Amina: Government will keep promise to athletes

Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed has said the ministry has joined hands with corporates to raise funds that will be distributed to sportspersons to cushion them from the loss of income brought about by the Covid- 19 pandemic.

The sports industry has been hard hit by the coronavirus with federations being forced to suspend competitions and leagues indefinitely to conform to the government directive on social gatherings.

Players, coaches, match officials and administrators who solely depend on sports for a living have been forced to seek other means of survival as the government continues to battle the spread of the virus.

In an interview with Capital FM's "Capital in the morning" show on Wednesday morning, Amina said that in addition to President Uhuru Kenyatta's pledge to be drawn from the Sports Fund to help athletes, the money raised on the side from corporates such as betting firms, banks and the media will go towards helping single mothers in sports teams and other struggling clubs in the country.

"The coronavirus pandemic has disorganized sports everywhere and we can clearly feel it in the country especially our rugby and volleyball teams and the marathoners who put in extra effort to qualify for the Olympics that ended up being postponed for a year.

Footballers, who mostly hail from informal settlements and depend on the leagues and championships are also facing a catastrophe with their calendars being disrupted due to social distancing measure aimed at flattening the curve," said Amina.

Amina urged Kenyans to come together in these trying times and support athletes who have continuously put Kenya on the global map.

"This is the time to get behind our domestic teams and form a motivating fan base for individuals who give Kenya a lot of pride by flying our flag high in some of the most competitive events worldwide," she added.

As at Tuesday, Kenya had recorded 374 coronavirus cases, 124 recoveries and 14 deaths.