Nairobi — Cabinet Ministers William Ruto and Najib Balala were on Friday inducted into the Ingwe Summit Committee of AFC Leopards SC.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga became the first member after he registered immediately it was introduced early this year.

Leopards introduced the Ingwe Summit to replace the position of patron'

Ruto and Balala each gave Sh500,000 to the club at a function held at Nairobi's Railway Training Institute and promised to help in identifying a sponsor for the Kenyan Premier League side.

Former giants

Ruto also congratulated the former giants for producing stars who brought glory to the country, adding that he was aware of the challenges facing the team.

The Agriculture minister said sportsmen have put Kenya in the world map besides the economic benefits that came through the sport. He challenged Leopards officials, led by Julius Ochiel, to work towards a stable team.

"You have our full support. I and my friend Balala are ready to partner with Leopards because what they are doing is important to the country. We shall come back during the club's fundraiser next month and give more contributions," he promised.

Revive the sport

Balala, who is in charge of the Tourism portfolio, said AFC Leopards has always played the best football.

Lamenting that the sport has been neglected, he said it is time to revive it.

"When I was the Sports minister in 2003 my focus was for Kenya to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but politics has denied us a chance," said Balala.

He said Kenya will continue using sports to market the country and asked the players to take sports as a business.