Nairobi — Newly-nominated Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba is no stranger to the ministry having served as head of the institution in 2012-2013.
Some of the milestones during his one-year reign include the enactment of the Sports Act of 2013, establishment of the National Youth Council and streamlining of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund.
His second coming to the Sports ministry offers him the opportunity to continue the work he left behind, chiefly, the seamless implementation of the Sports Act, which has been a headache for many federations.
Many of them have been struggling to align their respective constitutions to that of the country as well as the Act, including the inclusion of county sports associations as members of these federations.
It will be interesting to see how the man who midwifed its enactment into law will approach the issue.
Murky football waters
One of his key desires during his previous reign was for Kenya to co-host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) alongside Uganda and Tanzania, a plan that had to be shelved over what he termed as unpreparedness by Kenya's East African neighbours.
Ababu had also expressed his wish and plan for Kenya to host the 2015 Under-17 AFCON, which never materialised following his exit from the Ministry in 2013.
The former Budalangi legislator returns to his former seat at a time when Kenya is stuck in the football wilderness following its indefinite suspension by world football governing body, Fifa.
This was due to the disbandment of Football Kenya Federation (FKF) in October last year and subsequent establishment of a caretaker committee by immediate former CS Amina Mohamed.
Fifa has insisted the suspension can only be lifted after the reinstatement of FKF president Nick Mwendwa and reopening of the federation's office at the Goal Project in Kasarani.
However, even with the election of President William Ruto, confusion seems to reign in the football industry with the Amina-appointed FKF Transition Committee releasing fixtures for the resumption of the top-tier Kenya Premier League on Saturday.
On the other hand, most clubs have refused to play in any league - unless sanctioned by Fifa - with the now-emboldened Mwendwa insisting action can only resume mid next month after the lifting of suspension.
A self-confessed football fan, other enthusiasts will be eager and keenly watching to see Namwamba resuscitate the sport from the doldrums and give hope to countless talents at the grassroots hoping to make it big.
Harambee Stars stand banned by FIFA from international football since 25 Feb 2022. They are missing out on Afcon 2023 qualifiers among other competitions. FIFA should be robustly engaged to resolve the impasse even as this ban period is smartly used to reinvigorate local football pic.twitter.com/ufe1OSyLrF-- Hon Ababu-Namwamba, EGH🇰🇪 (@AbabuNamwamba) September 26, 2022
His latest comments on the national football team, Harambee Stars, should fill many fans with hope that the CS-designate is similarly hurting from the malaise in the game.
"Harambee Stars stand banned by FIFA from international football since February 2022. They are missing out on Afcon 2023 qualifiers among other competitions FIFA should be robustly engaged to resolve the impasse even as this ban period is smartly used to reinvigorate local football," Namwamba said on Monday on his social media pages.
The doping menace
Athletics remains one of Kenya's ambassadors and an enhancer of its reputation as a sports powerhouse courtesy of exceptional performances by its citizens at the international level.
However, Ababu will have to play an integral role in the war against doping, which for many years has been a thorn in the flesh, that is the athletics industry.
Alongside Ethiopia and Russia, Kenya is grouped in Category A by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) as one of the countries with the highest propensity of committing anti-doping violations by its athletes.
Efforts to redeem its image have not been aided by recent cases of Kenyans caught up in doping storms, the latest including 2019 Boston Marathon champion Lawrence Cherono and Tokyo Olympian Lilian Kasait.
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Stakeholders in the industry, including Athletics Kenya (AK) will be hoping to work closely with the newly-nominated CS in the war against this menace.
Last year, the Safari Rally returned to Kenya after a 19-year hiatus and followed up on the same with a bigger version this year.
With the World Rally Championship (WRC) having renewed the global showpiece, Ababu will be expected to spearhead the government's efforts to secure the championship - which is a pivotal tourist attraction - for the long term.
A second chance for Ababu and undoubtedly, it is no easier than his first stint.
He will be aware of the hopes and aspirations of millions of Kenyan sportsmen that are lumped on his shoulders.
As stakeholders in the sports industry, we can only welcome him back, wish him the best and look forward to working closely with the government to take Kenyan sports to the next level.
