look at the litany of tragedies surrounding our world champions and athletes because that is the sport I love. Remember what happened to Samuel Wanjiru in 2011? That happened because he was unsupported in dealing with the challenges of being a world champion and suddenly having money at a very young age. Agnes Tirop was a 10,000-metre runner who was found dead in 2021 after being stabbed multiple times by a person known to her because she had suddenly made money and the person felt like he must have a share of her money because he had helped her along the way. Damaris Muthee was also found dead in her house in Iten in 2022. Rebecca Cheptegei was a marathoner who was burnt by her husband in

Thank you very much. Hon. Silvanus Osoro, Member for South Mugirango and Whip of the Majority Party.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to also contribute to this wonderful Motion by Hon. CNN.

As I was following the proceedings, I received several messages from people watching, and they are congratulating me. They confuse me with Hon. CNN. I do not know why they confuse my looks with him, when I know very well and he does not look as good as I do.

and Sports, our young men outperformed themselves during the African Nations Championship (CHAN). That is what motivation does to our young people.

Athletics are our synonym. When you talk about Kenya, you will have to talk about the athletes in this country - the sportsmen and sportswomen who do everything to fly our flag high. The other day, you saw a young lady outperform herself in the recent World Athletics Championships. I must congratulate the leadership of the County Government of Migori: the Governor and all the other leaders. They even organised a red carpet to receive Ms Lilian Odira at the airport when she landed. The point here is that when these athletes fly our flag high all over the world, it is very sad that sometimes, immediately the flag is flown and placed down, they are left to fly in economy class, struggle for accommodation, with no motivation and no structured proper reward. This is the reason we do not have consistency in victory. Immediately they land, sometimes they do not get proper training facilities.

Victories are not coherent because motivation is not constant. Sometimes one wins one day, but when there is such a competition next time, out of lack of motivation, they have a challenge to face their opponents. That is why this Motion needs to be transformed even better than this. Besides the normal basic motivation that is pecuniary in nature, I imagine Hon. CNN is looking at how these athletes should be appreciated more. Why should only people in leadership positions have diplomatic passports, when we cannot even celebrate people who fly our flag very high? These sportspersons should be given diplomatic passports for them to move freely to other training grounds across the world.

Secondly, the reward should be immense. The current Ksh300,000 reward given to athletes who win a gold medal in international competitions is inadequate. We should establish a guaranteed minimum financial reward for any person who flies our flag high. It should be guaranteed and in writing. It should also grow as the economy grows. We can start with Ksh6 million, Ksh10 million or even Ksh12 million. When sportspersons are running, they know very well that their country will reward them with a certain reward upon victory. That will be a proper motivation.

When the young men were playing at the Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani, they knew that if they won the match, they would get Ksh1 million or Ksh2 million. We should set such a standard in every game. The Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports has immense resources to do that.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, it is also very sad that these athletes look for their own therapists. They have a coach and manager. In case of an injury, they do not have proper medical scheme, medical insurance scheme and medical facility for them to be treated or get therapy. Out of frustrations, sometimes they quit sports midway. That is why this Motion that we are debating here needs to be re-looked at. I call upon the Departmental Committee on Sports and Culture, led by the one you call the tall man, to find a way to convert this Motion into a Bill. It will be supported fully by this House. Every Member will support it because it is timely. It is about time that we appreciated the athletes who fly our flag high.

I was reading this morning about the sponsorships that are being done by our neighbouring country, Rwanda. It is marketing itself as a global tourism hub in stadia. They are telling people to visit them. They want to raise their tourism revenue from an estimated US$600 billion to US$1 trillion by the end of the year. What does that show? It shows that we have a lot of things we can be proud of as a country. It is about time we seized the moments because we have talents. We have young people who are ready to fly our flag high, but they lack proper facilities, motivation and support from the Government. It is very wrong that recently we saw one of our top athletes flying back in economy class after winning. Nobody received them at the airport. Nobody motivated them which is very sad. They go straight to their deathbeds.

As we speak, we have an athlete from Kesses Constituency, Mr Jairus Birech, who passed on. He had won the Commonwealth Marathon and brought this country a silver medal. As we speak, nobody is celebrating him. He will be buried on Saturday. The Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports has neither given any report nor supported the family. Just the other day, we were celebrating him for flying our flag high. This is very absurd. These are the things we need to think about: Pecuniary support and sportspersons’ families beyond their lives when leave this world.

With those many remarks, I appreciate Hon. CNN and reiterate that I do not look like him completely. I do not know where this confusion comes from because I know very well that I look better than him. I do not know why people say we resemble. We only resemble in brains, but maybe, mine is higher than his. The point is that I do not look like him. I refuse to look like him.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Thank you very much, Hon. Osoro.

Hon. Rindikiri Mugambi, Member for Buuri. The matter on whether Hon. Osoro and Hon. CNN look alike and who between the two is more handsome will be debated during lunchtime, but not in this House. You have my permission to discuss it at 1.00 p.m. Please, proceed, Member for Buuri.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, the problem is that they both use cosmetics so that they can look the same. So, it is a self-initiated lookalike.

sports affairs in this country. This Motion has come in handy. It should be introduced as a Bill because we have to change many things.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, allow me to bring to the attention of this House a case of a lady from my constituency. She has autistic triplets. Last month, Athletics Kenya denied these children a chance to compete in the World Athletics Championships yet they are in the category of persons with disabilities. This means that we do not have a clear policy to take care of all the athletes. When athletes go out there, they market Kenya. They also explore their talents and get income. Sports enhances inclusivity and cohesion. Why have we gone this far without a policy? I thank the Mover of the Motion because we need that policy. It will help us have infrastructure in the sports industry. Currently, our stadiums are located in big towns yet majority of our youth are in the rural areas. The policy should ensure that every village in Kenya has a stadium or a sporting facility for our children. We need decisions on how to facilitate our sports men and women. Some of them have to ask for financial assistance from their parents or relatives to enable them compete in sports. We all know that the youth have talents. Therefore, as patriotic citizens of this country, we should facilitate the sports men and women, including getting them travel documents, accommodation, visas and passports.

On the reward system, I heard some people say that the President is giving a lot of money to the sports people, Ksh3 million to Ksh4 million, instead of doing other developments. Shame on those people. The President gave out that money because these footballers made Kenya to be recognised in the global space. His Excellency has initiated a move in this country of promoting sports. We support him. I believe this policy will be put into place, so that we can reward the great men and women. The Ksh6 million indicated here is not enough. There are countries that buy their athletes Cadillac cars and mansions in high-end areas. We need to tell our children that they can play football or be athletes and make it in life. We need to encourage sporting in this country. We should have golf, skating and swimming for our young people, just like other countries. We cannot pride ourselves by limiting our talented people through only athletics and football. We must open doors for other sporting activities.

