Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi has passionately backed the Sports (Amendment) Bill, 2024, hailing it as a long-overdue reform that could transform Kenya’s sporting landscape and unlock a wealth of untapped potential among the nation’s youth.
The Bill, tabled by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, seeks to amend the current Sports Act to establish County Sports Association Funds.
Each county would allocate at least one per cent of its revenue to these funds, supplementing them with grants, loans and donations from public and private sources.
“This is a very progressive piece of legislation which we should all support,” Senator Osotsi declared, emphasising the global economic significance of sports.
“If sports is properly funded and harnessed, it can be one of the ways of raising money for this country. Countries have developed largely because of investment in sports.”
Osotsi, drawing from his legislative history and research, lamented the current underfunding of county-level sports initiatives.
Using his home county of Vihiga as an example — where the sports fund receives less than Kshs10 million annually — he stressed that such meagre allocations could not produce a meaningful impact.
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He further urged Senator Sifuna to amend the Bill to allow funding from the national government’s shareable revenue, noting that sports is a shared function between the two levels of government.
“Counties develop the facilities and activities, but the national government promotes the sport. If that is the case, they should also share the funding,” he argued.
In a scathing critique of past administrations, Senator Osotsi accused the government of former President Uhuru Kenyatta of diverting funds intended initially for sports development.
He cited the redirection of Kshs10 billion from the National Sports Fund—initially created under the then-Kibaki administration—to the Universal Health Care (UHC) programme.
“The Mwai Kibaki Government had a vision. They established the Sports Act in 2013 to promote youth and sports as a pillar of Vision 2030,” Osotsi said.
“But when President Uhuru’s administration saw the idle billions, they shifted focus. Only five per cent of that fund ended up supporting sports.”
He proposed a full parliamentary inquiry into how the Sports Arts and Social Development Fund has been managed, questioning why it remains under the National Treasury rather than the Ministry of Sports.
“How can the PS for Treasury administer a fund for sports?” he asked. “It’s time we brought that fund back where it belongs.”
Osotsi’s remarks painted a picture of a promise hijacked by mismanagement, pointing to stalled projects like the Joe Kadenge Sports Academy in his county, which was launched with pomp but left dormant years later.
He called on the Senate Sports Committee and the Committee of Delegated Legislation to investigate how the sports fund is administered, who benefits from it and how effectively it’s being used.
The Senator reaffirmed his full support for the amendment and called on fellow lawmakers to rally behind it to honour President Kibaki’s legacy and create a sustainable future where sports can thrive as a profession and an economic driver.
“This is not just a Bill. It’s a mission to rescue and restore the dreams of our young people,” Osotsi said and added: “If we take this step now, we’ll look back years.
By Calistus Imbayi
