Sports CS Ababu Namwamba has written to the National Assembly and the Senate speakers requesting that he be summoned to appear before the houses to respond to queries raised by Kikuyu MP Hon. Kimani Ichungwa and Nandi senator Hon Simon Cherargai touching on his ministry.
This comes after the Cs was accused of mishandling Kenyan athletes. During a House sitting, Ichungwa had expressed disappointment over how the ministry has ignored Kenyan athletes when they record great performances during international competitions.
“You were made a minister to serve the people and if you are made the minister of sports, you must serve sportsmen and women of our country and its indeed extremely sad that such good ambassadors can leave our country without due recognition by the ministry in charge of that responsibility,” he said.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei also twitted, on Sunday urging Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah who first proposed the summoning of Namwamba over accountability.
He alleged that Sports ministry officials travel with “girlfriends” at the expense of the nation’s top sports representatives.
“I echo [the] sentiments of Hon. Ichungwa Majority Leader National Assembly that CS Ababu continues to mismanage into oblivion our beloved sports. How can ministry officials fly first class with their girlfriends to Olympics Budapest, Hungary at the expense of our athletes?” he wrote.
“Our female athletes being exploited sexually & economically! Parliament must summon CS sports to avert disastrous mismanagement of our sports!”
In what Ichungwa had termed as a failure, Ichung’wah said that CS Namwamba has been unable to manage Kenya’s sportsmen and women and he is instead wallowing in the privileges availed to him by the government.
“You are not made a minister in this country to fly flags in the streets and bulldoze your way through traffic with Subaru escorts,” he said.
“The minister must appear before this house and I will cause his appearance specifically to tell this house and the people of Kenya why he lacks the time to attend to people who are representing our country.”
However, Within the short time he has been in office, the CS has spearheaded the revival of sports in the country under Talanta Hela initiative and Kenya’s football back on track after a FIFA ban that had kept the country away from international competition for a whole year.
It should also be noted that it is under his administration that The Kenyan Premier League champions Gor Mahia were awarded Sh10m (Sh5m for winning the league and Sh5m paid towards their debt). FKF Cup winner Kakamega Homeboyz took home Sh5m.The Women’s Premier League winners Vihiga Queens and Cup winners Ulinzi Starlets were awarded Sh5m.National Super League champions Shabana FC and second-placed Murang’a Seal were also feted alongside all FKF Division One and Two winners. Additionally, all FKFPL teams and NSL teams are getting Sh500,000 each.
Additionally, the CS stepped up and prevented World Athletics from banning the country for numerous anti-doping violations following a meeting with the organization’s president Sebastian Coe at his Maktaba office.
Athletics is not the only sport in Kenya that has benefitted from his commitments. For the first time, Harambee Stars got an opportunity to travel overseas for a series of build-up matches against Iran in Tehran, as well as against Pakistan and Mauritius in Mauritius.
More recently, the CS took it upon himself to grace the KSSSA national finals at Bukhungu stadium in Kakamega as a show of support and commitment to the budding talents. Namwamba must be given enough time and space to do his work without distractions.
BY GBS Reporter, Dennis Mugweru Munyi, 22 , August ,2023