As a country, we are ready for this policy, but it should be introduced as a Bill. We need to enact it and ensure that the future talents of this nation are empowered. I thank the great people of Buuri for coming up with a programme to enhance talent in sports and other activities. The people of Buuri have realised that they can make money through sports.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I thank you.

Thank you very much. Hon. Members, I decided to stick to the screen, but after Hon. Rahim, we may purposively go to the left. Before I give opportunity to Hon. Rahim, Member for North Imenti, allow me to welcome our students from Our Lady of Fatima, Kiriko Girls from Gatundu North in Kiambu County. You are welcome to observe the Proceedings of the House. Hon. Rahim Dawood, you may continue. We give you this opportunity to also welcome the students.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

First, let me welcome the students from Our Lady of Fatima. Coincidentally, my grandmother was also called Fatima, so I am very honoured to welcome the school.

I join my colleagues in supporting this Motion by Hon. CNN - who is a Member of my committee, where I am the Vice-Chair. What he has proposed is a good thing, but I believe we can improve it further. His Motion only talks about recognising the world athletes. What about the ones who are at the grassroots? We need to empower the grassroots athletes, not just the international sports men and women. If we do not do that, then we will not get enough international athletes. Sports academies should be built all over the country. It is good that this Government has already started building them. I hope by 2027, most of our counties will have sports academies where we can nurture talents. Removing the sports kitty from the National

Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) is an injustice because we used it to promote sportsmen, sportswomen, and children to come up with performances we could be proud of. Removing that sports kitty from the NG-CDF is not right. We as Members of Parliament need to talk to the NG-CDF Board to return it, so that we can continue to support sports.

I also wish to say something else. There are many kinds of motivation. We have football teams doing very well in Meru. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for them to travel for matches away from Meru County or other parts of the country. I thank the Deputy President, Prof. Kithure Kindiki. He bought a bus for one of our football teams, Al-Azizia, for easier transportation. I thank him. He went out of his way and gave a bus to Al-Azizia Football Club. The point here is that we need not just to encourage international stars, but also each athlete and sportsperson. Only then can we reach the required heights.

Yes, we need to facilitate athletes or sportspersons going out of this country. Maybe we should help them with faster visa processing, facilitation, and money as well. However, let us even promote our own within the country. We are not going to get the sportspersons who go overseas if we do not do that.

We also need to see the possibility of political parties nominating sportspersons so that they do not fall way off. Nomination slots should be offered even to them even if they are not politicians. Sometimes we do not make the right nominations in this country. We need to see how we can nominate one or two sportspersons, so that, at least, we can say that we have taken care of them.

With those few remarks, I join my colleagues to congratulate Hon. CNN for what he has done. He should go further. We need a policy of giving our sportspersons much more, not just outside the country, but within the country as well, and rebuilding sports academies.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Thank you very much. Hon. David Mboni, Member of Kitui Rural.

Thank you. I also support this Motion and wish it could be transformed into a Bill that can be enacted. Listening to what Members are talking about, all we need are policy issues that would come through a Bill. So many issues in the sports sector need to be addressed.

Rewarding sportsmen and sportswomen is very important. It requires much time to train and much commitment to engage in sports. It is even harder to train and participate at an international level. I was in Japan when the World Athletics Championships were taking place, though I had gone to do something else, but one could see how much the people had trained.

I also went to watch Kenyan athletes participating in the tournament. On that day, we won a gold medal courtesy of a lady in the 5,000 metres race and another gold medal by a man in the 800 metres race. We also got a silver medal in the 5,000 metres race courtesy of a lady. We need to seriously recognise and reward them. Look at the effort they put in! They can put in more effort and win this country more gold medals if we recognise them.

I saw many people going to watch sports when I was there. That is what we call sports tourism. That country earned a lot of money over a period of two to three weeks. Many people went to watch the sports and they spent a lot of money there. Looking at it as sports tourism, it is an economy by itself. As we speak, athletes are some of the richest people in this country because they get a lot of money when they compete.

Sports also promote the image of a country. When I was there, people would ask me, “Are you a Kenyan?” The funny thing is that the Japanese are very short people and you can see I am this tall. Can you imagine how tall I am among those short people? Therefore, they could see I am a Kenyan. Those who could speak English always asked: “Are you a Kenyan?”

Kenya is rated very highly. It was number two in the whole world, with seven gold medals. That is why somebody commented that Kenya is the capital of Africa when the President was in the US. It is because of sports. Many countries in this world are not even known. Right? The sportspeople and whatever they are doing there is what is giving Kenya a positive image in the world. Therefore, we need to support sports.

I also realised that time is very limited for sportspeople. Most of them go up to 35 years in sports. In statistics, we call anybody going beyond those 35 years an outlier - be it in running or football. Therefore, the timespan in sports cannot go beyond 15 years. That means that we need to go further and train them in financial management. You read about many of them in newspapers: They were doing very well in sports and earned a lot of money, but they are now suffering because they could not understand how to manage their finances. We need to recognise those people, so that they also lead good lives.

At times, some of them are hurt and stop participating in sports when they are still very young. We should tackle such issues and that is why I am talking about policy. How does the country come in to support the life of a hurt sportsperson, especially if that person was competing and got hurt in the line of duty? How do we support such a person? I have read much about those who have been hurt and lost everything to conmen who pretend to be supporting them in financial management. They are suffering, traumatised, and depressed. How do we take care of these people?

It is important that we set up sports training academies in each county. That is why I said we need a Bill, so that it is a policy that each county must have an academy. The NG-CDF used to support sports. That is now gone. Who is filling that gap in the absence of whatever little NG-CDF was supporting? We need to think about how to fill that gap and have sports academies to tap talents at the local level.

With those few remarks, I support.

Thank you very much, Member of Kitui Rural. Let us have Hon. Olive Gisairo, Member for Kitutu Masaba.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I will just make a correction that my name is Clive, so that I do not get named Olive.

I thank Hon. CNN for bringing this timely Motion. He has been telling me about this Motion being on the Order Paper for the last almost three months. I know the passion he has had trying to bring this Motion on this Floor, because of the importance that it carries. With the start of the Competency Based Education (CBE) and the moving away from 8-4-4, it was felt like sports should be taken more seriously right from a very young age. That is why it was being brought on board more comprehensively in the education sector.

