Kenya Basketball Federation President Paul Otula has heaped much praise on the Cabinet Secretary for Sports Ababu Namwamba saying the youthful Kenya Kwanza government stalwart means well for the growth of the game in the country.
Otula,the long-serving sports stakeholder and a respected educationist, coach and administrator widely known for his holistic approach towards development of Secondary School Education lauded Namwamba for always prioritizing welfare of athletes who form an integral part of the game.
“One of the most dangerous impediments to growth of sports is character assassination. CS Sports Ababu Namwamba down to earth, who listens keenly on challenges athletes go through and takes immediate action” said Otula who is credited for turning schools where he had headed to top performers in national examination and sports centre of excellence.
The quiet and soft spoken Otula who has had a colourful stint both in Sports and Education having transformed Mang’u High School and Maseno National School as basketball national and regional champions when he served as the Principal commended the government for its move to monetise Sports in Kenya through formation of Talanta Hela.
“The state wants to reach various locations by tapping and nurturing raw talents hence the brilliant idea of coming up with Talanta Hela Initiative aimed at identifying and harnessing the untapped potential .The committees, composed of the Council, the Sports and the Creatives have competent men and women who are passionate about Sports and Arts and through the guidance of our able and hardworking CS,this mission of creating an effective sports industry which will definitely offer hundreds of thousands of jobs will materialise” added Otula.
On Friday, President William Ruto is expected to preside over the launch of Talanta Hela at State House in a move that would set the committee’s mandate rolling four months after establishment through a Kenya Gazette Notice No.1649 (Vol. CXXV No.32) by the Head of State in February.
The CS has previously reiterated government’s commitment of setting to review the rewards policy for gallant sports personalities and teams in the country who toil to bring glory home in global arenas.
“We are instituting a review of our reward framework to our most treasured resources in Kenya,the athlete.We want to invest in welfare,we want to reward our winners better.We have made it a key priority at the ministry to demonstrate that indeed we are ready to protect our country’s premium resources by taking good care of our sportsmen and women,” said Namwamba.
Otula believes that proper management and administration of the local game can play a key role in transforming the discipline as one of the top notch fields in the country.
“My service is motivated by giving the best to my country and to the people who I am responsible for their growth and exposure.Some of our players currently ply trade in Europe and this has seen the sport grow and that is why we are able to compete evenly with other top African teams,” he remarked.
The former Principal of Sunshine Secondary School says the development of basketball as a sports discipline has been as a result of deliberate strategy they put in place to invest in the sports from secondary schools and estates.
