Our players deserve better, time to act Mr President

Last weekend, the national senior women’s football team lost away to Botswana 2-1 in the first leg of the 2016 Rio Olympics first round qualifiers.

The mood around the social networks in the country was that the girls had “tried their best” in getting a stoppage time away goal in the encounter ahead of the return leg set for Sunday at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos.

Earlier this month, the national Under 23 side was eliminated from the Olympic qualifiers by their Botswana counterparts on an away goal after both teams tied 4-4 on aggregate.

But that is not the story. First, to some background.

Two weeks ago, Friday May 15, 2015 to be precise, I was at the Moi international Sports Centre, Kasarani, with my colleagues where I was covering an athletics seminar with the steeplechase coaches and athletes from the IAAF English speaking nations in Africa.

At the stadium, I went through a rollercoaster of emotions; first, I was happy to have spent the entire morning with the men and women behind sterling performances in athletics in the region and other parts of Africa like Ghana, Lesotho and Mauritius.

Then I got a chance to interact with the Kenyan national women’s volleyball team. The African queens as many refer to them owing to their glittering performances every time they represent the nation, notwithstanding their low budget – a story for another day - were busy in training that day.

They had just secured a qualifying slot for the All Africa Games in the just concluded Zone five qualifiers played at the Lugogo Indoor Arena in Kampala, Uganda. The girls have now shifted their focus on bringing the ever elusive medal home.

SHAME

Moments after seeing some of our gallant athletes going through their paces in preparation for the various events that are lined up this year, my joy was, however, cut short when I saw members our national women’s football, Harambee Starlets, carrying buckets of water on their heads. They were walking from the hostels directly opposite the indoor games gymnasium - near the David Rudisha main entrance.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. I saw some familiar faces of girls I grew up with in the same neighbourhood, those I witnessed breaking the rigid culture, enduring all manners of ridicule and overcoming the fear of exclusion for venturing into a sport that for a long time was a reserve for men in this country.

I engaged one of them in a short conversation and learnt that this was David Ouma’s selected squad to represent Kenya in an away match against Botswana and the water was for their use in the main stadium's changing rooms. That's where they had camped until they left the country for Botswana and managed an away goal in the 2-1 loss.

Why would a country, that boosts to be a middle income economy, let the people set to fly its flag on a national duty go through such struggle? Why would our girls be left to sleep in the changing rooms ahead of such an assignment?

Is the Football Kenya Federation or the Sports Ministry this broke that they can’t afford to pay for rooms and other upkeep costs for a national team?

Did Kenyans expect this team to come home with victory after going through such struggles before departing for the assignment? This is however not a first. The Under 23 team arrived in Botswana just six hours before their first leg encounter where they were blanked 3-0 by he hosts. They managed a commendable 4-1 win at home, but it was not enough. The visitors had done enough in the first leg to all but secure passage to the second round against the jet-lagged boys.

All players donning national colours, regardless of the sport, ought to be supported by the relevant associations and the state. This is not a favour, but an obligation that should be a top priority for those mandated to manage sports in the country.

The Jubilee government pledged to support the youth in all sectors during the campaigns in the run up to the 2013 elections. The endless wrangling in the sports associations, if not addressed fast, threaten to ruin the careers of thousands of youth – who form the spine of the society. Over to you Mr President.

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