There is something we would like to ask our teachers out there. A few weeks ago, as one of the committees that I serve in was going around schools, we asked students in every Grade 9 how many of them were going to choose Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in senior school. Almost all students said they selected STEM. There were very few students opting for Arts and Sports Science where sports fall. We all know that not all students are wired towards STEM. There are young boys and girls whose system is purely sports. We will also need to urge our parents out there that it is not all children who are born to excel in class. Some children do not perform very well in class, but are excellent personalities on the field. We will also try to understand why parents try to be hard on the children, telling them that they should put focus in class and stop playing games outside. They do this because in Africa, sports do not pay. Sports is not recognised. Sports do not have a reward system. That is what Hon. Charles Ngusya is asking us to consider.

Can we have a reward system for sports? Let it not only be rewarding to those who represent the country on international competitions. This reward system should be felt right from the grassroots. The moment we start seeing that sports is paying, we will see our young

talented youths taking sports very seriously. We will also see investors investing in sports facilities because the uptake will be higher. We will have sports academies. Currently, even if you were to open a sports academy, how many children believe that sports will pay? How many have seen sports pay? In every ten sports people, only one or sometimes none, comes out successful. We need a comprehensive reward system.

I listened to the Member for Buuri saying that some people are criticising the President. We cannot criticise the President. At that moment when we were hosting such a big tournament, the President had no other option. He had to inspire the boys and we saw the fruits. However, Kenya being as politicised as it is, the moment such a thing comes from that angle, the other half will always politicise it. That is why we have to make it formal. This way, it does not have to put any political leader in a position where he has to initiate it and then it ends up being misconstrued as a political gimmick. Politicisation of sports has been used as a tool in this country. We do not have proper guidelines to ensure that sports are properly guided and run. While we motivate those in football, what happens to the athletes, volleyballers, swimmers and others? It is that lack of consistency that will always make others feel that some talents are marginalised.

This country has enough resources to reward our sports people. Any discussion saying that we do not have resources is false. If we are to put all the resources that are misused in this country into starting sports academies right from primary schools and secondary schools, we will save millions of young people. These are young people who once they become international elite sports persons, they will bring a lot of foreign exchange into this country. This is an industry that a country like Kenya can invest in because the results are open to be seen by all. Our sports persons are being bought by the Qataris because we are not doing our part. As legislators, we need to stand up and protect the youths by ensuring that we provide systems that protect them.

Hon. Ngusya, kindly have this upgraded to come to this Floor as a Bill. This will ensure that once it is passed, our sportspersons will be budgeted for in every financial year. The estimates will be there and our youths will know that once they represent this country, they will also have something to be proud of. You can never be proud of a country that does not feed you. We need to protect them, provide opportunities for them, and ensure they can also afford proper living standards, indeed, just like those of their classmates who excelled in academics.

I will finish there. I thank Hon. Ngusya for this Motion. Thank you.

Hon. Beatrice Kemei, Member for Kericho County.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker for this opportunity to support this Motion by Hon. CNN, about the formulation of a reward scheme for accomplishments by sports persons in international competitions. I thank the Member for bringing it forth. It is a very important Motion. I feel it should go beyond being just a Motion. It should be upgraded and translated into a Bill.

The Temporary Speaker (Hon. (Dr) Rachel Nyamai) : Hon. Member for Kericho, let me disrupt you very slightly to welcome students seated in the Public Gallery this morning. They are from Kitengela International School in Kajiado East Constituency, Kajiado County. You are welcome to the National Assembly to observe the proceedings of the House.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I most sincerely welcome the students from Kitengela International School. I believe it is very

timely for the students to listen to this Motion on sports. This will ensure they learn that during their time in school, apart from the academic side, we also have co-curricular activities. I encourage them to participate in these as much as they learn the many other things. I am sure they will even go beyond Kenya and be part of the international people we celebrate. Once more, welcome to Parliament. Learn and follow the proceedings, and yearn to be Members of Parliament from your constituencies and counties.

From the outset, I must state that sports are very important, as is clearly stated. They are mainly participated in by young people who love sports, but all of us love sports. That is why most of the time, when we have international competitions, we are all glued to television. Everybody wants to watch. You see people standing and shouting, and you may not even know who is young and who is not. Sports play a very important role in our lives, our families, and our country.

When I look at many of our Members who participate in sports, especially when we have our own sporting activities, you realise that even Hon. CNN is one of them. That is why he is slim, and I believe it is because of that, that he is well-groomed. We learn so much from sports. Looking at sporting activities in Kenya, many of our young men and women who have gone to international competitions have supported their families with the little they have earned. Most of these young people come from humble backgrounds. I know some of them, like Beatrice from Kipkelion in Kericho County, have built very nice houses for their parents. If they can be supported with what Hon. CNN has said here, financial motivation and financial reward, I am sure they will do more than expected.

Recognising that these are young people, I believe supporting their involvement in sports is one of their key concerns. It can serve as a source of employment. If they can be employed as athletes and receive a stipend alongside rewards, I am convinced that many will choose to pursue sports, even with the current CBE in place. Before discussing international competitions, we must first foster and motivate our sportspeople, the athletes, and those involved in ball games, even at a young age within their counties and constituencies. They start from within before reaching the international stage. We need to inspire them. One way to do this is by ensuring that their training camps are well-equipped and suitable for effective training. Most of these camps are private, and within them, young people often live in inadequate conditions. They lack proper beds, blankets, or mattresses.

Sadly, many girls often lack sanitary towels. When I visit these training camps, I carry sanitary towels for them, and they confide that they are in urgent need of them. Not to forget issues of food. If they do not eat well, they may not be strong enough to train effectively. They also require proper sporting gear, shoes, clothes, and all other necessary equipment. Some of our girls and women in these training camps face sexual exploitation. It is very unfair and unfortunate. If anything can be done, it must be done now, especially against those who are their coaches. They are meant to be trained properly, not exploited. This is very unfair.

I also feel sad that some of these women are suffering from psychological issues. Those who are married are beaten by their husbands. That is sexual and gender-based violence. As much as we are concerned with rewarding them, they also need support. We need to listen to them. They need to be supported. We need to get counsellors for them. They also need training in financial management, especially on how to use the money they earn.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Jalang’o.

The allegations that the Member is putting out are very…

First of all, what is out of order, Hon. Jalang’o? I am just being very magnanimous.

She does not have evidence about these things. You cannot just blanketly say that coaches are abusing... Those are things you cannot just say unless you have evidence. When you bring in GBV on these athletes, at least, let us stick to what we are saying. Unless you have evidence for some of the allegations, some of our coaches might feel very bad after the beautiful performance in Tokyo. Thank you. Bring evidence.

You are raising a point of order on being truthful and factual. Are you trying to put her on the spot to give examples of people who have been sexually abused by a coach, or talented people who have gone through GBV?

