Nairobi — Sports Cabinet Secretary nominee Ababu Namwamba says he will work with the Attorney General's office to provide Kenyan athletes with free legal services when signing contracts with agents.
Namwamba said such a scheme would safeguard athletes from exploitation by rogue agents who leave them penniless through exploitative contracts skewed in favour of these agents.
"I want to make a commitment because this is an area we have to work hard on. The idea of involving the AG's office is brilliant because they already have a pro bono scheme, which you can log in as a public interest programme where our athletes can receive free services as part of quid pro quo," Namwamba said.
He further envisioned that such a collaboration between the ministry and the AG's office would also enlighten athletes on other issues affecting their careers, including doping and dealing with agents.
"They can be given information on contracting and even on basic issues, such as the risks that lead them to doping. They can receive information on how to engage with agents because not all of them who come into the country are good people ... some of them do terrible things. There are even some who engage in sexual harassment of athletes," Namwamba said.
The nominee was speaking on Friday evening when he appeared before Parliament for vetting.
He was responding to a query by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula who had bemoaned cases where young athletes whose naivety has been exploited by unscrupulous agents.
Concurring with the Speaker, Namwamba said athletes have for a long time not received value for their efforts to fly the national flag high at the international level.
"I don't believe this country has any higher branding value than that (athletes representing Kenya in international competitions). We have not exploited it fully. These athletes, they are scratching the national back but we are not scratching them back," he said.
Namwamba, who served in the same capacity seven years ago, will now await confirmation by Parliament before assuming the reins of the ministry.
