Headteachers raise cash for Matuga school games
What you need to know:
- KSSSA has lauded Matuga for making the decision to raise the cash and urged other regions to emulate it to ensure that schools games are held without a hitch
- For the past two years, the Education ministry undertook to fund the school games directly by disbursing activity funds to the Regional County Director of Education offices countrywide
Headteachers in Matuga have contributed cash to salvage the sub-county secondary school games which take place Friday and Saturday at Shimba Hills High School in Kwale County.
Robert Aran Maima, the Matuga Sub -County Secondary Schools Sports Association chairman on Thursday said they made arrangements to contribute an agreed amount of money so that Matuga can hold the championship as they wait for the disbursement of cash by the Ministry of Education.
The Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) has lauded Matuga for making the decision to raise the cash and urged other regions to emulate it to ensure that schools games are held without a hitch.
KSSSA secretary general David Ngugi Thursday said it was wrong for sports organisers to cancel or delay games as was done in Kisii County on Wednesday for lack of funds yet the ministry is in the process of disbursing funds for this year.
“I want to commend Matuga sub- county chairman Robert Aran Maima for thinking outside the box and ensuring that school heads within his jurisdiction pool resources to allow the games to run smoothly because such monies will definitely be refunded once the funds are made available by the ministry,” Ngugi said.
Ngugi said the KSSSA Chief Executive Officer Festus Muturi, from the Ministry of Education, has intervened in the Kisii County School Games crisis, adding such a thing should not happen again.
“It is so disappointing that some people have turned school games into avenues of making extra cash, they always wait for the games to begin for them to line their pockets but they cannot put money into the same games to ensure they do not fail to take place,” he said.
On Wednesday, some of the Kisii County Secondary Schools Sub-County Games were cancelled while some started late due to what the organisers said was lack of funds.
Reports indicated that games at Gucha sub-county totally failed to take off with Masaba South and Nyamanche sub-counties starting behind schedule.
For the past two years, the Education ministry undertook to fund the school games directly by disbursing activity funds to the Regional County Director of Education offices countrywide. Regional directors then channel the cash to the sub-counties. Previously, schools funded the games by paying activity fees to the relevant schools sports bodies.