Yes, that she provides such evidence on what she is saying. Stick to the Bill for now and give evidence where necessary, so that the culprits can be followed. When you talk about sexual abuse and gender-based violence, those are not allegations you just throw around. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

For record purposes, I would like to say that I was listening to her, and she is very good at doing her research on matters she presents in this House. Earlier, we debated in this House matters concerning the tea estates in Kericho and matters of GBV. I believe she will not have a challenge. For that reason, I will add you another two minutes, so that as you present, you take the challenge given by Hon. Jalas and give evidence. That is based on Standing Order 91. Hon. Jalang’o did not give us the Standing Order. Standing Order 91 states:

“A Member shall be responsible for the accuracy of all facts which the Member alleges to be true and may be required to substantiate such facts instantly”. You should proceed and make him comfortable by giving situations where GBV has happened to our experts and talented people.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I tell my good brother and friend that he should be privy to the information about what is happening in this country. The Deputy Speaker was here and spoke to the same. Agnes Tirop was stabbed. I believe you should know what is happening. It is not out of nothing. Some of these people who go through sexual and gender-based violence, because of stigma, may not come out. They confide in us and, therefore, I have information. I am not speaking without facts. I have information. Please, do your research, unless you are one of the coaches, or you know some of these coaches who are doing that and you want to protect them. So, be careful on the same. In any case, he did not even mention the Standing Order. He was just pointing at nothing. Allow me to continue on the same.

Noting that the financial reward is very important, I do not know how you arrived at the Ksh6 million. If I were the one, I would say we go higher. The Ksh4 million, Ksh3 million and Ksh2 million for the gold, silver, and bronze respectively is great. This is a motivation to the athletes. Apart from that, we are also talking about medical cover, especially after retirement. They cannot be athletes for life. They need this medical cover and the social protection. I am very happy with the President. When we had the ball games here, he promised our young people housing. If we can also go for the same, it will serve us well.

Therefore, I support this Motion. May it be improved into a Bill. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Hon. Member for Kericho County. Hon. Dorothy Ikiara.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I too wish to join my colleagues and thank Hon. CNN for bringing this very important and timely Moton to this House.

This debate is coming at a time when we are celebrating our heroes and heroines who recently brought glory and honour to our country from Tokyo. Winning 11 medals, including gold medals, is not something we should fail to celebrate. We should celebrate them and even

reward them. As I say this, I also wish to thank His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya because he has shown the way. When we hosted the African Nations Championships (CHAN) in Kasarani, he took his time to go and watch the match, and he encouraged the players. Motivation is what is lacking. I dare say that a majority of our Kenyan population are talented people. The only problem is that we begin encouraging them at a very late stage in life.

I want to cite my experience as a teacher. I have taught at the lowest level - Class one. As a teacher, I could identify an athlete from a very young age. I would also identify a child who was talented in drama. I would identify a child who could become a footballer, but because of the way our education system was tailored, that is, poor funding and lack of motivation, all these talents would just go to waste. I am very happy today because His Excellency the President has stuck with the CBC. Today, we call it the CBE. The CBE is giving our Kenyan children an opportunity, because the education system is going in three pathways.

One of the pathways is art and talents. I recall a Member here saying that they conducted a sports check among our children in Grade 9, and they realised that a majority of the children said they want to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The reason for this is very clear. Even we, as parents, when a child comes and says, “I want to go and play football,” every day we tell them, “No, I want you to take your books and go and read.” When a child comes and says, “I want to go for drama,” some parents decline. When a child wants to be a singer, we tell them, “You cannot be a DJ in my house.” Let us start nurturing talents at an early age. Let us encourage our children. Even in our own houses, if you identify that your child is talented in one way or another, let us encourage them, so that in future, we do not struggle with identifying who can do what.

As we speak about formulating a policy of rewarding the accomplishments of those who represent Kenya internationally, I want to throw back that we must begin by encouraging talent at the grassroots. I want to see Hon. Rahim Dawood today, encouraging, motivating, and rewarding all the football teams in North Imenti. I want to see every other Member of Parliament rewarding and motivating the talented girls who are playing volleyball, the learners, and all the other games that are played in our constituencies. The only way this can happen is through proper funding. I am aware that in the National-Government Constituencies Development Fund, the allocation for sports was removed. It is high time this House rose to the occasion and demanded the return of the sports fund, so that we can walk the talk.

It is very unfortunate that even as we sit here in Parliament today, we are only talking about the sportsmen and women. Members of Parliament come to this House and formulate laws and policies that we are talking about, but we do not even think of the great men and women who once sat in this House to formulate laws and policies for others. Where do they go after leaving this House? As we think of going back to look for the champions… I support this so much. I support this in every way possible. This policy must be formulated as early as yesterday, so that we do not find ourselves years later still coming back to discuss the same matter in this House.

Hon. Ngusya tried. He was attempting to give the amount that we can offer as a reward of Ksh6 million, which is very little. We should have a proper Bill, so that this allocation is clearly provided for. In that way, even when successive governments come in, the day our beloved President is no longer the President of the Republic of Kenya, this motivation and this documented amount of money will always benefit the sportsmen and women who fly the flag of our country high.

For the record, it is important to note that wherever you go, across this continent, in Africa, and even beyond Africa, across the entire world, the moment you mention that you come from Kenya, everybody equates you to a sportswoman or a sportsman. We carry that pride wherever we go. There was a time I even boasted somewhere that I play netball. During

my school days, I had the height, the energy, and the stamina, but my parents would tell me, “Muthoni, if I see you running there to play these funny games, I am going to cane you”. This is why I lost my talent of becoming an excellent netballer.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, the formulation of this reward policy will do several things. Number one, it will stimulate the private sector, sponsorship and partnership by demonstrating to the Government the commitments of sports excellency. It will create a transparent and standardised system that will ensure recognition for all deserving athletes. It will not be exceptional, but will benefit any deserving athlete, and I have said and I insist, from an early age up to the championship level that we are talking about. It will also reinforce the positive socio-economic impact of sports by encouraging athletes to serve as role models and ambassadors for our country Kenya.

I really want once again to thank Hon. CNN and encourage him to go a step further and ensure that this particular debate, after we pass it, becomes a Bill so that it can benefit our children who are talented. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, I submit.

Thank you very much, Dorothy. Hon. Julius Rutto, Member for Kesses.

Thank you so much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to speak to this Motion, but even before I do that, allow me to take this moment to pay tribute and condole with the family of the former athlete, Jairus Birech, who we all know in 2014, was the African Championship gold medallist. He was also the silver medallist at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and he also won the Diamond League in 2014. As we speak, the family is bereaved and the burial will take place on Saturday, 4th October, in my constituency, Kesses. Therefore, I want to pay this tribute to the family and the entire athletes fraternity and the sportsmen and women of Kenya.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, this particular Motion is very critical because for quite some time, Kenya as a country has been taking political sides and it is only during sporting events when we get that excitement and celebrate them. Immediately after the sporting activity, we forget about them. The only time we see them is when they are training in the field or on the roadside. Remember, most of them have also gone through challenges during training because some of those long-distance runners require facilities which they do not have. They have been running alongside vehicles and you can imagine the exposure they are getting through pollution from the vehicles which are on the road.

