The majority leader calls out Sports CS for ‘bulldozing tendencies’ and what he termed a love for the privileges of his Cabinet position rather than working for Kenyans
Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah delivered a scathing rebuke to Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba and the Ministry of Sports for the ministry’s glaring neglect of Kenyan athletes while they traveled to represent the nation on the global stage.
In a forceful address, Ichung’wah expressed his remorse to the Kenyan sports fraternity for the apparent inadequacies and disservice of athletes by officials from the Sports ministry. Addressing the National Assembly, Ichung’wah did not mince his words: “If you are the Minister of Sports, you must serve our country’s sportswomen and men,” Ichung’wah said.
His remarks directly challenged Namwamba to account for his perceived lack of engagement and attention toward the men and women tasked with representing Kenya’s sporting prowess on the world stage.
“You were not made a minister in this country to fly flags in the streets and push and bulldoze your way through traffic with Subaru escorts. You were made a minister to serve the people. And if you were made the minister of Sports, you must serve the sportsmen and women of our country,” Ichung’wah said.
Webuye West MP Daniel Wanyama, who is also the Sports and Culture Committee Chair, echoed the call for a comprehensive explanation from Namwamba, including demanding a comprehensive report for the CS’s reasons for the athletes’ mistreatment.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, lending a voice of support to the MPs, said sportsmen and women must receive the recognition they deserve. In his speech, the Speaker evoked the image of streets abroad named after illustrious athletes, juxtaposing it against the relatively modest recognition often accorded to Kenyan athletes who accomplish extraordinary feats on the international stage.
“You go to some countries, and you find a street named after an athlete, and the only recognition they have is that they finished a race at the Olympics,” Wetangula remarked.
