Kenya: Nock Elated After Nomination of 'Youthful' Ababu as Sports Cabinet Secretary

27 September 2022
Capital FM (Nairobi)
By Omondi Onyatta

Nairobi — National Olympic Committee-Kenya secretary general Francis Mutuku has hailed the appointment of former Budalangi legislator Ababu Namwamba as a masterstroke and Godsend for sportspersons.

Namwamba, 46, was on Tuesday nominated by President William Ruto as the Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Sports and the Arts - his second stint in the ministry after serving under former President Mwai Kibaki's administration in 2012-2013.

Mutuku said they are looking forward to interacting with Namwamba who succeeds immediate former Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed.

"Sports creates opportunities for self-employment and gets them in the nation building activities. We are privileged to have such a youthful person join the sports docket and interact with all the sports people in the country. We wish to congratulate him on his appointment and wish him all the best as he steers sports in this new chapter," Mutuku said.

He further elucidated Namwamba's previous achievements and expressed hope his second stint will be better than the first.

"Hon Namwamba is not new to sports having served before as a Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs. His short stint is remembered for enactment of the long-desired Sports Act, actualizing the National Youth Council, strengthening of the National Youth Service (NYS) and Streamlining the National Youth Enterprise Fund," he said.

NOCK is presently engaged in various sports talent development programmes around the country in preparation for the Paris Olympics in 2024 and the Victoria Commonwealth Games in 2026.

Mutuku expressed optimism Namwamba's reign at the Sports ministry will bode well for their efforts to develop a strong Team Kenya for the two competitions.

"With 668 days until the Paris Olympic Games, NOC-K has already begun its preparations for the quadrennial Games, which will be highly reinforced with the Sports Ministry leadership in place," he said.

Namwamba, whose last government post was as the chief administrative secretary (CAS) for foreign affairs, will now undergo vetting and approval by Parliament before his eventual confirmation.

Read the original article on Capital FM.

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