There are some questions that really have to be asked. What is our position as a country as far as sporting is concerned? How much do we value sports? Where have we placed sports? Until we ask ourselves those questions, then all this remains a theoretical discussion. If at all we give it the position it should be, as one of our priorities, then we will grow our economy using sports like other countries. For instance, I am sure if we begin to discuss about soccer here, especially the Premier League and the Euro Cup, most of us here are loyal fans, in fact, fanatics to an extent that we fight among ourselves when it comes to competition. We know that those countries earn a lot through those sports. Most of these programmes and activities are sponsored by mega companies. They get a lot of money when they sponsor those sports in those countries. It is one of the main market facility or security that is traded because of sports. However, for Kenya, imagine we were being discussed at the just concluded Tokyo World Championship. Kenya is known in the world as the second after America in athletics. It is the only second country after America that got almost seven gold medals. We were number two. Unfortunately, that is the end of the story. The way they walked in into Kenya… I even saw some making fun about the way a particular marathon lady flew using the economy class. That is how we treat them. We need to celebrate the gold. We want to share that gold. We need to share that pride.

I saw

What is our thinking as a country about sports? We should define that, so that whenever we are discussing our development plans, medium-term economic plans, whenever we are talking about our Vision 2030 and our agenda 2050, we treat sports as one of our key element or sectors that can boost our country and grow our economy. When are we going to go to the whole world to invite them to come over to this country to either participate, train or even watch? We saw the other day during the CHAN games when the country was hosting, how the President came in and decided to motivate by attending and talking to those boys. All of a sudden, the politics of the country and the region became a topic of discussion in East Africa and in Africa. Before, there were a lot of chit-chats about politics, but when CHAN games took place, we saw patriotism growing amongst Kenyans across the divide. This tells us that we have been focusing on the wrong side of development.

Hon. Adan Keynan is recognised to contribute.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. This is a very important Motion, but it is also good to be honest with ourselves. Do we need a Motion urging the Government at this time? I want to remind my good friend, Hon. Charles Nguna, that we are past this stage. Under the old Constitution, when the House business used to be dominated by senior ministers and the democratic space was limited to the whims of the Executive, we used to have similar Motions urging the Government. This is a good Motion. It is populist, but extremely good. It creates a bit of information to the public. The content of this Bill is extremely good and encouraging. I want to encourage my brother, and it is almost certain, that by the grace of God, we are going to pass this.

This is just one stage of the process. You should bring the Bill, amend the relevant statutes and walk the talk, so that these great sportsmen and women benefit from the generosity of this great nation. That is an advice to my brother here. We have been urging the Government, but nothing happens. We have been singing this. Please, bring the Bill. I brought the Bill on the conferment of National Honours, which used to be a privilege for the politically correct. Today, as a Member of Parliament, you have been honoured because of the role you play. I know my good friend, Hon. Ndindi Nyoro, was honoured the other day. That was my Bill and I did it under very difficult circumstances. In 2012, someone decided to honour all his siblings and friends and I did not sleep that night. I brought that Bill, it worked and everybody benefits. That is one thing you need to do.

At times, I find myself in a very awkward position. This country is privileged. We have everything. As a country, we have created an international niche of great sportsmen and women. A few years ago, we were known as a country of coffee and tea. That is now gone. It is no longer the menu of the international community. If anything, our coffee and tea are used for blending other coffees and teas produced elsewhere. Today, if you go to Ireland or the UK, our coffee is used in blends. This means that we have lost our brand.

These sportsmen and women have a God-given talent. Where my friend, Hon. DK, comes from and where I also had the privilege of going to school for over six years, has the opportunity. The atmosphere is pregnant with individuals prepared to excel, but unfortunately, we have just remained paper tigers. The other day, my friends from the Lake region were celebrating the first athlete, Lilian Odira. Some said she is a product of the broad-based Government. I agree that we need to celebrate, but how many other talented people from that region have not been appreciated? How many people have not been given the opportunity?

As leaders, it is, indeed, high time that we recognised that Kenya is a brand. Among the 186 countries, why do some countries have unique international brands? What is our brand as a country? It used to be coffee and tea, but that is now lost. Our brand now is sportsmen and women. Can we take this opportunity and expand it so that Kenyans benefit? It does not cost a lot. We have wasted significant resources over the years. I see many Sessional Papers brought here. They are useless and are developed by some mandarins in the ministries and tailored for the whims of particular governments. We need to think outside the box.

The initiatives in this Motion are very good. What are the benefits in terms of international branding and employment opportunities? Right now, there is serious unemployment in this country. What is better than allowing the youth to critically appreciate their talents? They can combine being great sportsmen and women with professional careers.

That is the first point: Employment creation. We must use talent as a source of foreign exchange. My friend here is from Moi University and very soon, we will hold him accountable for allowing Moi University to go down the drain. Alumnae of Moi University will soon come to your village and hold you accountable. We are regrouping. Our numbers are hundreds of thousands right now. We are coming. If you do not act, we will ask. I do not want to go to the next level, so be ready. We are coming.

We will give Hon. Keynan one minute to conclude.

At times, we are disadvantaged because of our knowledge. As I conclude, I want to say that this is not a House of lamentations. This is not supposed to be a House of lamentation, but of action. The budget-making process and

legislative framework is under our ambit and mandate. We oversee. Hon. CNN, who has brought this Motion, will go down in history once we walk the talk on this. I am sure Kenyans will appreciate him. If we go back to the entire sporting legislative and funding infrastructure, and the modus operandi, we have not had this. For the first time, let us give a financial, legislative, legal and moral support that befits the support a responsible State ought to give its struggling sportsmen and women.

Thank you and I support.

Hon. David Kiplagat, Member for Soy.

Thank you for that compliment. Hon. Temporary Speaker, allow me to contribute to this very important Motion that talks about how to look after our athletes, who have given this country a good name. I thank Hon. CNN for coming up with such a Motion.

It is time, as a country, we had a policy through an Act of Parliament that rewards our athletes who have done a lot in terms of marketing this country, giving it a good name and bringing cohesion among various spheres of our communities. Recently, during the African Nations Championship (CHAN) , all the leadership led by none other than the President himself, supported Harambee Stars and Kenyans from all walks of life, young and old, rallied behind our football team. I dare say we would have won the cup because we had defeated the winners, Morocco. That can happen by just giving them morale and a compensation package when they do well. It, therefore, follows that we should universally implement the same in all spheres of sporting activities like athletics, football, rugby and all others that have made a name for the country. It is high time we had a policy in place so that the men and women who excel know that their country loves them and that for the rest of their lives, they can stay comfortably in this country.

