CHAN 2024: Harambee Stars, Sports in Kenya, Deserve More Than Lofty Presidential Bonuses
- President William Ruto has dominated headlines at CHAN 2024 with the millions he has given and promised Harambee Stars players
- Harambee Stars players could finish their group-stage campaign with a cool KSh 5 million each if they beat Zambia on Sunday
- While motivation is a key step any industry needs, this piece explains why a different approach is required to transform the much-ignored yet talented Kenyan sports sector
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In a country where sports has often been treated as an afterthought, President William Ruto has surely put his money where his mouth is during the ongoing CHAN 2024.
Source: UGC
The millions in bonuses to Harambee Stars players have been fulfilled swiftly, borrowing heavily from his one-time political slogan, kusema na kutenda.
More money, and even houses, is still on the line, depending on how far the team gets in its debut appearance.
So far, so good, it is working. Kenya is on the verge of qualifying for the quarter-finals and are still unbeaten despite playing two extremely good teams with a man disadvantage.
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For many Kenyan footballers, survival is a daily struggle and these bonuses are highly welcome.
KSh 20 can be the difference between sleeping hungry and getting something to eat, and thus, the KSh 500,000 offered after the Angola draw, can be life-changing, let alone the rest of the millions.
But this is not the right approach to the many problems we have in the sports sector. Stay with me.
Lack of sports facilities
It is no secret that Kenya still lacks the required sports facilities to adequately cater for its many talented sportspeople.
The country was almost stripped of the rights to host CHAN 2024 as renovation works at Kasarani and Nyayo Stadium dragged on.
Kenya's biggest match, the Mashemeji derby, had to be postponed twice last season due to the lack of a proper stadium to host the game.
In July, Olympic champions Faith Kipyegon and Beatrice Chebet called out the government for a lack of training facilities.
"My preparations have been challenging, particularly regarding training. To become the first woman to run a sub-four-minute mile. I went through a lot," said Kipyegon.
So, giving one-off financial windfalls to athletes and making them go back to sub-standard facilities beats the whole idea of promoting sports as an industry.
Handouts cannot sustain the entire sector because the Austin Odhiambos and Ryan Ogams of today might have received fat cheques, but what about the ones who will come after them?
Source: UGC
What about other sportspeople?
It makes sense to reward football players because it is the most popular sport in the country. It makes better headlines from a political angle.
But how do sportspeople from other disciplines who have been flying Kenya's flag high out there feel?
Listen, football is the most loved sport, but let's face it, it is not Kenya's most successful sports export.
Take, for instance, Kenya’s Under-20 women’s volleyball team, who won the African Championships on Monday.
In his congratulatory message, the president was mum on whether he will 'cheza kama yeye' for the young ladies who won the continental crown.
The senior team, the Malkia Strikers, have been consistent since time immemorial, winning multiple African titles, making Olympic appearances, but barely ever get recognised.
The Kenya women's rugby team, Kenya Lionesses, received a dummy cheque from Sports CS Salim Mvurya, but it remained uncashed when he appeared before the Senate.
German-born Kenyan fencer Alexandra Ndolo and alpine skier Sabrina Simader have had their fair share of frustrations due to the lack of government support.
"It seems that no institution in Kenya is or feels responsible for keeping sports federations in check, because in my three-year quest for answers and a checks and balances structure, I could find none," said Ndolo, who represented Kenya at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
"This is a bad sign, not just for me, but for Kenyan athletes in general. Across sports, to current competing athletes or those considering joining. At this moment, I could not in good conscience recommend to any athlete of Kenyan descent to join the team. Diasporans, do not come back home."
The current method adopted by President Ruto risks marginalising athletes who have consistently put Kenya on the map but don't return home to millions in bonuses.
Instead, they have to trot back to their training bases, hope a sponsor will come through for them to make the next competition, and repeat.
Structures first, bonuses later
That's why it is paramount for us to have proper structures first to build and nurture talent. Structures go beyond the actual infrastructure.
We need a proper framework for identifying talent, promoting them, monetising them and giving them avenues to provide for their families - bonuses or no bonuses.
Our football league is not commercialised. Teams often tend to give walkovers, referees don't get paid, not all games are on television and there isn't enough money going around.
If we are serious about helping sports in this country, we need to start from the bottom, going up (pun intended).
Sports is no longer just a hobby or a talent. It is a profession that should be treated with respect, not as a political bargaining chip to win over a voting bloc.
After we have structures in place, we need to revisit the bonuses system because motivation goes a long way in impacting performance, and our superstars need that.
Level the playing field in bonuses
When it comes to bonuses, let it be clear what teams would get in case they achieve set targets. If it is an individual sport, like next month's World Championships in Tokyo, will a world record attract more money?
How many more Grand Slams does Angella Okutoyi need to appear at to get rewarded?
If they are team sports, what do Shujaa need to do to get a piece of these bonuses from the house on the hill? What more should Harambee Starlets do (after upsetting Tunisia) to get the same share of the bonuses?
Will a win at CHAN 2024 attract the same amount as Phanuel Koech winning a world title in Japan?
All these are athletes representing the country, and we shouldn't make other groups feel less by dangling millions to one group only.
Be that as it may, and as head coach Benni McCarthy admitted, Ruto's promises are working. So, Mr.President, keep meeting your end of the bargain. We have a competition to win, and if that's what it takes to get us there, so be it.
But please, after all is done, remember that Harambee Stars aren't the only sports team in this country.
How much did President Ruto promise Harambee Stars?
The players have already been given KSh 2.5 million for beating DR Congo and Morocco and drawing with Angola.
Ruto has promised a further KSh 2.5 million for every player if they beat Zambia and win the group on Sunday.
If they triumph in the quarter-finals, they will get another KSh 1 million plus two-bedroom houses.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
