The Government is set to begin the construction of 10 sports academies in various constituencies across the country, a project under the Ministry of Sports.
Cabinet secretary for sports, culture and heritage, Amina Mohamed, said that Ksh. 750M have already been set aside for construction of these academies.
It is projected that by the end of November the construction will begin.
“The money is available, all we are waiting for is the details, the expectation is that by the end of November we should have started and we should finish by the end of June next year, our team has just returned from the constituencies and we expect them to give us a full report.” Amina said.
The money to be used in this project is part of the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund that has so far collected Ksh. 30.3 billion since its inception in the financial year 2018/2019.
“The 10 academies are among the 17 that were identified in the first phase. The 17 constituencies that are set to benefit from the projects are Igembe central, Lagdera, Mwingi West, Voi, Mavoko, Narok south, Isiolo, Lurambi, Webuye, Luanda, Marakwet west, Tinderet, Alego Usonga, Kieni, Ndaragwa and Nyaribari Chache.” Amina said before the committee on sports.
The money from the fund has been used in the construction of four stadiums; Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Kisumu County (Ksh. 415 million, Wanguru stadium in Kirinyaga County (Ksh. 310 Million), Posta Jamhuri Stadium in Nairobi county (Ksh. 609 Million), Kirigiti Stadium in Kiambu County (Ksh.596 Million)
Construction of stadia was one of the major promises by the Jubilee government. Netizens have complained about the lack of fulfillment of the promise to benefit the youth in the country.
“What we wanted to prove with the construction of these stadia within a record time is to show that we don’t need 4 years to construct the stadiums as has been the norm, and that with the technologies and commitment it can be done within six to seven months.” She added.
The CS also told the MPs that the ministry will continue being involved in the construction of the stadiums and academies going forward to ensure that young men and women exploit their talents.