Imagine a country where our sportsmen and women have made a name, but we do not have a comprehensive medical cover for them. That is what Hon. CPA was talking about. He said we lost an athlete who had made a name for this country. Because time is a factor in remembering the athletes, nobody remembers. We have even lost a former Member of Parliament for Emgwen, Hon Elijah Lagat, who was an accomplished marathoner and won Boston Marathon. That Member did not have a comprehensive medical package. The other day, we were talking about how to make sure that in case a Member does not make it back, at least, one can go and stay at home with dignity because one has a comprehensive medical scheme. There is nothing in life that counts more than having a good medical cover. Therefore, those are areas we can start with.

We also have sports tourism. I remember the Kamariny Stadium in Elgeyo Marakwet. Many athletes in the world come there because they believe if they run there, they can win. I remember a famous British athlete who used to come and train there. Even Usain Bolt has been there. We can exploit sports tourism and use the funds, just like the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund, to compensate and make lives of our athletes better so that we do not make kneejerk reactions as we do. Whenever there is an event, all of us “balloon” through it, but when it is over, it is forgotten. We need to be very systematic. We support this Motion, but it has to be taken to an extra length to derive a policy or legal framework on how our athletes are going to be compensated henceforth.

We remember when Kiptum died, he did not have a house. We had to build one within two weeks. Together with Hon. Bartoo here, everybody had to run around to make sure that, at least, he had a house. Right now, nobody knows how the family is doing. We built them a house, but how is the family doing? I am told it is doing badly because we made that event for the cameras, but the family has been forgotten. We are not accusing anybody. Let us have a legal framework through which our athletes, who have made a name for this country, will be

recognised. More so, we thank the President for being the number one sportsman in this country.

We saw what happened to the boy child in the last 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Every gold winner was a lady. In the 1990’s, boys were doing very well. But now, even attaining the two-thirds for the boy child at Tokyo became a hurdle. What happened? It seems there is something we are not investing in to make sure we train talent and preserve our spot. In fact, do we remember the 3,000-metre steeplechase? We used to know, even when we slept and woke up, that Kenyans would win it, but nowadays, there is a lot of “gerrymandering”. Ethiopians and others are winning the race. We also need to protect the boy child when it comes to these athletes because if what I saw in Tokyo is anything to go by... It is the culture that gave us the name. Where are our boys?

Lastly, our athletes get a lot of revenue when they run professionally out there. However, we do not have a system to train the young men and women to know how to invest that money and enjoy their investment later. After finishing campus, when I first got my job at the University of Nairobi, I used to tell somebody that during the first five days of the month, I would be hyper until that money reduced to manageable levels. We know what I mean by manageable levels. If I were given Ksh100,000 and I had never handled such an amount, I would run around until it reduced to Ksh20,000. That is when I would start budgeting, with 20 days to go. I would only need to spend Ksh1,000 per day to make sure I could get to the end of the month. The same thing happens to athletes. If they get Ksh20 million, for instance, and somebody has never handled such an amount, one would think they own the whole world. They would go hyper by buying very flashy vehicles and other things. The next day, they may get an injury and cannot run while they have a V8 motor vehicle and other things that they cannot dispose. All of a sudden, they turn into paupers. It is high time the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports got serious. They need to develop an academy to train our athletes not to be hyper when they get money. They should learn to invest so that they recoup their investments after 10 years and enjoy life. That would be very beautiful.

We should move the Motion further so that it becomes a legal framework to assist our athletes.

With those few remarks, I support the Motion.

Hon. (Dr) Phylis Bartoo. Hon. Members, because of time, compress your contributions.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I have been waiting since morning. I was surprised when my colleagues, Hon. DK and Hon. CPA Rutto, got an opportunity to speak before me yet they are sitting right next to me.

I disassociate myself with the sentiments made by Hon. DK, who said that it is a problem when the girl child wins a gold medal at the expense of the boy child.

I want to congratulate Hon. CNN for bringing this very important and timely Motion on the reward scheme for accomplishments by our sportspersons. Parliament budgets for and appropriates funds. We should support our sportspersons with the resources they deserve because they put Kenya on the world map.

I also wish to congratulate the Ministry of Education for introducing reforms and incorporating sports in learning institutions in Kenya. As the saying goes: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Therefore, it is important that we recognise sports as a pathway to success in our education system. This will go a long way in shaping our young people.

I also want to use this opportunity to thank His Excellency the President Hon. (Dr) William Samoei Ruto for supporting our sportspersons. We recently witnessed this when we hosted the African Nations Championships (CHAN) . He went all the way to support and motivate them. We almost got the first position. That was an indication that when we support

our sportspersons, they will shine. We should not react to situations, but we should have a scheme that sorts everyone out.

Unfortunately, Hon. Tim, who represents us in sports, has left. Hon. Tim, Hon. CNN, Hon. Sitienei and Hon. Lelmengit win medals on our behalf, but what happens in Bunge? Nobody recognises them whenever they succeed and bring us medals, both locally and internationally. It is high time that Bunge recognised sportspersons who bring honour to this House in the field, both locally and internationally.

It is not enough to recognise international accomplishments. Sports should start at the local level, specifically at the grassroots, which is the initial stage of nurturing talent. That will ensure that our sportspersons are resourced and supported from the grassroots level up to the international level. We cannot just start at the international level. We must start at the grassroots level. We should support the talent in our schools and colleges. We should prepare our sportspersons well by employing coaches who will train them in schools and sports academies, so that we improve their quality and competitiveness. As a result, Kenya will get more medals.

We do not have such a reward scheme yet we are still being recognised internationally. Our people are flying our flag high internationally. I was recently at a conference outside Africa and I was asked if Kenya was the capital city of Africa. At least, someone knows that Kenya exists and that it is in Africa. They recognise us because of sports. When our athletes participate in international competitions, they always succeed and that has put us on the world map to the extent that some people think that Kenya is the capital city of Africa.

Madam Speaker, this scheme must include financial management…

Did I hear you refer to me as “Madam Speaker”?

I am sorry, Hon. Temporary Speaker. It is because Hon. Rachael Nyamai and Hon. Gladys Boss were in the Chair for some time. The issue of the boy child has really made me… I am sorry for that, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

You are pardoned.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

You know my position on those terminologies.

I know and I apologise. Hon. Temporary Speaker, in addition to the reward scheme, we should prepare and manage our athletes throughout their lives. We should grow their talents and support them in their retirement. They should get lessons on financial management.

Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet and Nandi counties are home to many champions. They are referred to as the “home of champions” and the “source of champions.” Kamariny Stadium, which Hon. DK spoke about, has been undergoing construction for as long as I can remember. Since the days of Kipchoge, the stadium has been undergoing construction and it is still not complete. That shows that we have little regard for our sportspersons. We only celebrate them from the comfort of our television rooms when they succeed. When they are done, we forget about them and move on. We should manage our stadia.

We should also train our athletes on financial management. Some athletes were successful, retired, but are now languishing in poverty back home because nobody trained them to manage their success. Relatives took advantage of some. Whenever they sent money back home or arrived from overseas, brokers would hover around them and take advantage of their success. Eventually, because of their little knowledge in financial management, they would give in. So many of them are languishing in poverty while others are on the streets living in abject poverty. Therefore, it is important to ensure that they are given continuous financial training and talks on mental challenges. They undergo many issues in society, especially after they retire.

We should also have a policy where they should not just decide on their own to migrate and represent other countries without the knowledge of their country of birth. Sometimes we see names and we think they are Kenyans, only to be told that they do not belong to Kenya. They have sold their citizenship. They do that because we do not recognise them. If we sit with them and give them the necessary support, I do not think they would be interested in migrating or changing their citizenship for the sake of making money for other countries.

Finally, I wish Hon. CNN makes this Motion a Bill within the life of this Parliament, so that our sportspersons can start benefiting.

Hon. Denar Hamisi.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to support this Motion by Hon. CNN. It is coming a bit late. He should go straight ahead to make it a Bill because of the socio-economic impact of what sports do to this country.

When you look in the world, for example, Michael Jordan and other people are running companies, businesses and their economies. Like what my colleague has said, when you go to Eldoret, all the major buildings you can identify are owned by athletes. There is also the issue of the cultural identity in sports. People join and support each other. Then, there is income that is generated in the country. We recently saw how much Tokyo earned, yet it is so frustrating when the athletes are received at the airport. They travel in economy class yet some of us here always travel on business class.

I insist that counselling is more important. We had a person like Mr Mohamed Abbas who was the best goalkeeper in this country. We had Mr Joe Kadenge. Most of us saw how he died. We need to emphasise on counselling for our sportspersons because they earn a lot of money. However, they are not told about investment, how they can get sick and the lifespan of a sportsperson being about 15 years. The Ministry should come up with an aspect of counselling.

I support Hon. CNN’s Motion, but he should make it a Bill. Thank you.

Hon. Gideon Ochanda is recognised to make his contributions.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I support the Motion in principle. It is true that the benefits and value we derive from our international sportspersons are important. Their potential, images, incomes and stature are important. It is also good that they are recognised from time to time. I am not so sure whether this direction may be the best in terms of money rewards. I believe there are very many other different ways of how this thing can be looked at.

Just before that, I want to vary a little bit in two or three different ways. Firstly, what goes into this international sportsperson before Tokyo? What goes to these men and women, before they get to the international level? Who knows where they come from? Who identifies them? Who invests in them? Who enrols them? These are critical things that we, as a country, need to know exactly what happens. Some of them are exploited because nobody knows where they are. We only celebrate them when they win, but before they win, we have no idea where they emerged from. We have no idea who trains them. We do not know the cost of training a person from the long road they follow through to the international level. Who knows the cost of training one person? Who knows what goes with the development of one person?

Many times, they are identified by individual business people, whether we call them coaches or trainers. They are trained by these individual private people. By the end of the day, these people enrol them. We only meet them when they are at the game or field. What are we doing as a nation or Government for purposes of costing alone? This helps us to know what goes into training and developing a person from whatever level they are up to the international level. That is very critical. That is where we may need to have proper investment, more than in the issue of rewards.

I want to highlight to Members the issue of matching training skills with industry. I am very sure that our direction in terms of the curricular is matching towards that end. As we do that, what is it that we are doing in our education system? Let me surprise you. In terms of capitation, each learner gets Ksh8. From the last data that I had, each learner has Ksh8 for sports. What can it do? Schools were very active between March and June because of sporting activities. They were very busy. We have the primary schools, Junior Secondary Schools and the normal secondary schools that we know. All of them were in the same environment. If you look at the amount of investment that we put into sports, it is Ksh8 at that level. Capitation of Ksh8 per student for 200 learners in one school generates Ksh160,000. That is for managing all cadres of sports, but not just football. It is for managing everything else that is supposed to be done. These learners have inter-school competitions. They then get to the zonal level, play inter-zonal competitions and proceed to the sub-county, the county, regional and national levels. How does Ksh8 help in all those levels? What do we invest even in terms of matching training with industry? There is a lot that needs to be done in terms of costing exactly what goes into an individual learner for purposes of sports. Immediately we have sports as a pathway, there must be investment in it. If we do not invest in it, then we do not mean what we say or what we are trying to do as a country.

The whole idea of checking the value in terms of how much we are supposed to invest, if we are to move forward as a country, it is very important. There is also the aspect of rewarding. Whenever we participate in international sports, the United States of America (USA) wins a lot of gold medals sometimes. There are over 100 events they participate in, and that enables them to win a good number of gold medals. We then win eight gold medals in our traditional events and become number two. Let us look at the sporting events that USA athletes participate in. I do not think the investment in training an athlete in javelin throwing is the same as the investment in training an 800-metre athlete. If you reward these people later on, how do you reward them Ksh6 million, for example, when they are back? That is where Hon. CNN may need to look at again or afresh.

You may win javelin and somebody else may win ajua. Do you know that ajua is a sport? If you win ajua and come back here, you look for Ksh6 million. There is somebody who has been going through all the training and has invested energy, effort and money. That is where you may need to tweak this a little bit such that the reward for somebody who comes back with a medal from ajua or javelin, where you only need a lot of ugali, will be different.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I thank you very much for giving me the chance to contribute. Hon. CNN, you need to do quite a bit on the Motion.

Hon. Members, I wish to introduce to you a delegation comprising Members from the Parliament of Malaysia, who are seated in the Speaker’s Row. The delegation Members are:

Hon. Members, the delegation is accompanied by five members of the secretariat from the High Commission of Malaysia in Nairobi and three senior officers from the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. They are in the country on official duties and have also paid a courtesy call on the Speaker of the National Assembly, accompanied by the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations, and the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives.

On my behalf and that of the National Assembly, I welcome them to Parliament and wish them fruitful engagements during their stay in the country.

This is a Communication by the substantive Speaker, the Right Hon. (Dr) Moses F. M. Wetang’ula, EGH, MP, and Speaker of the National Assembly.

Hon. Members, there is great interest in this Motion. I am informed that the time for debate has lapsed under the Standing Orders. In fact, Hon. Ochanda ended it at the last second. It is now time for the Mover to reply. No doubt, under Standing Order 1, I will allow the Mover to donate part of his time if he so wishes.

Mover, please, proceed and reply.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Before I reply, I wish to donate one minute to each of the following Members, who requested me formally: Hon. Caroli Omondi, Hon. Ndindi Nyoro, Hon. Phelix Odiwuor, Hon. Julius Taitumu, Hon. Eric Karemba, Hon. Mary Emaase, Hon. Bisau Kakai and Hon. Lillian Siyoi.

Let us proceed as donated. I thought you were going to donate two minutes to some Members to make meaningful contributions.

Give Hon. Caroli Omondi the microphone.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I was supposed to second this Motion, but I was held up somewhere. I had prepared extensively. I do not even know how to start.

All great nations throughout history have been occupied with sports. These include the Greeks and the Romans. The Olympic motto - Citius (faster) , Altius (higher) , Fortius (stronger) , and Communiter (together) - captures the role of sports in national development and cohesion.

Sports break barriers among human beings. Hitler could not stop James Cleveland Owens, who broke five world records and won five gold medals in the Berlin Olympics, proving racism had no place. In Kenya, we have had great athletes: Moses Kiptanui, the first man to run the 3,000 metres steeplechase in under eight minutes; Eliud Kipchoge, the first man to run a marathon in under two hours; and most recently, Lilian Odira, the first Suba woman to win the 800 metres in Tokyo.

As we reward sportsmen and women, we must prioritise development, training, facilities, and performance support before focusing on rewards. The cost of training our athletes to achieve high performance…

Hon. Ndindi Nyoro.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker and Hon. CNN, my brother. I just want to make a few remarks. The reason we must always take our sportsmen seriously is that whatever they do is not for themselves, but for the country. Their success markets Kenya globally and impacts sectors like tourism. Rewarding them appropriately must be a priority. Sports also contribute to culture. Kenya is a republic made up

of many nations. Sports and culture help us transcend static identities, particularly ethnicity, and foster a more fluid, unifying identity. That is how culture and sports hold the country together.

Hon. Ndindi Nyoro must complete the statement he was making.

Thank you very much. I was just trying to say that what culture also does is to demolish static identities and give us way as a country to have more fluid identities, bringing us together homogenously. Sports constantly help us to run away from static identities of ethnicity, so that Kenya continue to be one country. Culture and sports play a very dominant role in fostering national cohesion.

Hon. Phelix Odiwuor.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. Thank you for bringing the Motion to the House, Hon. CNN. I hope it progresses to a Bill. I had so much to say, but these are donated minutes. I will be very quick.

First, on rewards, we propose that immediately you are announced a gold champion, recognition should begin even on the flight home. When Peres Jepchirchir was a world champion, had it not been for the cabin crew who recognised the marathon world champion, she would have stayed in the economy class. Economy class is not bad, but this is the world champion.

Secondly, we keep losing athletes to other countries that reward better. An example is Winfred Yavi, who now runs for Bahrain. If we rewarded our champions properly, they would not have left. Beyond rewarding, the development of facilities is also key. Completion of the Kamariny Stadium should be fast-tracked. We were in Marakwet the other day, the stadium…

Hon. Julius Taitumu.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker and Hon. CNN, for this progressive Motion. Graduate this Motion to a Bill. For sports to flourish, we must start looking at them at the nascent level. In the past, schools motivated pupils through rewards for participation in sports. That support is lacking today. Funds previously allocated through the NG-CDF for sports were removed.

Hon. Eric Muchangi. It is regrettable; I thought you would have 10 minutes.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. This is a progressive Motion by Hon. CNN. Sportsmen and women expose Kenya positively on the global stage as we saw in Tokyo and most recently in football, where our teams entertained and united Kenyans through sport. We need to exploit this goldmine by investing enough. Just as Taitumu has said, it was grievous of this House to pass an amendment that did away with the sports fund in the NG-CDF Act. We need to revisit that matter and ensure that we have funds to cater for sports right from the grassroots. We have heard stories of how football was great in Kenya.

Hon. Mary Emaase.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Kenya’s sportsmen and sportswomen have made Kenya proud. They have put Kenya on the map of the world. Therefore, as proposed in this Motion, they must be recognised and appreciated.

It is obvious that Kenya has talent. I commend the President for developing the over 30 sports academies being constructed across the country. The sports academies must be completed, resourced and equipped so that w can develop more talent and continue to fly the Kenyan flag high across the country.

I support the proposal to reward sportsmen and sportswomen. We must make it more structured so that identification and all the process to recognition are clear to nurture sportsmen and sportswomen and ensure Kenya wins more gold medals.

Hon. Kakai Bisau.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker, and Hon. CNN.

Sports is a job opportunity. Sports is a livelihood. Sports unite us. I am here through sports. That is how I paid my school fees. Speaking as a patron of a football team, the life of a sportsperson is very complicated. While we thank Hon. CNN for the Motion on post-retirement social protection scheme for sportspersons, the allowances our teams draw today are very low. For instance, a Harambee Stars’ player earns Ksh1,000 in a day. We expect to look into this even during active sporting time.

I thank the President on behalf of the people of Trans Nzoia. We will soon be a beneficiary of a sports complex like Homa Bay County, Siaya County, et cetera. In a nutshell, we should ensure that we have good facilities across the country and that the active life of any sportsperson is treated as employment with all covers provided. That will help because the current situation of giving tokens to sportspeople is bad.

Hon. Lillian Siyoi.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also stand to support and congratulate Hon. CNN for coming up with such a good Motion.

I agree that we really need to reward our sportsmen and sportswomen. However, our biggest problem is that the reward gets lost in the hands of private academies and agents. A majority of our sportsmen and sportswomen do not have Government mentors to help them nurture their talents. Therefore, they fall in the hands of these people. Most of the rewards end up in their hands. That is why you find them languishing in poverty despite the rewards given because agents took a bigger share.

I support the construction of enough facilities to support, nurture and directly reward our sportspersons.

Mover, you barely have one minute to reply.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I intentionally brought this Motion as a way of public participation. You can see the interest it has generated. There is an overwhelming support for it to progress into a Bill. I promise Kenyans that I am preparing the Bill. I have done enough public participation. A majority of Members who have not spoken will speak when I move the Bill soon, if the Speaker approves.

With those few remarks, Hon. Members, thank you for the overwhelming support to this Motion. I promise Kenyan athletes and all sportsmen that we will walk together to benefit from sports in this country.

Order! Hon. Members, I confirm that we have the requisite quorum to transact business. I know that Hon. Ndindi is a ranking Member.

Hon. Members, the time being 1.00